Nondairy milk alternatives available for students
A recent move to expand access to nondairy milk in school lunch programs is a long-overdue step toward healthier, more inclusive nutrition. Millions of students are lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy, or come from families that avoid animal products for ethical or cultural reasons.
Offering plant-based milk isn’t radical — it’s practical. These options provide essential nutrients without the saturated fat and cholesterol found in dairy, and they come with a much smaller environmental footprint.
School meals shape lifelong habits. When we normalize plant-based choices early, we teach children that compassion, health and sustainability can coexist on the same tray.
In a time when childhood health concerns and climate anxiety are rising, modernizing school nutrition just makes sense. Giving students plant-based options empowers families, respects differences and quietly models a kinder way forward — one lunch at a time.
— Alan Meekes, Allentown
Public’s demand causing housing price increase
I have come to the conclusion that high housing costs are not the result of the policies of either President Biden or President Trump. It is us. No one told me growing up that home ownership was a birthright, or that it had to be obtained right away, or that it had to be a 3,600-square-foot McMansion. It is our personal need for status and immediate gratification. Our economic system is built on supply and demand. If consumers abandon the “it is what it is” mentality and refuse to buy overpriced and oversized homes, prices and builders would respond. It is often pointed out that Scandinavia has one of the highest home ownership rates, yet homes there are typically affordable, being smaller in size.
— Mike McConnell, Bethlehem
Better idea for spending ICE money
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is planning to spend $38.3 billion on immigrant detention centers across the U.S. This is $38.3 billion to temporarily hold captured immigrants before deportation. The Washington Post reported that this detention center plan budget is more than the total annual spending for 22 states.
I have a better, more positive, plan for this enormous amount of funding: (1) Build 190,000 permanent housing units for U.S. residents (average cost $200,000). (2) And, most urgently, Congress must pass bipartisan immigrant legislation, please.
— Linda F. Brown, Bethlehem
Trump tarnishes US image on the world stage
The way President Trump carries himself on both the national and world stages leaves much to be desired His condemnation of interviewers, his put-downs and name calling of others is childish. Foreign countries view America (hence we Americans) in the same light as they view President Trump. I believe our country’s image on the world stage is tarnished to the point of mistrust and skepticism. Our longtime allies are puzzled to say the least. I am a proud Navy veteran, who served his country with honor and dignity. I only wish my current commander in chief would do the same.
— John Kelhart, Northampton
Pa. Senate bill is unnecessary and will cost taxpayers
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 471, passed last year and currently under consideration in the House, would require local prosecutors to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about certain noncitizens who come through our court system. The bill passed with all Republicans and four Democrats voting in favor, including Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton. If enacted, a fiscal and community impact would fall on Lehigh and Northampton counties.
Across Pennsylvania, immigrant households contribute roughly $4.4 billion annually in state and local taxes and represent about $34 billion in spending power. Undocumented residents alone contribute more than $500 million per year in state and local taxes. In the Lehigh Valley, immigrant workers are integral to various businesses.
SB 471 would create administrative mandates for county prosecutors, including tracking, documentation, interagency coordination and compliance procedures. That means staff hours and oversight funded through county budgets. Both counties already face heavy caseloads and staffing pressures. Even incremental mandates can lead to increased personnel costs or delayed case processing. When new requirements come without funding, taxpayers absorb the expense. At a time of rising cost of living, Lehigh and Northampton counties cannot afford unfunded mandates that strain limited resources and weaken community trust.
— Taiba Sultana, Easton
Trump administration move endangers our future
This month, the Trump administration revoked a key scientific finding that linked greenhouse gas emissions to climate change. One has to wonder what scientific evidence this action was based on. In 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency made an endangerment finding that greenhouse gasses pose a threat to human health and safety. This finding was based on solid scientific evidence.
In 1896, the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius published a paper demonstrating the greenhouse gas effect of carbon dioxide. In 1958, as part of the International Geophysical Year, a monitoring station was set up on Mauna Loa to record the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In the intervening years, it has continued to rise and since 1980 global atmosphere temperature has increased more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, which scientists call a dangerous threshold.
Trump claims that climate change is a hoax, and that his action will be good for the U.S. economy. He is wrong on both counts. This is shortsighted, as our country will fall behind Europe, China and India on the development of renewable energy.
Our children and grandchildren will pay for this disastrous decision.
— John S. Ford, Allentown; the author is co-chapter leader of the PA-7 Climate Hope Affiliates.
Regulations should be enacted without party politics
The continuing rollback or elimination of various regulations by the current administration are welcomed by some, despised by others.
The various objections and inevitable legal challenges (especially with the climate change rollback) that are sure to follow will waste time and money and most likely result in some compromise being made.
Had the laws and regulations been enacted without party politics, favored narratives and fear tactics, but common sense and actual facts, I believe most drama would be avoided.
Had the elected representatives of both parties worked together, not worried about votes and without the nonsense from various bureaucratic interests, the border crisis, environmental rules, etc. would be workable for commerce, the public and future generations.
I would like to think that moving forward, the above would be recognized by the majority of those in government positions.
Unfortunately, most of the current crop of “leaders” will likely conduct business as usual and continue to waste resources for their 15 minutes of fame and a photo opportunity.
— Mark Porcaro, Palmer 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.
