Can we afford one person, one vote?

ISSUE | CAMPAIGNS

Votes, not dollars

Like many of those who advocate that money equals speech, George Will sees it as a violation of free speech to limit a person's right to introduce as much advocacy money as they want into a political campaign ("Enough reform mischief," May 29). But campaign-reform advocates are not trying to limit free speech; they are merely trying to maintain a separate element of democracy: one person, one vote.

Just because someone has the loudest horn in the room does not mean he has a right to drown out all others. Let everyone speak on equal terms.

|Greg McCoy, Chadds Ford

ISSUE | NAVY YARD

Free lodging

It looks like Pennsylvania taxpayers are being asked to provide funds in the form of a state grant for an investor group to build a boutique hotel ("Hotel proposed for Navy Yard," May 28). What happened to the free-market concept of using your own money to build something? Balance the costs and benefits, and take a risk.

This appears to be a no-risk investment. If the hotel fails, the state is out money. If the hotel succeeds, the investment firm profits. Either way, the taxpayers lose, since the Navy Yard is a no-tax zone.

|Christopher J. Sowa, Media, cjowl@verizon.net

ISSUE | CITY CYCLING

Bikers, pedestrians, motorists: Get along

Although recent letter writers address legitimate complaints about improper bicycle use, an undercurrent of resentment is making me wary of riding ("Register bicycles," May 29).

For every complaint about bad cyclists, I can counter with an example of bad motorist or pedestrian behavior: cars cutting you off or turning in front; near side-swiping by cars, buses, or trucks (I have felt the wind); cars illegally parked in bike lanes; startling, unexpected honking from behind; shouted insults ("Get a horse!"); pedestrians crossing mid-block; and cars running lights.

My fear is that this all becomes a vicious circle: drivers hating bikers and pedestrians; riders hating drivers and pedestrians; and pedestrians hating in turn.

|Al DeLucia, Philadelphia

Safer environment

The number of traffic deaths caused by bicyclists is extremely low ("Register bicycles," May 29). Between 2009 and 2013, 471 Philadelphians were killed in traffic crashes; fewer than 1 percent were reported to have been caused by bicyclists. The focus needs to be on the main problem, which is motorists.

The answer to improving bicyclists' compliance with traffic laws is not registering them, which is impractical, costly, and when attempted by other cities, has failed. Rather, the answer lies in calming traffic to make streets feel safer, adding quality bike lanes, more predictable and equitable traffic enforcement, and a zero-tolerance policy that addresses all factors to effectively reduce the 10,000 traffic crashes that occur in Philadelphia every year.

|Sarah Clark Stuart, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, sarah@bicyclecoalition.org

ISSUE | SUMMER MUSIC

Transported to another century

With candlelight concerts at Laurel Hill mansion (laurelhillmansion.org) in East Fairmount Park, the organization Women for Greater Philadelphia continues the tradition of chamber music in the park the way it might have been performed in the 18th century. Audiences spend Sunday evenings in a setting of days gone by listening to beautiful music by such artists as the Wister Quartet, Dolce Suono Ensemble, and classical guitarist Allen Krantz.

|Barbara Frankl, Blue Bell, bfrankl433@comcast.net

ISSUE | SEAFARING

Buy towing insurance next time

A recent letter writer surely was concerned when his daughters ran aground at the Shore ("Looking for prompt response, met by restraint," May 29). But as a Coast Guard veteran, I know its crews cannot and do not respond to the many pleasure boaters who bump into a sand bar every summer, unless lives and property are in danger. That is the role of commercial towing companies. The Coast Guard is in the business of saving lives, not relieving boaters' inconvenience.

|Jay Lloyd, Collegeville, jlloyd7@aol.com

ISSUE | GOV. CHRISTIE

Shifting sands on education policy

Now that New Jersey has gotten its Sandy recovery money from the federal government, Gov. Christie panders to the right by rejecting what he calls federal control by renouncing Common Core standards ("Christie turns his back on Common Core," May 29).

|Rebecca Craven Greenhow, West Chester

ISSUE | RAILROADS

Good safety record, getting better

("No secrets in rail safety," May 27).

The freight rail industry not only complies with strict federal regulations, but often goes beyond those standards pertaining to inspections and other safety areas. Freight railroads are also transparent about crude-oil shipments, making information available to first-responders. What's more, the industry has stepped up preparedness and training for thousands of firefighters.

Federal statistics show rail safety has been dramatically improving over several decades, with 2014 being the safest year in industry history. Freight railroads are committed to a goal of zero accidents. To contend otherwise is to ignore the facts, the industry's safety commitment, and the billions spent each year on maintaining and modernizing the freight rail system, including about $29 billion in 2015.

|Patricia Reilly, senior vice president, Association of American Railroads, Washington

Keep Amtrak upgrades on track

Working with federal safety investigators reviewing the tragic train derailment in Philadelphia, Amtrak's goal is to understand how this incident happened and learn what steps we should take to prevent a similar incident ("Should Amtrak be privatized?" May 28). The safety of passengers and crews is the top priority at Amtrak.

According to statistics from the Federal Railroad Administration, the overall count of Amtrak accidents decreased from 148 incidents in 2000, to 67 in 2014. While any accident is unacceptable, it has been 28 years since a derailment resulted in a passenger fatality along the busy Northeast Corridor.

Amtrak leads other large railroads in the installation of positive train control safety technology. We have spent $110.7 million since 2008 to install the system, and it's in place along more than 200 miles of Amtrak-owned territory in the Northeast. Amtrak remains on schedule to complete the work this year.

The Northeast Corridor is a vital economic engine, moving 750,000 inter-city and commuter passengers every day and contributing some $50 billion to the economy. The best way to enhance safety and reliability is for Congress to invest to upgrade the aging infrastructure upon which our 21st-century economy depends.

|D.J. Stadtler, executive vice president and chief operations officer, Amtrak, Washington