Letters to the Editor | Oct. 29, 2026
Inquirer readers on President Trump’s stock trades and Villanova basketball’s departure from the Big 5.
Who’s to blame?
The open enrollment season for Medicare recipients is upon us. For 53 days, seniors get to dive down the rabbit hole of monthly premiums, annual deductibles, copays, and the five-tier drug formularies of star-rated health insurance companies.
Alarmed by the monthly increase in our Plan D premiums, I clicked my way through the step-by-step set of instructions on Medicare.gov. My search led to switching our prescription Plan D from a 3-star provider to a 4.5-star provider. The savings were considerable. The coverage is comparable.
Certain politicians would have us believe the rising health insurance costs are caused by immigrants draining our safety-net resources. I found this not to be the case. In fact, undocumented immigrants are ineligible to receive standard Social Security and Medicare benefits, and SAVE, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program that cross-checks all applicants, reports that the percentage of wrongfully collected benefits is less than 1%.
Further, the Cato Institute (hardly a progressive left-wing bastion) concluded after a 30-year study that legal and undocumented immigrants generated a $14.5 trillion surplus, which reduced the national debt by at least $1.7 trillion by paying $1.70 in taxes for every $1.00 they received.
A difference of note in my search was CEO compensation. The more expensive 3-star provider’s top CEO’s earnings were $60.94 million for one year; the 4.5-star CEO provider’s a mere $18.76 million. Seems the fault of rising health insurance premiums may lie not with immigrants, but with CEO compensation levels.
Terry Fox, Narberth
Cats retreat
I am not surprised by Villanova’s decision to leave the Big 5. Villanova is a suburban university, and this decision suggests little willingness to give back to the city that has long supported it. Its priorities appear to center on fundraising rather than strengthening its connection to Philadelphia. As an exclusive and affluent institution, Villanova could benefit from deeper engagement with the city’s diversity, culture, and rich history. Unfortunately, this decision sends the opposite message.
Michael Zuckerman, Philadelphia
Goldfinger reincarnated
In 2025, Donald Trump reportedly disclosed 28,700 financial transactions. Joe Biden made 13 in four years, Barack Obama 16 in eight years.
His greatest grift is staring us right in the face. Trump told New York magazine reporter Ben Terris he’s building monuments to himself because he knows nobody else will memorialize him. Now all Americans face the bill for his multibillion-dollar, gold-plated vanity projects while Americans struggle with an affordability crisis. Our real-life Goldfinger is making the James Bond movie Goldfinger a must-see again.
Meanwhile, Goldfinger reincarnated is driving our best allies away. “If I don’t trade with Mexico,” he says, “they have nothing that we have to have. I mean, hot tamales, tomatoes, a couple of things.” Goldfinger calls Canada “one of the worst countries in the world.” I’m not saying Democrats are the answer. I’m saying America must always come before any one man. Restoring that responsibility rests especially with MAGA supporters and fair-minded Republicans.
At the end of Goldfinger, James Bond and Pussy Galore parachute to safety. Asked about Goldfinger’s whereabouts, Bond famously responds, “Oh, he’ll be somewhere.” It’s a fitting line for this moment. America deserves leadership and integrity over one man’s selfish ego. Let’s reclaim our dignity, restore our values, and put America first. It’s time for our new Goldfinger to find somewhere else to be. Let’s do this for our grandchildren in America.
Joseph Lipa, Seminole, Fla.
About letters to the editor
Letters feature a reader’s written opinion and are submitted in response to an article in The Inquirer or another topical issue. Submissions should be sent to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include the writer’s home address and day and evening phone number. Letters are published in the Inquirer six days a week on the print opinion pages and online.
