Money corrupting US politics
In 2024, according to a report from OpenSecrets, U.S. Senate candidates reported raising just 27.5% of their itemized donations from within their state. In 2024 House races, candidates reported raising just 17.5% of their itemized contributions from in-state donors. Things are projected to get worse for the 2026 midterm elections. This January marked the 50th anniversary of Buckley v. Valeo, the 1976 Supreme Court decision that launched our current era of unregulated and unlimited money in politics. The result has been elections that are increasingly dominated by massive donors, dark money and even foreign-influenced spending, and a political system that too often is unresponsive to everyday citizens. Today, Congress and the states have little authority over how money works in our elections. A system where citizens cannot govern the rules of their own elections is not sustainable.
But there is hope. A constitutional amendment can restore the ability of Congress and the states, consistent with federalism, to protect the integrity of our elections and return authority where it belongs. I urge my fellow Pennsylvanians to contact our legislators and urge their support for an amendment that defends self-government and puts we the people back in control.
Dan Shephard
Palmer Township
Lehigh County shouldn’t remove DHS office
I just read the opinion piece in The Morning Call by Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel. In it he defends removing a Department of Homeland Security office from Lehigh County property. For those who don’t know, this particular office has nothing to do with deportations. It in fact has helped local authorities to decrease drug and sex trafficking. By removing them, these rates may now go up in Lehigh County thanks to Josh Siegel.
Samuel F Nuttall Jr
Bethlehem
Ban masks for law enforcement agents
Years ago, I was a history major/creative writing minor student in college at Rutgers University but before that, I attended Middlesex County College, where I took a Psychology 101 class and a Sociology 101 class.
The one lesson I remember from those classes is, when hidden from view, people will willingly cause more pain to others than when they are not hidden from view, which I believe partially explains the masks that we see Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents wearing on our American streets these days.
Therefore, in addition to voting against giving the Trump administration additional Department of Homeland Security money in order to enable ICE to continue to attack, abduct and disappear people from our streets, from our schools and from our homes without warrants and without due process of law, I believe Congress should pass a law that forbids any and all law enforcement officers (both federal and state) from hiding or obscuring their faces in any way, including the use of masks, effective immediately.
Robert K. McFadden
Upper Macungie Township
Is Donald Trump the new King George III?
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson listed King George III’s offenses against American colonists. Jefferson wrote, ”The History of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having the direct object the establishment of absolute Tyranny over these States.” He went on to list the following (abridged) offenses:
“ … obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners … ”
“ … sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people … ”
“He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies … ”
“For protecting them by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders … ”
“For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.”
“For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.”
Jefferson wrote that King George was unfit to govern a free people. Two hundred and fifty years later, I think that this applies unquestionably to Donald Trump, who is appearing to be one of the most corrupt and least law-abiding presidents in American history.
Mark Anderson
Longswamp Township
Weather forecasters misuse words and numbers
For the last two weeks, weather forecasters have been trying to find the most descriptive words to recount how cold the recent weather pattern has been. The next week’s forecast is more of the same: cold, windy, with below freezing temperatures in the daytime and wind chills near zero degrees at night.
The irony is that once the spring season arrives, the same weather forecasters will most certainly describe this past winter as the warmest winter on record. Just wait for it.
When the spring season does arrive March 20, one should notice how many TV weather forecasters report the days will now be getting longer, when in fact, no day is ever longer than another. What they should say is there is more daylight occurring as opposed to darkness in the same 24-hour period.
During the next few weeks of winter, one should also notice how many weather forecasters are mathematically illiterate. Negative temperatures are described at minus temperatures. There are no minus numbers; only positives, negatives and of course zero. The word minus implies that a subtraction is taking place. It’s time for an accurate meteorologist to shine.
David Schaffer
North Whitehall 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.
https://www.mcall.com/2026/02/07/letters-money-is-the-single-worst-influence-on-us-democracy/
