Sen. Jarret Coleman is wrong about Philadelphia
State Sen. Jarret Coleman’s recent comment calling Philadelphia a “s—hole” is troubling for several reasons. The comment was disrespectful not only to the residents of Philadelphia but to all Pennsylvanians, and was unbecoming of an elected official. It is also untrue.
The birthplace of American democracy, a hub for the arts, dining and sports, Philadelphia is one of America’s great cities. It is home to exceptional colleges and universities and offers historic sites such as Independence Hall and several other worthwhile destinations. The Wall Street Journal recently named Philadelphia the No. 1 place to visit in 2026.
Philadelphia and its surrounding counties are an economic engine for the state. With a regional population of about 32.5%, the area accounts for 38%-40% of the state’s revenue. Crime rates for the city have dropped to levels not seen in decades. According to Pew research, the homicide rate dropped 35% from 2023-24 and continued this trend in 2025. Sen. Coleman is wrong about Philadelphia.
Bruce Alan Smith
Macungie
Trump’s actions are like ‘Twilight Zone’ episode
The 1961 “Twilight Zone” episode “It’s a Good Life” is one of my favorites. The main character is a young boy, Anthony, who controls reality and punishes anyone who upsets him. If you upset him you may be banished to the cornfield, never to return. Anthony’s neighbors live in perpetual fear and fake happiness to keep Anthony happy. Anthony has morphed into our president and his relationship with anyone who does not support his views. Disagree and you will be banished, not to the cornfield, but to unfair judicial prosecution. Congress stays silent and compliant, fearing one wrong statement will trigger the president’s social media word-storm followed by the possibility of either a primary threat or actual physical threat to you and your family by extremists. Unfortunately, our adult Anthony not only resents those who did not vote for him, but he is using his powers to send paramilitary forces against cities.
We live in a time of fear, chaos and fear of more chaos. This is not our Founding Fathers’ American dream.
Since watching that “Twilight Zone” episode again recently, I cannot forget it. We, as a country, are living in grown-up Anthony’s world in 2026.
Linda Brown
Bethlehem
Important to speak your mind
So many people ask me why I even care about speaking my mind these days. The simple answer is that, as a kid, that was something to be frowned upon. We always worried about what the neighbors or anyone else thought and it wasn’t until I left that environment, got married, moved away and became a mom that I realized that I had a voice for not only myself but for my family. I’d like to think that some are proud of me for doing this. It doesn’t always turn out that way these days since social media tries to change or control the minds of many of us. It’s sometimes hard to hear through the noise. Sure, it’s hard to lose friends or acquaintances but you have to be true to yourself and fall back upon who you are and have it be about what’s important to you and to those you love.
Supposedly it’s a tragedy to be unfriended on Facebook by someone. No offense, but if you were my friend before and now, because of my beliefs on a particular subject, are not, bring it on. I know who truly has me. God bless America.
Mary Wozniak
East Allen Township
Recall elections would give public greater control
By the means of an initial voters’ signatures petition, between elections and before their term ends, there is something to be said for the constitutional monarchy practice of recall elections for elected prime ministers and elected legislators. In the case of the United States, in addition to the established separation of powers guardrails, the nation wouldn’t need to continue to be subject to severe, abusive, long-term presidential overstepping of bounds and dereliction of duty. It would be another safety valve against executive abuse of power. The recall would be due to obvious, severe performance dissatisfaction or misconduct where ultimate power is in part accountable to the elected parliament, congress or legislature, but still ultimately rests with the citizen voters who elected them. In the case of Great Britain, the guardrail does not include the input of the monarchy. Rather than seeking to limit their input, as with the election engineering effort that is obviously going on in the United States today, the larger segment of voters that can be involved in the running of a democracy — the better. The threat of a recall election would place another important limit against abusive monarchical autocracy.
Robert Ockenfuss
Perkasie
Trump’s actions on Greenland are shocking
We watch in shock as Donald Trump talks about taking Greenland against the wishes of its inhabitants. He who promised to end war in the Ukraine on his first day in office now threatens to start a war with our NATO partners. Peaceful alternatives have been offered, such as simply building more bases on the island. But Trump persists in saying that we will take the island by force if necessary, violating the NATO accord which has fortified our presence in the world since World War II. The president of France has responded by saying, “We prefer respect to bullies.”
More repulsive is Trump admitting to the prime minister of Norway that because of being denied the Nobel Peace Prize, he will now proceed with forceful methods, which include threatening to raise tariffs on our allies.
Worst is the fact that he thinks he still deserves the Nobel Peace Prize when he sows so much dissension in our country and now abroad. It is hard to understand why the Republican Party allows this detrimental behavior by the president.
Gerald Tandarich
Allentown
The Morning Call publishes letters from readers online and in print several times a week. Submit a letter to the editor at letters@mcall.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author(s), and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication.
