LETTERS: So many reasons to dislike Pennsylvania liquor control

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An article on Philadelphia's adult literacy efforts revealed an important flaw: There is no hard data to show that the program works ("Bridging the knowledge gap," Monday). There is a reference to 1,500 adults "completing classes" and "getting help," but those mushy terms could mean anything.

In a city with a never-ending education funding crisis, shouldn't a program that costs $1 million a year be able to show some real results?

|Jim Landers, Abington

No emergency

The recent coverage of the age of Philadelphia's emergency fleet was missing an important fact: The mileage on these vehicles ("Fire trucks burn out," Friday). Let's face it: Most of these trucks sit in firehouses for hours on end. With proper maintenance, they should last many years.

|Dick Jones, Ocean City

Easier gig

Many people have expressed doubt and disbelief over Hillary Clinton's missing e-mails. Yet right here in the Delaware Valley, we have our own e-mail mystery: The Delaware River Port Authority, whose non-transportation spending is under federal investigation, lost e-mails that could have proven incriminating.

If this election continues to go south for Clinton, maybe she could land a spot on the DRPA board - no transportation experience required.

|Carol Rhodes, Barnsboro

Liquor control is cumbersome

I agree completely with Michael MacDowell's analysis of Pennsylvania's liquor control system, if not his emphasis ("Pa.'s failed liquor-store system," Monday). Those who argue for privatizing alcohol sales often overemphasize cost at the expense of convenience.

I buy my alcohol at Total Wine in New Jersey. I drive there and incur the expense of a bridge toll not because the alcohol is cheaper (although it is), but because it is more convenient. I can buy beer, wine, and hard liquor at the same place. I can buy six-packs. If I wish to buy a case of four different beers, I can. And the staff is knowledgeable and helpful.

Not so in Pennsylvania. If I go to a beer distributor and ask to purchase a six-pack, I'm told I can only buy by the case. (One can buy six-packs at bars and delis, but at an exorbitant markup.) Can I mix six-packs? Of course not. Can I buy hard liquor at the same place? Of course not.

Gov. Gifford Pinchot succeeded beyond his wildest dreams in making State Stores inconvenient. It's time we put his system out of its misery.

|Angelo Sgro, Philadelphia, agsgro@comcast.net

And it's expensive, too

A full-page advertisement in The Inquirer's Local News section last week compared the prices of 19 bottles of wine and spirits at a Delaware store with Pennsylvania's Liquor Control Board prices, without state taxes. Every price was less, with the difference ranging from a low of $1.69 to a high of $10.82. Similar savings are available in the five other states abutting Pennsylvania, so any serious purchaser within driving distance of a state line is not spending money at State Stores.

If Pennsylvania legislators are serious about funding schools, stopping millions of dollars from leaving the state might be a good place to start.

|Ralph D. Bloch, Rydal