Disheartening demolition
When my family wanted to add a 700-square-foot addition to our ordinary existing home, we had to provide architectural plans, submit them to the local zoning board, and appear at a hearing to state why our plans conformed to local laws and adhered to the character of our neighborhood. President Donald Trump lives in a historic property loaned to him by the people of the United States for use as a temporary residence during his tenure in office. Yet, without any approvals, he is demolishing part of this borrowed home and permanently changing its character.
When Trump first floated the plan to add a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, he provided assurance that the White House footprint would not change. In August, Trump paved over the historic Rose Garden. This past Tuesday, Trump invited Republican senators to lunch at the new concrete “Rose Garden Club,” granting the senators a chance to bear witness to the bulldozers that — in the midst of a government shutdown — were plowing down Trump’s promise to preserve the East Wing. In the meantime, the National Trust for Historic Preservation haplessly was asking for time to review Trump’s architectural plans.
As average U.S. citizens, we are bound by rules and regulations and expected to be truthful. Our president lies about his intentions, openly defies historic preservation, demolishes part of our White House, and does so while thumbing his nose at the decent folks who are just trying to get by day by day.
In Trump World, there is no zoning board, and there are no guardrails. This is a snapshot of our new world order. What will the historians write?
P. Bookspan, Philadelphia
. . .
The East Wing of the White House, built in the 1940s, undoubtedly has asbestos and lead throughout. Were tests done, and remediation actions taken? Take a look at the records for other Donald Trump projects: Profits are more important than the health of workers and the community at large.
Victoria M. Gillen, Browns Mills
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My heart broke seeing the clawlike machine tearing down the East Wing of the White House. Living in Hatfield Township, we had a similar issue about five years ago on a much smaller scale. The last farm in our township was sold. A demolition crew was hired by the new owner to remove the farmhouse. However, the demolition crew halted after the removal of siding exposed walls made of logs from the mid-1700s. After professional historians looked over the siding, they determined the house was one of the earliest structures in the township. After hundreds of people attended meetings concerning the house, it was decided to carefully take the farmhouse apart to be reassembled later at a different location. Unlike our little township, all I saw concerning our beloved People’s House was Donald Trump declaring that in no way would the White House be touched during the construction of his big beautiful ballroom. That could turn out to be a bigger lie than his saying he won in 2020.
Joseph Obelcz, Hatfield
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Instead of destroying the People’s House to build a billionaire’s ballroom, Donald Trump should turn it into a soup kitchen for all the people who will no longer be receiving SNAP benefits.
Cheryl Rice, Erdenheim
Canadian comparisons
I very much appreciated Daniel Pearson’s column on Montreal and how it compares with Philadelphia. I have been to Montreal 11 times, and I have observed many of the same things: Centreville is the business center of Montreal, yet it has residential dwellings, retail, and other sorts of establishments, and therefore does not feel as hollow as some downtown areas in American cities. It is known for being very clean and orderly. Yet, everybody seems like they are relaxed and having a good time, even in this predominantly business district.
Montreal also has ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown, and it also has strong West African, Lebanese, Moroccan, and other communities. Some of these communities are long-established. Montreal’s Old City section by the St. Lawrence River equates to our Old City section. It’s an area of history and tourism woven into one. Montreal has some of the greatest educational establishments in the world, especially McGill University, which dominates a lot of the intellectual thought of the city. Where Montreal differs from Philadelphia is in its ability to keep extreme economic disparities at bay. Some neighborhoods are doing better than others, but you don’t have a sense of dread if you accidentally get off at the wrong Metro station. The subway trains have rubber tires and are quieter than our subway trains, plus the stations are kept in a presentable manner.
Women are very prominent in the civic life of Montreal. The misogyny and misandry that often infects our society aren’t prevalent there. Montreal does not have the tension with the provincial capital, Quebec City, that Philadelphia has with Harrisburg. Too often, I find that Philadelphia tries to learn from other American cities that are experiencing the same difficulties. With a similar layout and a similar population, Montreal might be a better example. Perhaps we need to start emulating a winning strategy. Let’s find out what they do correctly that can be replicated here.
David W. Wannop, Philadelphia
Filibuster, anyone?
The truth about the current shutdown is that the Republicans can end it without Democratic help at any time. All they need to do is change the Senate rules regarding the filibuster. They did this in September to get 48 of Donald Trump’s government nominees approved. To change the rules only requires 50 votes. The reason they won’t do it is that politically, they would rather blame the Democrats than negotiate with them. Democrats should hold firm and point this out next time John Thune and Mike Johnson try to blame them on TV. The opposition party that controls no part of the government is under no obligation to help the other party.
Warren Kruger, Abington
Too young to remember
From news articles, it appears many of the Donald Trump supporters are young people in their early 20s — too young to remember the terrible first Trump administration. Some perspective that may make some of us feel old: Today’s college seniors were in seventh grade when Trump was first elected nine years ago.
These youngsters are also way too young to know what it was like to fear polio and see your friends put in an iron lung. What a relief it was to have a polio vaccine. And what do these young people of today know of World War II and the fight to save the world from the fascism that had taken control of Germany and Italy? With few World War II veterans remaining, most young people will not have a grandfather or father who faced the horrors of fighting to save democracy.
When I was a youngster, it was required that I have several vaccinations (MMR — measles, mumps, rubella) in order to attend school. My parents did not question this policy — they accepted it as a measure to keep their children safe, and they were grateful for it. Today, I am grateful for the additional vaccines that are available for me — pneumonia, shingles, and, in particular, the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. It’s distressing to now see that many vaccines are no longer recommended, and may become unavailable or only stocked in limited supplies. It appears the scientific progress made in the last century and decades is being rejected by two men, neither of whom is a doctor or scientist.
When will today’s young people bother to consider how the current administration is sabotaging their future as well as that of their parents and grandparents? If the luck they depend on holds, they will grow old, but will they still have vaccinations, healthcare, Social Security, food, and a safe environment? Who will they blame when these are gone? Will they look in a mirror?
Carol Sundeen, Lower Makefield
Do the right thing
Republican House leader Mike Johnson says he will bring back the Republican House members when Democrats do the right thing. What Johnson means by the “right thing” is for Democrats to allow 22 million people on the Affordable Care Act to have their premiums doubled, and for 15 million people on Medicaid to lose their health insurance. I, for one, am glad that Democrats refuse to do Johnson’s “right thing.”
Dave Posmontier, Elkins Park
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