All Americans would benefit from a civics class

In his recent commentary, “Few things are more American than welcoming immigrants” (Jan. 30), Bruce Fein makes the reasonable recommendation that immigrants and citizens alike should be required to pass a constitutional literacy test. With the current emphasis on STEM in the curriculum and a corresponding decrease in time devoted to government and civics, this might be hard to achieve.

According to a 2024 study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 70% of Americans fail a basic civics test on topics such as the three branches of government, other basic governmental functions and the number of Supreme Court Justices. As stated by the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, “Knowledge about the ideas embodied in the Constitution and the ways in which it shapes our lives is not passed down from generation to generation through the gene pool; it must be learned anew by each generation.”

If Americans were more knowledgeable about how their government functions, perhaps they would be more thoughtfully engaged in the political process and more respectful of the pillars of our democracy.

— Frona Brown, Pikesville

Hershey offers familiar anti-climate ignorance

As an unaffiliated voter, I found state Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr.’s recent commentary concerning Maryland’s energy policies disturbing (“Steve Hershey: Democratic policies to blame for out-of-control utility rates,” Jan. 30). It is a repetition of a litany of MAGA phases and words that seek to describe science-based actions to try to deal with climate change as some sort of irresponsible plot by enemies of the fossil fuel industry.

The Senate minority leader’s op-ed used the terms radical (twice), climate activists, environmental extremists, extreme environmental mandates, environmentalist influence and reckless climate initiatives. I have heard these same terms too many times from others in the Republican Party. It appears that anything that climate scientists and citizens legitimately concerned about the effects of climate change seek to accomplish is just too “radical” for lawmakers like Senator Hershey.

As a grandparent who is concerned about what we leave behind for our grandchildren, if Hershey wants to call me radical because I recognize and accept that cleaner energy will ultimately mean higher costs for our electricity, he is welcome to do so. It does not mean he is correct, only that he is far-right and anti-science — just like our new leadership in Washington, D.C.

Just for the record, Hershey is on the wrong side.

— William L. Opfer Jr., Bel Air

Chain supermarkets aren’t ideal liquor outlets

I am a supporter of beer and wine sales but not in grocery stores (“A toast to compromise in grocery beer and wine battle,” Jan. 30). I have lived in areas and states where groceries are allowed to sell beer and wine. Not one allowed “choice” other than what management got from their warehouses. Your choice was to “take it or leave it.”

I deal with a couple wine and beer stores that make an effort to obtain items they don’t ordinarily stock for me. Try getting that from a chain grocery store. Groceries have a standard list that headquarters or their warehouses supply. Even if a grocery has a beer and wine department, you have no chance if it isn’t something they normally stock. If they don’t think their customers will buy enough to make it worth their effort, too bad.

A small independent beer and wine store will be more helpful because they actually want your continuing business. You can get “Budweiser” at almost any out-of-state grocery that sells beer, but try getting something distinctive — and the odds are you won’t — at a major supermarket.

— Richard Oden, Baltimore

Editor’s note

The Baltimore Sun is seeking nominations for its 10th annual Business and Civic Hall of Fame, recognizing individuals who’ve fostered transformational change in the Baltimore region. Email nominations by Feb.10 to talkback@baltimoresun.com with a brief description of the nominee’s accomplishments and background. We will announce the 2025 inductees in March, and honor them with an event and special newspaper section in June.