LETTERS - Nov. 6

ISSUE | N.J. SPENDING

Travel expenses

So it appears that, once again, New Jersey politicians are going to be reaching into our wallets to fund transportation projects ("N.J. transportation leader: Lawmakers will find funds for projects," Nov. 1). The transportation fund is $19 billion in debt as a result of their mismanagement. Now they plan an added tax on gasoline. Is it any wonder so many move to more tax-friendly states?

|Steven Bockman, Blue Anchor

ISSUE | POSTELECTION

Open golden door

As a lifelong resident of the region, I have encountered countless hardworking immigrants drawn to this country by the same promise of a better life that led my Irish grandparents to these shores. In years past, the political parties have been able to come together on commonsense reforms that make our country stronger and maintain our reputation as a beacon of liberty around the globe. The time to implement comprehensive immigration reform is now.

The election season is over. The political class in Washington, for the most part, is two years away from the next election. Those who fear potential electoral fallout from making this happen have plenty of time to cover their tracks. So, no excuses. Let's get this done.

|Bill Ladd, Bensalem, deepkarma917@gmail.com

ISSUE | COOKING

Kitchen classroom

In Maureen Fitzgerald's My Daughter's Kitchen series, the kitchen has clearly become the classroom, with all of the traditional education disciplines represented. Students read recipes and study ingredients; there are math skills demonstrated as the kids measure cups and ounces, and figure out serving sizes; there are teamwork and timing as the different aspects of the meal are brought together. There are successes, failures, and trial and error, all celebrated as teachable moments. There are opportunities for cultural awareness, with recipes passed down from generations, and exposure to foods that take the students way outside of their culinary comfort zones.

In an age when fast food and prepackaged meals have become the mainstay of the family meal, Fitzgerald's series also is a flashback: The kitchen for this mealtime is a hub of activity filled with laughter and conversation. The dinner table is set and the meal is served family style. The volunteer chefs and the students talk over the meal about their likes and dislikes, what works and does not work, and what can be improved the next time around. This is not an eat-and-run experience; there is no television on, and no cellphones or electronic devices at the table - just food, the kitchen family, and an exchange of ideas, opinions, and suggestions for making healthy foods taste good.

The Inquirer and the Vetri Foundation are to be commended for their continued support of this creative program. Getting these elementary school kids to enjoy healthy foods and healthy eating is a laudable goal. And doing it in the classroom kitchen, while teaching so many other life skills, is just icing on the cake.

|Joseph Stapleton, Philadelphia

ISSUE | PUBLIC HEALTH

Consistency best prescription on quarantine

Quarantine may be more of a political issue than a scientific and medical issue. When more than 75 percent of Americans feel that citizens returning from West Africa's Ebola hot zone should be quarantined, some attention should be paid by those making policy. Despite all available information, citizens are afraid.

Quarantine originated in Venice (quaranta, meaning 40, and giorno, meaning days) in the mid-14th century to prevent the importation of the plague. It was imposed on ships, travelers, animals, or plants upon arrival at the port. But the concept of quarantine goes back to the Old Testament and lepers, and continued well into the 20th century, when immigrants arriving at Ellis Island were sent back if, as an example, they had trachoma, an eye illness, or tuberculosis.

Even today, quarantine protocols are not uniform among states, or the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That indicates a lack of overall authority and responsibility. Ebola is only one of several, viral, hemorrhagic diseases. Viral diseases are not local issues but national medical problems. There needs to be a uniform policy for all - whether in Dallas or the Maine backwoods.

|Walter I. Hofman, M.D., coroner, Montgomery County, Norristown, fourn6path@aol.com

ISSUE | ELECTION FACTORS

Can't bleed blue and white for late coach

Too many Pennsylvania State University alumni almost forgive Joe Paterno for his role in the Jerry Sandusky child sexual-abuse scandal (" 'Paterno factor' cited in anti-Corbett vote," Nov. 5). While these folks point to a single error or isolated mistake, Paterno's role and decisions demand an accurate perspective. In fact, the venerable coach had a decade or so to do more about what he was told - and what he admitted to in the grand jury hearing under oath cannot be characterized as bad judgment or poor decision-making.

Renaming anything associated with Penn State for Paterno lessens that moral responsibility, cheapens what happened, and refocuses a bright light on an incident best forgotten. That focus is moral and ethical, not legal or criminal.

Regardless of the outcome of pending court cases in the scandal, we all wish Paterno had done more. We wish he had the courage to do something when given a report of a Sandusky assault, and we regret Paterno's refusal or inability to do the right thing for almost a decade. It is this lack of bravery we cannot and should not ignore.

|William Earley, Merion Station, bearley@verizon.net

ISSUE | EARHART MYSTERY

Vanished aviator remains a magnet for hype

It is dismaying to see The Inquirer, with its long history of Pulitzer Prizes for investigative journalism, fall victim to the tabloid- and TV-driven hype doggedly generated by Ric Gillespie about the fate of Amelia Earhart ("A key piece found in Earhart puzzle?" Oct. 31). A cursory fact check would have revealed the widespread debunking of Gillespie's absurd, self-aggrandizing claims over the past 25 years. The typhoon-swept tidal bays and atolls of the North and South Pacific are littered with debris and wrecks from a century of commercial shipping, as well as World War II. The Inquirer might also have questioned the fund-raising activities of Gillespie's hazy personal organization, which has parasitically battened on to the fame of one of America's greatest women pioneers.

| Camille Paglia, professor of Humanities and Media Studies, University of the Arts, Philadelphia