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What’s become
of my Great Northeast?
I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and attended Fels Jr. High and Northeast High School, graduating in 1964, at which time I promptly entered the Marine Corps.
It was a safe and great neighborhood both when I left for Parris Island and when I returned from overseas. Oh yeah, there were the occasional fights between kids on Castor Avenue but with fists, no knives, no guns.
The entire section was clean and you could leave only your screen doors open at night, unlocked. No graffiti on the walls of Northeast or George Washington high schools. What happened? I now live in Nevada.
You can take the kid out of Philly but you cannot take Philly out of the kid, so with that in mind I return often, only to get more depressed when I see the old neighborhood.
Heck, the city does not even attempt to mow the grass when one first enters onto the Boulevard from the north.
What a first impression of Philly. The World War II generation, our parents, used to speak often of how nice the old neighborhoods of Strawberry Mansion and Mount Airy were or Germantown with their huge homes. Now look at them. I fear that the Oxford Circle is destined for the same fate. It’s a shame. What happened? Now cops are getting killed on Castor Avenue, the Northeast is undermanned by police and mailmen are being stabbed.
We may as well just refer to the Northeast as North Philly — what’s the difference? I suppose it would not be politically correct to even discuss it, so I will leave it at that.
Barry Saltzburg
Henderson, Nev.
What a sorry chapter
at the public library
Being a high school student, a school project recently prompted me to do research. Trying to break away from some of the poor-quality information on the Internet, I decided to take a trip to the closest public library.
Upon arriving, I went straight to the computers to research my topic and found a few suitable books. I set out to locate the first one and found that all three of the books were supposed to be on the same shelf. I carefully scanned the section and the last names of the authors but I wasn’t able to stumble upon any of them.
I asked one of the librarians; she too was unable to track them down. She explained to me that many of the books are never returned and "were probably just never taken off the computer."
I wondered to myself why a library would claim to have books that they in fact did not have? Moreover, why did the library seem to be so apathetic about replacing these lost books?
I made no progress on my project and wasted an afternoon. My time would have been better spent watching movies.
This problem needs to be addressed. If Philadelphia cares about the education of its students, the city must take action on this important issue.
Mary Eileen Fagan
Pine Valley
Democrats are doing
a number on Philly!
In the past 10 years I have read the letters of the people in the Northeast who’ve become angry at a city government that has become bloated and corrupt and in need of sweeping changes.
We are getting closer to some important elections in the next few years that will affect the Northeast. But one political party in this city must get sent their walking papers!
Since the 1950s, the Democratic Party has dominated this city. But since then, they also have been slowly killing this city. The Democratic machine has and will always believe in high taxes, over-regulation of all business, and policies that can cripple any government.
I have seen the founders’ idea of common-sense government literally die in our cities today, with too many left-wing nuts running our cities, and they have created an ideology that would make the creators of communism proud!
In order for any city government to return to common-sense policy, true reforms must be put in place. Term limits must be first. We need new ideals, with new people, not the old career politicians with the same old ideals of tax and spend.
Fiscal responsibility must be the rule of the game. It is our money, not theirs! Tax revenue must be used for the needs of the city, like police, fire and infrastructure improvements. Our city will not prosper as long as the Democrats have control.
The Destructive Party must be evicted from this city or we will expect more of the same — no progress. The Democrats know a lot about no progress; they’ve been infecting the city with it for over 50 years!
Joe Nicoletti
Tacony
Why aren’t we
supporting soldiers?
Are we really serious as a nation about fighting Islamic terrorism? Did the World Trade Center fall or was it all just a bad dream? How many ways do the news media invent to demoralize our soldiers? Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, Haditha. This is feeding propaganda to our enemies. Why? We punish our soldiers for brutality; the terrorists reward theirs.
Remember, the enemy obeys no rules and wears no uniform. They blend in with civilians, and kill at will.
Ironically, the media show real restraint when discussing the torture of Americans at the hands of terrorists. Somehow we can’t be shown the pictures of Jewish reporter Danny Pearl being butchered, or even see the footage of the many people who jumped from the World Trade Center. Why, if we did, we might get MAD at terrorists!
And where is our president? I don’t want to hear about sensitivity training for our troops — you sent them there; stand up and support them. And Democrats like John Murtha, who eagerly attack our military, remind me of Benedict Arnold.
The American soldier is our thin line of defense against the barbarians. Don’t kid yourself. Some day we will be hit again in the USA, and hit hard. And then we may have to pray we have enough young people willing to serve in the military to protect us.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
Mayfair memories: Ah, there’s
no place like home
As time changes, so do people, and inevitably so do the places we live. It’s a fact of life. But instead of continuously focusing on the negative, remember the positive and the reasons you love where you live.
I may only be 21, but what my hometown means to me . . . well, I’ll let my memories speak for themselves.
A simple day could mean starting it off with breakfast at the legendary Mayfair Diner. We all remember the day they changed the sign. But perhaps after a big breakfast it’s time to go watch the big game — well, forget Chickie’s and Pete’s down on Broad Street, because we have the original.
And maybe, just maybe, a celebration occurs and you find yourself along with every other citizen flocking to the corners of Frankford and Cottman. We all know, though, that a real celebration hasn’t taken place in years. But celebrations that do happen here are simple yet meaningful.
The annual Mayfair-Holmesburg Thanksgiving Parade is a tradition that has been in the hearts of young and old alike since it started. It is the only parade where the mailmen hand-collect your Christmas list for Santa and deliver it personally.
If you weren’t at the parade, though, maybe you were catching a film at the local movie theater, the Devon. It didn’t matter that its nickname was the "dirty Devon" — for two dollars a film, it was an all right place.
There are other things that are now just a memory. Remember when Frankford Avenue was home to McDonald’s and Woolworth’s? Local landmarks like Capriotti’s and Moe’s Deli are still around, but it is the new ones that are gaining popularity. The Soft Pretzel Factory hasn’t even celebrated its 10th birthday yet but has been named "Best Pretzels in Philadelphia." I’d second that.
For me, it is the little things I remember that mean the most. This is where neighbors sit out on a nice night while the neighborhood kids play a game of "Jailbreak." It is where, when I was a child, my mom would treat us to an afternoon swim at Vogt Playground, or my dad would come down to watch my soccer games, and he never missed one.
For me, I don’t need Rita’s — the little shop on my corner has the best water ice around.
It is where I attended St. Timothy’s grade school and St. Hubert High School, and my teachers still know my name.
It is here that I learned that waiting in line for hours at the Red Robin Diner, after Easter Mass, can be annoying but it is something I look forward to every year. It’s where every Christmas I ride up and down Jackson Street hoping that one year the neighbors will start their Christmas wonderland tradition again. It was pure magic.
This is my home. The place where everybody growing up hung out at a playground. It is the place where old and young still go to see Judge beat Lincoln at the annual Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning.
This is where my family is. It isn’t about what your neighborhood has, it’s what you make of it. This is my childhood, my teenage years, and now the start of my adulthood.
Welcome to Mayfair.
Kristen Gibson
She’s a champion
of the environment!
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz recently took a stand for the environment and public health.
Congresswoman Schwartz voted with a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to continue to protect our coasts from oil drilling, safeguard our streams and wetlands from unlimited pollution, and ensure the public’s right to know about toxic chemicals in our communities.
With these pro-environment votes, Rep. Schwartz and other members of Congress stood up for the public and sent a clear message: Our waters should be protected from dumping, drilling and spilling, and Americans have the right to know about toxic pollution.
These bipartisan votes are particularly important in light of the Bush administration’s continued efforts to weaken longstanding environmental laws that defend our water, air and land.
PennEnvironment applauds Rep. Schwartz for fighting to protect our coasts, waterways and public health.
We call on senators Santorum and Specter to follow her lead.
Kristen Bird
PennEnvironment Campaign Coordinator
A crash course on dangers
of red-light cameras
I recently was traveling southbound on the Roosevelt Boulevard, driving at the posted speed of 45 mph, when the light at Grant Avenue turned yellow.
I did not think I had enough time to make it through the intersection before the light turned red, so I went into a panic stop, as did the driver of a pickup truck to my left.
We both made the right decision because the light was red before we got to the first crosswalk line. However, two cars behind me, one in my lane and one to my right, were still determined to "make that light." As I was stopping I glanced in my mirror and saw the car behind me closing in at a high rate of speed. I was preparing myself for a rear-end collision when, at the last second, that car swerved into the right lane, directly in front of the other car, and the two of them sailed through the intersection as if nothing ever happened.
Of course, the light was red by this time and I’m sure the camera mounted at the intersection took their picture.
There were three possible outcomes to this situation:
1. I could have been severely injured or killed due to a rear-end collision.
2. The two cars that went through the red light could have T-boned a car on Grant Avenue that had the green light, also with tragic results.
3. The Philadelphia Parking Authority and Mulvihill Intelligent Control Systems will get to divide two crisp hundred-dollar bills in fines from the two drivers who ran the light. That is, if the drivers actually had legal tags on their cars.
So, with this in mind, can someone tell me how the red-light cameras are supposed to "reduce accidents and save lives," to quote PPA deputy executive director Vince Fenerty. I try to avoid the area as much as possible, but whenever I do have to cross the Boulevard at Grant, I see at least one vehicle run the light every time.
I remember when the program started and there was a lot of talk about the great number of cars photographed while running the red light. Now that the system has been in place for about six months, I’d like to hear the latest stats. I have a feeling the numbers are still the same.
According to a recent story in the Northeast Times (Red-light runners: Smile & say "uh-oh"), the PPA is refusing to release those figures. Also, according to Motorists.com, "increasing the yellow-light time has proven to dramatically decrease red-light violations."
However, in some areas, the manufacturer of the cameras includes a clause in its contracts that prohibits city engineers from applying practices that improve compliance and reduce accidents. In other words, if the yellow light is extended and more drivers are able to come to a safe stop before the red light, the number of tickets will go down — along with the profit to the operating company.
When will they admit this whole red-light camera program is only designed to take advantage of a situation (the high accident count) so a few people can make some easy money while still not addressing the traffic problems at these intersections?
David Nelson
Pennypack
Take the challenge
and clean your city
I am responding to Thomas Conway’s recent letter, City official explains his duties.
I wrote a small article a few weeks back about a city official basically passing the buck. Now I am writing to thank Mr. Conway for his response and explanation of duties and educating us, the public.
You say your list of duties seems "impressive." I must admit you sure are involved in a lot of programs. Please keep in mind you are a city employee, and as a taxpayer, I do help pay your salary. This is why I feel I have the right to complain in this somewhat open forum. I too ask the positive people of the Northeast to get involved.
Please "take the challenge." Maybe pick up a broom and keep your property and streets clean. Most level-headed people should already do that. As far as keeping the grass cut on city highways, that is something we must rely on our local government to handle.
Please, Mr. Conway, stay in contact with that local PennDOT representative to get it done before it gets too high again. After all, that is what started this entire issue.
Thank you.
Ed DiMaio
Far Northeast
State should pick up
those smoke signals
Everyone should have the right to breathe clean air. However, this is not the case in Pennsylvania.
Whether you work in a restaurant or you are a customer, secondhand smoke is not just an annoyance — it is a serious health hazard.
Secondhand smoke will cause an estimated 3,000 lung-cancer deaths this year alone. Also, the Centers for Disease Control recently issued a warning to anyone with heart disease to avoid restaurants and bars that allow smoking. Even a short time in a smoky establishment can trigger a heart attack.
It is fine that Philadelphia is taking steps to impose a smoking ban in public places. It is time to undertake such policies throughout Pennsylvania.
Not only will a statewide clean indoor air law help protect the health of workers and patrons of bars and restaurants, but it will ultimately save Pennsylvania money.
Many states that have implemented smoke-free policies have seen a reduction in overall smokers. This would inevitably lower health-care costs — for everyone — not just those individuals who decide to kick the habit.
State Rep. George Kenney has shown great leadership with this issue. As chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee, he has agreed to consider a smoke-free policy for Pennsylvania’s workplaces.
A statewide clean indoor air law will save lives and money. Next time you see Rep. Kenney, please thank him for his concern for our health and our tax dollars.
Stanley Cooper
Manayunk
Air controllers
get an appreciative lift
Air-traffic controllers in Pennsylvania owe a great debt of gratitude to Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick and Allyson Schwartz, who recently stood up for fairness and air safety by voting in favor of bill HR 5449 — a piece of legislation that sought to restore fairness and accountability in the FAA contract-negotiating process.
With their votes, Reps. Fitzpatrick and Schwartz sent a clear bipartisan message to the Federal Aviation Administration that gutting the collective-bargaining process in federal government was not acceptable.
Representatives Fitzpatrick and Schwartz voted to get the FAA back to the negotiating table on behalf of the flying public and taxpayers in Pennsylvania.
With the support of Reps. Fitzpatrick and Schwartz, a clear bipartisan majority of the House demonstrated they wanted current contract negotiations to be reopened and resolved fairly.
Unfortunately, the House leadership only allowed this vote to be heard under suspension rules, which require a two-thirds vote for passage, and it fell short by a slim margin.
America’s air traffic controllers salute Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick and Allyson Schwartz for their courage and leadership, and we urge the FAA to heed this message.
Don D. Chapman
National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. Philadelphia Airport
Don’t run away
from the problem
Rental properties and Section 8 is destroying our neighborhoods! Tacony and Mayfair are falling and something needs to be done.
People, take action, talk to your elected officials and put a stop to the scourge of rental properties and Section 8 in our neighborhoods.
Most of the people that live in these properties, be they black, white, Hispanic, whatever, are trashing these properties, have no respect for the neighbors or themselves. Look at all of the "for sale" signs. People, stop moving, you are part of the problem! Take a stand and let these renters and Section 8 people know that we are not going to stand for our neighborhood turning into a ghetto!
Stop running away and save our neighborhoods, demand restrictions on rental properties and Section 8. I grew up in this neighborhood and I will be damned if I am going to raise my child in a ghetto!
Tim Rogers
Tacony
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