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Promises, promises? Forget about it!
To Mayor Street and City Council: This to clarify your job description.
You were elected to serve us — not special interests and not the "brothers and sisters" — you were elected to serve all. That means doing the best you can for all the people of Philadelphia. That means keeping your promises: doing away with the city wage tax, keeping property taxes low, etc. At least try to fulfill your campaign promises. Stop worrying about keeping a street open, i.e., Fifth and Chestnut, worry more about keeping the schools open, getting the convention center straightened out before they build a new one in New Jersey. Also stop making us pay for Section 8; if you can’t afford it, you don’t deserve it!
Why should the Northeast residents pay for the rest of the city and get nothing in return?
Bruce Wiley
Fox Chase
Don’t you know a few things?
Pat Nester, where have you been? (Letters to the Editor, Feb. 26 edition.)
Don’t you know that Councilman Brian O’Neill has NEVER voted to increase the real estate tax? Don’t you know that Councilman O’Neill has NEVER voted to increase the wage tax? Don’t you know that Councilman O’Neill wrote the law that will cap increases in our real estate assessments?
Pat Nester, wake up.
Ben Barger
Bustleton
Editor’s note: Mr. Barger works for Councilman O’Neill’s re-election campaign.
Woodhaven? Thumbs down
During Thursday night’s meeting at Lower Moreland High School, more than 1,300 people attended to show unity on the Woodhaven Road project. There were residents from Westwood, Southampton and Lower Moreland out in full force. The message was strong and clear: We’re joining forces.
If you do your research, the Woodhaven Road alternatives affect several communities in a negative way, including Somerton. We’re tired of the finger-pointing; it’s all about preserving the quality of life for ALL the areas affected by this project.
I was disappointed to read your editorial last week, which gave a negative image of people who live in the suburbs. I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia; my parents still live in Northeast Philadelphia and many of my friends do. This should not be a battle of communities.
What your suburban counterparts oppose is the traffic that will be created, not resolved, if one of PennDOT’s current plans is built. Putting an eight-lane interchange in the middle of a residential community, in extreme proximity to an elementary school as well as to the Comly School in Somerton, doesn’t solve anything. Instead, it puts children at risk. Would you want your child to wait for a bus on I-95?
Let’s be reasonable, learn all the facts and then make an educated decision. Let’s stop the name calling. It doesn’t do anyone any good.
Dina McCaffery
CALMBA spokeswoman and member of the newly formed Tri-County Coalition
Good Schools, good cause
On March 4, a group of United Methodist lay and clergy attended a rally in Harrisburg for Good Schools Pennsylvania. Women, men and clergy came from as far away as Pittsburgh and Erie to participate in this rally for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
What is Good Schools Pennsylvania? It is a coalition of grass-roots, regional, statewide and national organizations seeking to mobilize parents, students, and concerned citizens to advocate improved public education. This is an interfaith collaboration effort.
If you have a group of people interested in your church or community, please contact Good Schools Pennsylvania at 215-332-2700. Our churches and communities can help our children and grandchildren to have the education they are entitled to receive. Good Schools Pennsylvania is having a rally in the Capital Rotunda in Harrisburg every day the legislature is in session. If you wish to attend a rally and would like a ride, please contact GSPA to reserve a space on the bus free of charge.
Your article, Look at all the books (March 12), was a perfect example of our school library system in Philadelphia. Our tax dollars are not being spent for the education of our children’s future. Congratulations to the home and school association for a job well done, and a good example of what can be done when people work together. The future of Pennsylvania walks through the doors of our school buildings every day of the year.
Donna Konrad
Fox Chase
Arts festival gets an A+
On Wednesday, March 19, I attended the Arts Festival for the Northeast Region of the School District of Philadelphia, representing 21 schools, those being Northeast and Washington high schools plus the 19 schools that feed into them.
It was hosted at Northeast High. There was instrumental music, singing and an art display from all the schools. I had no one participating in the event; I just went to enjoy the evening.
The entire production represented everything that is right about the Philadelphia public schools. The auditorium was packed. We were minutes from war, so the evening began with a moment of silence in support of our troops and their safe return. It was wonderful to see so many students from grades four to 12 fill the stage playing numerous instruments or singing so well together.
I still marvel at the coordinators who managed on multiple occasions to get the children from all these schools to be in one place to practice together.
Kudos to all the students, music and art teachers, administrators, and parents who personify the reality of the Northeast Region.
Mary Lou Zoltowski
Bustleton
Those war protesters are idiots
First and foremost, thank God for the rally for the troops. I am originally from Philly and moved up to Valley Forge (sorry, John Street and the city wage tax pushed me over the edge).
It took me two hours to get out of the park after the rally and I enjoyed every minute. I felt proud to be an American again, after so many years of liberals, Democrats, the media and “stars” blitzing us, making it seem wrong to be happy and wrong to love the “red, white and blue.”
What is bugging me? Professional protesters! Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?? They organize on the Internet and protest our troops and our president during a time where support is needed.
They don’t know or care about the cause. Go interview half of them, they won’t know. They do it for attention and fun.
Police are allocated to get these idiots off the streets; that is costing me and you additional tax dollars. The reprehensible point is that with the police tied up doing this, there are less police able to protect us from potential terrorist attacks.
Professional protesters, get a friggin job!
I am busting my butt every day working with all the other Average Joes while these people use any excuse to not work and spend mommy and daddy’s money to support themselves because “they didn’t have a childhood or weren’t loved enough,” etc.
Grow up! Take a bath and for God’s sake, at least understand what you are protesting instead of repeating what you heard on the “magic” bus ride to the streets you are blocking.
The media feed on the antiwar protests, but I for one will tell you there are many more supporters for the troops and the president than not. I want to know why you don’t see us on TV.
The media don’t cover it.
Case in point: The rally for the troops got a blurb on some stations when in fact there were over 10,000 people in attendance.
We’re working for a living, and unfortunately, if we get arrested we will possibly lose our jobs or the capability to get one, since we would have records.
The protesters look forward to getting arrested since that is their “profession.”
I for one will tell you that I have never called into a radio/TV station nor written an article, but I feel my anger level rising so much that I want to pound these idiots.
This is probably a better release. God bless our troops and God bless America!
Jim McCarty
Audubon, Pa.
Winning the war is everything
As technology keeps advancing, nothing can escape its path, not even the all-American sport. A baseball team used to consist of a group of players. Now there are machines to pitch to younger players. After all, what if they miss because of a bad pitch?
Players have worn numbers on their backs for years, but now in certain large athletic organizations, children are merely a number and a 6x7 registration card to be placed where officials see fit. After all, the machine pitcher needs a team, too.
With registration down due to the bad economy and the war, maybe we should remember that it’s just a game and winning isn’t everything, except for when it comes to the war with Iraq.
Nancy Hanratty
Fox Chase
Where are the grand old flags?
Patriotism? I came to my dad in disgrace the other day wondering why not one person on my street has an American flag up in support of our troops, but when the Eagles were on the road to the Super Bowl everyone had things in support of the Eagles.
What about the people dying for our country? Not one American flag out on my block. I was really mad when I noticed this, so I put my American flag out the next day. I hope everybody reads this and decides to put the American flag out in support of our troops.
John McCuen
Holmesburg
Readers honor thy soldiers
FOR OUR TROOPS
I am not a mother, sister, cousin or brother of any troop going to war.
I am an American citizen who found the meaning of the word we call cure.
They say that this word stands for a remedy or a recovery from illness.
They said on Sept. 11, 2001 a plane has crashed, but who would want to kill us?
We stand here searching for questions and answers, trying to find who is to blame.
We found out who it was in time, a ruthless coward they call Saddam Hussein.
Americans were furious, hurt and filled with anger, and we knew revenge was in order.
Americans didn’t understand why the wait and Bush said it was for our supporters.
We will wait until it is our time to speak to the UN.
We waited, but how many of them said they’re a friend.
Soon some people put past all the pain, suffering and crying.
Why, because it wasn’t their son or daughter dying.
Now it is time to stand tall and brave for our soldiers.
Now you see people walking around with signs on their shoulders.
What is America doing? They’re not standing on our side.
Oh, but maybe they would if they saw their own family die!
Remember that word that I said stands for remedy?
Remember Sept. 11, 2001, are you ready to stand with me?
— Nancy Griffin
Mayfair
THE BOMBS BEGIN TO FALL
Somehow we let this war begin,
And we’ll pay for it, I’m sure,
Someday, somewhere, some place
Because war will beget war.
Why is it always the answer
To blow a country away.
Why can’t we take another route,
Why do innocent people have to pay?
Destruction, violence and loss
Are the cost of this damn war.
While humanity, love and mankind
Should be at the center core.
Is the war against Iraq,
Or should I say Saddam
Just a distraction from the issue
Of what’s really going on?
The issue of the Israelis
Against the Palestinians
To have their own state
Has gotten out of hand,
So Mr. Bush has decided
To invade another land.
— Lois T. Hall
Bustleton
THE WAR
The war is always robbery,
It’s violence, blood and death,
The war with any country
Is capture, victims, curse.
We saw with you a lot of wars
And there is nothing worse,
A war which everybody damns
Again is conceived with force.
But if we cannot by the world
To stop and render harmless
The dog from chain having loosed
That by the humiliation is delirious.
Then everyone must now hear,
There is no means so brave,
As trousers from the fighter tear
And give as daddy to a child gave.
—Moysey Barash, translated by Marim Barash
Holmesburg
Man’s best friend has come to the rescue
This morning sometime, a man tried to break into my parents’ house through the kitchen window.
Their dog Stella woke my father up by gripping his arm in her mouth and dragging him out of bed. My father thought Stella had to go out, so he went downstairs to let her out only to find that there was a man almost in the kitchen.
My father told Stella to attack and Stella scared the guy. The guy jumped out the window and hopped the fences, and the cops came and caught him.
I wanted to let the Northeast know that we are not really as safe as we think. Those who have animals, treat them with respect, because they will always help you.
Teresa Paxson
Tacony