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Letters: District attorney brought down by hypocrisy

DA brought down by hypocrisy The hypocrisy inherent in Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' decision to not seek reelection deserves comment ("Seth Williams' rise and inevitable fall," Sunday).

District Attorney Seth Williams at the news conference where he announced he would not run again.
District Attorney Seth Williams at the news conference where he announced he would not run again.Read moreMATT ROURKE / AP

DA brought down by hypocrisy

The hypocrisy inherent in Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' decision to not seek reelection deserves comment ("Seth Williams' rise and inevitable fall," Sunday).

He was roundly commended in 2014, when he pursued criminal prosecutions arising from the Pennsylvania Statehouse sting, after Attorney General Kathleen Kane declined to do so. Four of the five defendants in those cases were charged with accepting unreported cash contributions of $4,000 or less.

In comparison, Williams accepted $160,500 worth of unreported gifts from 2010 to 2015, underscoring the height of his hypocrisy. As is often the case with hypocrites, his display of remorse was prompted at least as much by the embarrassment of getting caught as by the belated realization that what he did was wrong.

|Patrick J. Hagan, Ardmore

No way to rebuild city parks

I was not surprised to see that the Kenney administration wants to funnel $500 million to rebuild parks, recreation centers, and libraries through two nonprofits ("Better way to rebuild," Friday) to make the process more efficient (meaning, more laden with pork, swag, and kickbacks) and less vulnerable to outside influence (meaning, oversight). How naïve does this man think we are? Should Kenney get his way, the city should submit the plan to the FBI, so it can get a running start.

|Mike Egan, Plymouth Meeting, mchlegan@gmail.com

Money driving public schools

Public school districts' actions to address the popularity of charter schools are not only an improvement in education for children in Pennsylvania, but also a feather in the cap for charter schools ("Challenging the charters," Sunday). Some districts are finally asking why parents feel the need to move their children to charters and are addressing those needs. Education is improving partly because of the high-performing charter schools, but also because the success of those charters is driving some districts to better address the needs of parents and children.

But it is disillusioning that the motivation for districts to change is not improving education, but saving money. If the districts had listened to the parents from the beginning, charters would not have doubled in the eight-year span noted in the article - and continue to grow since then. The results may be good, but the motivation remains in question.

Pushing districts to be more creative, responsive, and innovative is a great thing, but so long as who gets the money is a greater motivator than what is best for the children, one of the underlying problems with public education remains unresolved.

|Robert Fayfich, executive director, Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, King of Prussia, operativ@zbzoom.net

Biased look at nominations

Don't you guys ever stop? I didn't have to read very far in Monday's editorial ("Questionable cabinet picks") to be slapped by your prejudice. By listing Sen. Sessions' full name, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, you are trying to paint him as a KKK klavern leader, much the same way the anti-Obama crowd liked to stress his middle name to imply his Muslim origins. I expect nothing less from such a one-sided paper.

|Andy Anderson, Glassboro, ajanderson2747@comcast.net

Speaking for Trump voters

Kudos to commentary writer Jeff Bust, of Frankfort, Ill.,, who so eloquently articulated a myriad of sound reasons for having "No regrets about vote for Trump" (Sunday). He speaks my voice, loud and clear. I, too, am "deplorable" and happy!

|Irene E. Buckman, Huntingdon Valley

Environment's future is now

Jeff Bust justified his support for President Trump by saying he voted to protect his grandchildren. If he was really concerned about his grandchildren, he would not be so cavalier about global warming, when the vast majority of scientists in the world believe we need to take radical action now. And, if he wants to take a practical approach to global warming, I suggest he look at the Chinese government, which in the last year cut back on coal-fired power plants and announced a massive program to increase renewable power sources.

While a Republican administration and Congress will encourage coal mining, fracking, and pipelines here, the Chinese will develop technology that we will eventually need to buy from them. Will Trump try to blame that sad state of affairs on currency manipulation?

|Adam Blistein, Merion Station