Are we too partisan?

This article is centered on whether the decision to adjust interest rates should be delayed because the move could favor one presidential candidate over the other (“Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s path to interest rate cuts,” Sept. 5). And perhaps a rate change should wait until the election is over. How ridiculous! It sounds like Mitch McConnell’s refusal to hold confirmation hearings on U.S. Supreme Court nominees before the 2016 election.

If deciding to proceed with any government action favors one candidate or party, then delaying favors the other. The Fed should make this decision based on economic data and should not be concerned about the political impact of that decision. Otherwise, we may as well shut down the government for an extended period of time before an election because government action might have a political impact.

Have we become so partisan that we cannot govern?

— Larry Williams, Towson

A dangerous precedent

What’s next? Because they didn’t lock up the Hostess Ding Dongs, are parents going to be held criminally liable for their child’s obesity — his diabetes, high blood pressure and fatty liver disease?

On Sept. 4, 14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly used a semiautomatic rifle to kill two students, two teachers and wound nine others at his Georgia high school.

Using the recent Michigan prosecution as a template, in which teen shooter Ethan Crumbley’s parents were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for supposedly ignoring their son’s mental instability and failing to secure a handgun at home, Georgia authorities have charged Gray’s father with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. These charges add up to a possible 180 years in prison.

Doesn’t a charge of second-degree murder require the perpetrator to be the one actively participating in the crime? In this Georgia case, the father neither instructed his son to carry out these shootings nor pulled the trigger himself. So, by what artful calculus are prosecutors arriving at this indictment?

Is our justice system dispassionately rooted in the principle of personal accountability? Or, blinded by retributive passions, is it simply a thinly disguised mechanism of mob vengeance? In other words, does it merely seek someone — anyone — to blame and punish as harshly as possible?

In February 2024, Michigan jurors knew what was expected of them, and the Crumbleys were wrongly convicted. Gray’s father will assuredly be a victim of this same travesty of justice.

— Scott R. Hammond, Baltimore

Don’t leave boys behind

In discussing the latest school shooting, the editorial board claims “risk factors range from socioeconomic, including poverty, race, inadequate housing, and education, to a history of violent behavior and exposures to traumatic events or drug and alcohol abuse” (“Georgia school shooting: ‘All-in’ approach to gun violence needed,” Sept. 6).

Most of the white boys who perpetrate these heinous acts are from apparently stable, middle-class households. There’s something else going on here. The devaluation of male self-worth and the glorification of violence in our country creates a toxic mix for teenagers whose primary interaction with society is through the internet.

It’s not okay to leave young people buried in their phones. And it’s not okay to only offer ultra-violent forms of entertainment. We’ve done a pretty good job of raising awareness about women’s health issues and elevating their place in society. Let’s not forget the boys who feel left behind.

— Eric Greene, Annapolis

Georgia shooter’s father rightfully arrested

The arrest of Colin Gray, father of alleged Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, is a necessary step (“Father of Georgia school shooting suspect arrested on charges including second-degree murder,” Sept. 5). He enabled access to the semiautomatic weapon his clearly troubled son is accused of using in the shooting, making him complicit in this tragedy.

But if we truly want to curb this violence, we need to hold all enablers accountable. That includes the National Rifle Association, which lobbies for lax gun laws. The legislators who pass or uphold lenient gun laws share responsibility. Accountability should extend beyond individuals to the powerful entities fueling this crisis. Real change requires recognizing and acting on this shared responsibility. My hopes and prayers are that we can make this shift.

— Paul Winston, Baltimore

Take off rose-colored glasses

Under what rock has Syl Sobel been living (“Election is a tale of two visions for America,” Sept. 5)? Where has he been the past four years? Has he not seen his grocery bills skyrocket? Does he not question the high gas prices over the past four years? Wages are rising and Democrats see a brighter future? Give me a break.

— Barbara Loffler, Berlin