Hasta la vista, 2025
As we enter 2026 hesitantly hopeful, we mourn the crushing losses 2025 brought us.
Worst of all by far, the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of our fellow human beings around the world when America cruelly ceased funding USAID. On a much, much smaller scale, of course, but horrific nonetheless: blowing to smithereens all those hapless Venezuelan fishermen in the Caribbean, including the two souls seen clinging to wreckage, after which they, too, were “dispatched.”
And thanks for their service to the thousands of federal watchdogs and civil-service workers summarily fired from their jobs without cause.
And we pray for our fellow Americans – citizens and non-citizens alike – disappeared from our streets and taken God-knows-where by masked thugs.
And a sad farewell to our European allies — especially Ukraine — for America’s shamelessly abandoning them in favor of the likes of Vladimir Putin.
And we certainly didn’t need “the affordability thing.” Remember when eggs and bacon were affordable? Not to mention a doll or two for Christmas. Aah, those pre-tariff prices.
And whatever happened to the East Wing of the People’s House — and to the Rose Garden, too?
And what about the defacing of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts?
So what will 2026 bring? More of the above? Continuing obfuscation of the Epstein Files? More dangerous anti-vax nonsense? War with Venezuela, Greenland or Canada — or all three.
Time will tell.
Dennis Sing
Somerton
Buy American-made
With so much inflation and economic changes taking place in America, it is urgent that America’s businesses expand more manufacturing in the United States to benefit American workers and regain America’s financial security.
During the last 35 years tens-of-thousands of businesses chose to manufacture their products in foreign countries and ship them to America for sale. This guaranteed new jobs and livelihoods for foreign workers at the expense of American workers. However, American-based businesses now have an opportunity to reverse this process and expand their product lines and offer new competitive products manufactured in the United States that can compete with the growing number of foreign-made items now being sold in America.
I’m sure we can all agree that it’s time for America’s leaders to ensure that American-based businesses receive long-term tax incentives to make it worthwhile for them to restore a balance between imported and American-made products. The bottom line is that America can’t continue to be the largest sales point for foreign products while American workers lose stable jobs and growing job skills.
We certainly have the people and land to expand industries in America so there is no reason for any additional delay to expand manufacturing in America again. We ask that you help American workers by supporting the American-made label so we can restore no less than a 50-50 balance of what we purchase made by American workers.
Being part of the global economy is important to all workers, but anything less than 50% of the items sold in America not being made in America is a concern for every American and the future of our great nation.
Thanks for your help. Kindly spread the word.
Michael Blichasz
Torresdale
Same thing over and over
Principals get a raise and continue to lead bad schools. School board re-elects the same old hand-picked president and vice president, so no changes. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and getting the same result. The Philadelphia school district and school board are prime examples of this definition. I bet there are no quotas or ramifications in the new principals’ contract. Here’s more money to keep running crappy schools. The school board is just one big rubber stamp for the district. The only time they get their dander up is when it comes to charter schools and then it’s a big no even if it would benefit the students. Ah, the students, the forgotten people in the equation. Don’t give them an alternative. Keep the first-grade reading and math levels. Graduate 68% after grade inflation and forced promotions. God forbid we give these kids a chance with a charter school. Parker is so big on affordable housing and getting ahead. Well it starts right in the schools. If they can’t read or write they certainly can’t pay rent, even if they can count the money. Changes are needed. The taxpayers aren’t getting their money’s worth.
Richard Donofry
East Torresdale
