Life is getting harder; where are our elected officials?
Life in the Lehigh Valley keeps getting harder while our elected officials do little to make it better. The average rent here is now about $1,700 a month, and median home prices were $370,000 in 2025. More than 40% of local families struggle just to afford the basics.
Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Emrick has held his seat for years, yet there’s been almost no action from him on rent, housing or cost-of-living relief. He’s found time to focus on symbolic bills, but not the real issues affecting working people. That’s not leadership, that’s distraction.
We deserve representation that fights for affordable living, fair wages and real safety not party loyalty. Capitalism shouldn’t be crushing working families in one of the wealthiest nations on Earth. Our local leaders’ credibility depends on whether they act.
Emilee Sofie
Palmer Township
Lehigh University women write on important issues
The year 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the first official class of women graduates at Lehigh University. In recent years I have cheered on the contributions of LU women student writers in The Morning Call. These letters strike me as a fine example of local community involvement and education. The letters have observations and critiques on shade tree coverage in Bethlehem, climate issues, solar power, electric vehicle charging, as well as concerns about pollution from plastics. These letters help our community better understand sustainability, environmental issues, health repercussions, as well as future impacts.
Peg Church
Bethlehem
The writer is a 1974 graduate of Lehigh University.
Penn State football players owe the school
Why are the Penn State football players who opted not to play in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson not facing penalties? I understand that they did not wish to be injured because they wish to be healthy for the NFL tryouts, But don’t they owe Penn State and their fans something? In my opinion the players, especially those who receive scholarships, should now be handed a bill from the university and or the state for not completing their contract.
John Duffy
Heidelberg Township
Trump uses his position to sell novelties
A commercial on Fox News caught my eye recently. It was a plug for hawking overpriced watches with the pitchman’s catchphrase — “It’s Trump Time.”
Not knowing anyone who purchases political knickknacks, I became inquisitive to just how many Donald Trump related novelties are marketed? Turns out, a lot. According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 1,725 online products alone were listed from the Trump Store website on the day he was inaugurated a second time.
The sheer magnitude of Trump stuff is staggering; everything from guitars and Bibles to boots and cologne. His online products keep popping up more than an old Sears catalog.
Not many past presidents can match the brash, bold and yappy peddling of products like Mr. Trump. Or, as Robert Weissman, co-president of the progressive watchdog group Public Citizen said, “Donald Trump proved his greatest skill was as a salesman, selling mostly junk products, and he hasn’t stopped.”
So as a new calendar year begins, and fresh, creative advertising takes aim at impulsive buying consumers, I’ll just keep reminding myself that this is the president of the United States and not a wholesaler hawking his wares.
John Schmoyer
North Whitehall Township
Kimmel should have mentioned free speech cases
Jimmy Kimmel has made remarks on English TV about how tyranny is booming in the U.S. as long as President Trump is in power.
Earlier, Kimmel was removed from and then returned to the air after his remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, as was his right under the First Amendment.
Kimmel did not mention the restrictions on free speech that are prevalent in England.
The UK Online Safety Act and the EU Digital Service Act require social media companies to remove “illegal” content on their platforms or face heavy fines. Critics say it is being implemented too broadly and has resulted in the censorship of legal content. Graham Linehan, a comedy writer, was arrested in September over social media posts about transgender people. Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested in England for silently praying outside an abortion clinic.
With respect to speech in the United Kingdom, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett noted “Contrary opinions or opinions that are not in the mainstream are not being tolerated, and they’re even being criminalized. Because of the First Amendment, that can’t happen here.”
Kimmel should have made comments on the free speech issue in England and how dictatorships don’t have it or suspend it.
James P. Lenahan
South Whitehall Township
Too many politicians are too old to lead effectively
Joe Biden was 82 years old when he left the White House and Donald Trump is currently 79. Neither man apparently had or has the physical or mental stamina to be president. As of 2023, 27 members of the U.S. House and 15 senators were over the age of 76. The average age of a senator was over 65 and 20 members of the Senate or Congress were over the age of 80. Four of our nine Supreme Court justices are over the age of 70.
There is a dangerous disconnect between our leaders and the average American citizen who is only 39 years of age.
Is it any wonder that most Americans feel like our leaders are out of touch with reality? I don’t believe in mandatory age limits, but there is such a thing as too old to lead, and it’s up to voters to make a change.
Howard Amols
Allentown
Stop computer surfing, enjoy Lehigh Valley life
My advice to the “screenagers” who were mentioned in a recent Morning Call article and who have to navigate what is fake or not online is to diminish your digital lives and live your real life. The Lehigh Valley is blessed with so much real life to experience from many live entertainment venues stretching throughout the valley, with great hiking and biking trails, wonderful parks, interesting downtowns to visit. Our colleges and high schools, along with PPL Center and Coca-Cola Park offer live sports. Art is plentiful in top-notch museums, colleges, and dotted throughout many wonderful cafes and downtown murals. We are home to the Freddy’s, see and experience some plays. Looking for something to do, check The Morning Call’s Thursday Go Guide. There is so much real life to experience. Get some friends together, or make new friends. Leave your digital world, get into real life with real experiences. And at the end of your real life, these will be the things that matter, not your digital life stored on an unknown electronic cloud.
Chris Letourneau
Bethlehem Township
The Morning Call publishes letters from readers online and in print several times a week. Submit a letter to the editor at letters@mcall.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author(s), and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication.