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Letters to the editor

Rebuild our merchant marine

Donald Moskowitz Londonderry, NH President Trump plans to revive the U.S. maritime ship building industry, including levying tariffs and fees on Chinese ships entering American ports. Now Congress must pass the SHIPS Act, which will increase our ship building capacity and hopefully the size of our merchant marine. It could also provide economies of scale and expertise to rebuild our Navy. Since WWII the U.S. has had a steady decline in U.S. flagged merchant ships from about 50% of the world’s cargo shipping to about 1% today. Our merchant marine has less than 10,000 mariners ...

Eliminate antisemitism, embrace DEI

Sheri Berenbaum State College Trump’s dual rampage against antisemitism and DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) is both phony and dangerous. Eliminating antisemitism is only possible if we embrace DEI. DEI represents our country’s decades-long effort to create a just and equal society, fulfilling our founding principles, codified in our anti-discrimination civil rights laws. Put simply, DEI is about promoting the fair treatment and full participation of all people in a world increasingly plagued with power imbalances. — “Diversity” — welcoming differences in ...

Actually, he can’t do that

Randolph Hudson State College Executive orders can be legal, constitutional and smart. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has signed a blizzard of “Executive Orders” that are illegal, unconstitutional, and stupid. Courts are rightfully striking them down one after another. A president cannot use executive orders to bypass laws made by Congress. A president cannot use executive orders to shutter or gut federal agencies created by Congress. A president cannot use executive orders to defy the Constitution, as Trump’s “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American ...

Who asked for this?

Tim Mannello Williamsport In a recent opening monologue, Seth Meyers gave a good summary of why Trump’s national poll ratings after the first 100 days of his second term in 2025 are lower than the previous low for any other president’s first 100 days... his own first 100 days in 2021. According to Meyers, President Trump has busied himself by: — threatening judges and detaining students for their political opinions — defying Supreme Court orders — dismantling Social Security — eliminating food safety inspections — cutting cancer research — ...

Bogus child deportation claims

David Kveragas Newton Township, Lacklawanna County Recently activists supporting illegal immigrants have tried to make an issue of children born here to illegal alien parents are being “deported” with their parents. As Secretary Rubio clearly explained, these children, having been born on US soil are US citizens and can stay here if the parents so choose and make proper arrangements. Their departure is solely the choice of the parents. Most foreign nations, as well as the US, consider children born to citizens while in another nation as citizens. If say a Mexican national, ...

Unusual state

Tom McCarey Berwyn, Pa. Pennsylvania is an unusual state in the way legislation is passed. The politicians can introduce a bill, it can be heard in a day or two and it can pass out of committee immediately to be put up for a vote. It’s not a very transparent process. It’s a real inside club where the lobbyists, especially the lobbyists for the ticket camera companies, get in there, they can put the fix in and there’s no chance for the people to have any say in this. The process makes it impossible for the public to engage on proposed bills. Pennsylvania is one of the ...