Letters to the Editor

Orchestra's plight and Pew foundation

Something is surely rotten in Philadelphia when the orchestra's management can file for bankruptcy in order to deprive musicians of their benefits.

The decision seems to have had a lot to do with the Pew foundation, the largest in the area, which decided not to support the orchestra. So far, the Pew is batting 1.000 in the category of cultural fiascos. First, it spearheaded the Barnes move.

Now this. Phew!

Edith H. Saltzberg

Merion

esaltzberg@gmail.com

Mentoring alone won't end violence

Charles Williams has a brilliant idea ("A call for mentors - for the parents," Monday).

It is generally agreed that the extent to which children are exposed to violence at home directly correlates with the extent to which they become violent in the world. Some parents don't understand this, and don't know how to change or what changes to make.

The problem is how to get to these parents. And who says they will listen, or even want mentoring?

Williams' Center for the Prevention of School-Aged Violence at Drexel University may well be a good place to begin. But ending the violence in schools requires deeper and more pervasive change.

Our country's military recruits teenagers to join military-related programs and encourages parents to be proud of children who want to fight for their country. To "be a man," a boy has to stand up and fight.

So, yes, let's mentor parents. But, more important, let's start conferring status and value on more peaceful methods of resolving conflict, so that parents and students alike will have effective models for learning new skills and making change.

Jean Haskell

Philadelphia

Saying what you say shouldn't be said

Regarding last Sunday's editorial "Now we can talk," it may be useful to recall something President Obama said in January 2010: "We're not going to be able to do anything about these entitlements if what we do is characterized as, well, you know, that ... the other party is trying to hurt our senior citizens."

But now, speaking just this month, the president tells us that "one vision has been championed by Republicans . . . a vision that says up to 50 million Americans have to lose their health insurance in order for us to reduce the deficit. And who are those 50 million Americans? Many are someone's grandparents."

No further commentary is required.

Mark Kalinowski