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Catch the slobs
at Russo Park
I live in the 4700 block of Bleigh Ave. adjacent to Russo Park.
We have been here several years, and in that time I have watched people from all walks of life park their company trucks or cars alongside the park and eat their lunch.
When lunchtime is over and it’s time to head back to the job, the empty food and beverage containers (some are glass), along with the napkins, bags and leftover condiments, get tossed into our park as if it is the most natural thing in the world.
This leftover foodstuff invites flies, mice, roaches and rats, along with the broken glass that is cutting our dogs feet often enough that many of them require stitches.
This learned behavior tells me they have absolutely no respect for our neighborhood or for the families who reside here.
Maybe making the offenders aware may curb some of this disgusting habit. If not, taking down their license plate numbers may lead to some resolution.
Jacky Patterson
Holmesburg
Bring back the
mounted patrol
Now that it’s confirmed that the Fairmount Park rapist is back on the prowl to rape and kill in the biggest urban park in the U.S., maybe they should bring back the mounted patrol unit to actually have a police presence in the park. I guess that makes too much sense in a city where the mayor and police commissioner have given up and already have one foot out the door, and our Council members would rather discuss paper or plastic than address our crime problems.
Steven Carroll
Academy Gardens
A neighborhood is a
terrible thing to waste
I have been a resident of Winchester Park my entire life and I have been the president of the civic association for almost a year. I love my neighborhood. I was raised here, and my husband and I are trying to do the same for our five children. It’s a beautiful place, but what I see going on around me is making me upset. People are using the neighborhood as both a cut-through and as one giant ashtray, specifically at the stoplight at the corner of Rhawn Street and Holmehurst Avenue.
I have personally seen this happen. We are trying to beautify the entrance to our neighborhood by planting flowers and maintaining the look of the property. This is only one problem. We have countless others, such as vandalism from adolescents and non-residents, and residents abusing the neighborhood privileges by turning their driveways into one big eyesore.
I would like to remind everyone that this is a residential neighborhood. You can’t do whatever you want! There are laws. We work hard and have put a lot of money into our homes. This neighborhood has been going strong for more than 50 years, and we want to keep it that way! So next time you’re speeding, throwing trash or not abiding by the city zoning laws in OUR neighborhood, think twice and have some respect, because a beautiful neighborhood is a terrible thing to waste!
Mary Ann Cicalese-Kiker
Winchester Park
Crime victim has to pay
again and again
In September 2006 a person or persons took the liberty to enter my home in the middle of the night with my son and myself in there, ransacked the house and stole precious memorable jewelry from my daughter’s downstairs bedroom (fortunately she was away at school). They walked up the steps to our living area, took my purse from the floor of my bedroom (fortunately we were not awakened or it would have been more than a robbery, that I’m sure of!)
Fearing for my children’s safety, I had an alarm system installed. Today I received a notice from the city of Philadelphia that I need to pay them a yearly registration fee of $35 for the alarm system that I pay $40 a month to maintain; if I fail to pay this fee I will be penalized $100. This law was apparently passed in 1993.
I was violated and took the steps to prevent it from happening again since the city cannot, because they have the highest murder rate in the country.
This is a crime in itself. Is the city going to charge the perpetrators $35 if they ever find them?
Not only do I pay real estate taxes, city wage tax, homeowners insurance, now I have to pay the city because I want to feel safe in my own home in one of the most dangerous cities in the country?
Are taxpayers in Philadelphia aware of this law? It’s another reason the city is emptying at record highs!
Kathyann Sinko
Torresdale
Comcast is still
calling all the shots
In response to Anthony Dorwart’s letter last week extolling the virtues of Comcast cable, let me say this, friend — there are no alternatives to the Comcast monopoly, including Direct TV, because Comcast controls the television rights for the Flyers, 76ers and the Phillies games.
If indeed, you are a sports fan — and believe me, Philadelphia is an avid sports town — then you are being held hostage by Comcast, because these teams are only available because of Comcast’s rights to carry them. As far as Verizon, as far as I know it is not available in all areas including Rhawnhurst. How is this an alternative?
Also with your knowledge of the fees and costs of Comcast it seems you may have an ulterior reason for your praise of Comcast. If all the sporting events now available on Comcast were available on other means of communication, at reasonable fees, I am sure there would be a mass exodus from the Comcast monopoly.
The time has long since passed when the subscribers in Northeast Philadelphia are given more than one option to all programming that we now enjoy by the only cable company available to us, which is Comcast.
Jack Miller
Rhawnhurst
Day by day, Frankie’s
memory keeps us going
Sept. 15, the day we all feared. One year and the memory of that night now returns to remind us of the pain that we tried to force out. As these days return, the pain quickly follows. We still search for those unanswered questions that haunt our lives. We all now understand that grief is an emotion that all must face; it is easy to cling to times past and those irreplaceable moments, but moving on is the struggle.
Francis P. Sanford, or as we knew him as Frankie, was taken from us on Sept. 15, 2006. Friends and family now come together in the remembrance of the "one year" since his sudden death. Gathering together, we take a look back and remember the times spent with Frankie. We hold in our hearts those precious moments that we shared and the unconditional love he had for us all.
When we lose a son, a brother or dear friend, our familiar world seems to become a different place — one without joy or happiness. Finding that place takes time. Still, death makes us think about life — the life we hold and the lives that surround us. The loss felt senseless and overwhelming. We sought out a numbness to diminish the pain in all of our hearts.
Those fond memories still follow us in our daily lives; reminding us that we together, carry Frankie’s memory with our every breath and in every beat of our hearts. Those conversations that make us laugh and those moments and memories that make us cry, we stand to keep them visible for the whole world to see. As we now come together, ready to face this once-again vivid reality, we now know that with one look at the sky, one wish upon a star, and one prayer at night, that Frankie is here holding our hands through it all.
Amber Dzikowski
Burholme
Give us a Golden
performance, Jesse!
Our Lady of Confidence is a special education school located on the premises of Cardinal Dougherty High School.
Jesse Rose, a 2002 graduate of Our Lady of Confidence School, is heading to China to compete in the swimming competition of the Special Olympics. The former president of Cardinal Dougherty High School, Father Paul Kennedy, blessed Jesse before he left on his journey.
Jesse’s peers have told him to "Bring home the Gold!" and this ambitious athlete is hoping to do just that. He has practiced diligently and will do his very best! We are all rooting for Jesse!
Sister Marian
Cardinal Dougherty High School
Don’t blame others
for St. Leo’s closing
About two weeks ago, I was reading the paper and I came across a letter that was written by a lady named Mrs. Scally. She felt sorry about the St. Leo’s school having to close, and she expressed the reason why she believed the school was closing.
She said that she felt sorry that the school closed, and she said that if the school would have not discriminated against people who were not Roman Catholic or people who were not baptized, St. Leo’s would still be running a school. Then, the next week a person named Charles Tschopp, who was a teacher at St. Leo’s, wrote in. He said that if St. Josaphat’s and other local schools had not kept taking their students, they would not have had to close the school, and the reason why people were going to other schools was because they weren’t allowed to go St. Leo’s without being Roman Catholic or baptized.
And how is it our fault (St. Josaphat’s) that people want to come to our school because you would not let them into yours? Doesn’t Jesus say, "Let my children come to me?" So does that mean push them away if they’re not Roman Catholic? I just can’t believe how people can just blame other people for a mistake they make.
I feel sorry about St. Leo’s having to close, but you can’t blame other people for it.
Rob Reid (age 12)
Mayfair
Another victim of
the ugly MRSA disease
I just read reporter Diane Prokop’s article on MRSA in the Northeast Times and I just wanted to send another example of an outbreak of MRSA.
I was on a cruise the last week of January 2007 and went snorkeling in Nassau. When I came home about three days later, I found a pimple on my right thigh. I watched it grow for a day or so and then, to make a long story short, I went to the emergency room at Holy Redeemer Hospital since my friends all knew about MRSA but I had no clue.
They treated me for an abscess and after six hours of an IV, they sent me home and told me to see my primary doctor within two days. I made an appointment on Tuesday (was in the ER on Saturday) and an hour before my appointment, the pimple opened and ugly stuff poured out of it. I went right to my doctor and they put me in the hospital right then and there. A surgeon lanced the wound and left a 2-inch hole in my leg! I was in the hospital for four days and then sent home but continued to have a nurse come every day to change the bandage and clean the wound.
I never thought that being 50 years old I would require home health care, but I was very fortunate that the infection did not get into my bloodstream. I have had about three outbreaks since then but not as severe. I was always put back on the Bacterim medication but now I am being treated with a nose creme.
My doctor feels the infection is getting in via my nose, so for five days out of a month, I use a nasal creme twice a day. So far, no further outbreaks.
This disease has changed my lifestyle and now, when I visit friends or stay over at my sister’s house, I bring my own linens and wash clothes and continue to use hand sanitizer each time I come in contact with anything.
Judy Connelly
Holland, Pa.
Good night out
MARCS the spot
I wanted to take a minute to say a big THANK YOU to MARC! They sponsored a movie night under the stars on Friday, Sept. 21, at Rhawn Street and State Road. They showed A Night at the Museum, served popcorn, hot dogs and drinks for all. This was provided at no cost to the parents.
It was such a well organized, enjoyable event. From the spotless restrooms to the stadium lighting that led us back to our cars, everything about the evening was planned down to the minute. My 5-year-old daughter had a wonderful time. We are so fortunate to have an agency like MARC to provide this type of enjoyment for our children. Thanks again.
Sandy Coleman
Rhawnhurst
Somerton’s all wet
on beer-sales decision
Regarding William Kenny’s article in the Sept. 20 edition of the Northeast Times, the Somerton Civic Association voted in its September membership meeting NOT to oppose a zoning variance that would allow a proposed beer distributorship along Evans Street. Really? It is hard to understand the SCA membership’s decision NOT to oppose this new business.
Besides the obvious concerns about adding any new business just south of Woodhaven Road, I am wondering why we need a business that would be selling malt beverage products in the Somerton area?
Do we really need a spot for young adults to go when they are looking for malt liquor products?
Why not also allow this (or any other prospective), business to also allow our youth to buy "blunts," "rolling paper" and other recreational "buzz" products?
It would seem to me to be quite silly to allow young drivers a chance to buy malt beverages and then speed out onto Woodhaven Road.
This is not a smart decision and I hope that our Northeast City Council members would oppose a zoning variance for this prospective business. The people of Somerton should say no to malt liquor entering our neighborhoods.
The safety of our children needs to outweigh any business considerations.
It just makes good common sense to be safe with cars, our young people, and the selling of malt beverages so close to Route 63.
John Farley
Somerton
September WAS
Childhood Cancer Month
This letter is to all the media out there, local and national. To the radio stations, TV stations, newspapers and magazines. HELLO…Did you not know that September was Childhood Cancer Month? Did you not get the memo? It seems like this important thing gets swept under the media carpet. Why? Is childhood cancer not important? Is childhood cancer not worth any on air or print time?
I write this letter as a angry mom to a beautiful, sweet cancer survivor. I e-mailed, more than I can count, TV news stations and national talk show hosts asking — no, begging — them to do a report on this subject. No one, including the local ones, even responded to me. Not one did a report on childhood cancer. Why? I urge anyone that has dealt with, knows anyone dealing with or dealt with childhood cancer to bombard everyone and anyone that in the future you might want to read or watch reports on childhood cancer.
I am the proud mom of Sarina, cancer-free for four and a half years.
Heather Smith
Northeast Philadelphia
Is this any way
to pick a president?
I am astonished and disgusted at the way our news media are covering the presidential candidates for 2008.
When I tune in to the Democratic and the Republican debates, there are no fewer than six or seven candidates on the stage for each respective party’s debate. However, when I tune in to ABC, NBC, and CBS news, the only coverage seems to be about Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani. Occasionally there is some reporting on John McCain, but usually only to remind us of how he is running out of campaign money. Joe Biden only seems to attract attention when he says something that would only offend a hypersensitive Geico caveman.
Granted, these candidates might have a wider appeal across the United States. But the fact that they have the most campaign dollars should only mean that we see more of their campaign buttons, posters and campaign workers. The news should give us insight on all of the candidates so we can make informed decisions on who we want leading our country.
I doubt most United States citizens are even aware that there is a candidate interested in dismantling the Internal Revenue Service. In my opinion, the people at Disney, General Electric, and 1 percent of our nation that holds half of our nation’s wealth have already identified the candidates whose agendas they can live with, and they are presenting them to us as they see fit. Long live democracy!
Matt McGrath
Brookhaven
A real Social
Security shortfall?
This is something that has been going on for years:
a. The employed pay into Social Security.
b. The government "borrows" from Social Security to balance the budget, pay for the war, etc.
c. The government never pays back what it borrows from Social Security.
d. Now we’re told there is a $13.6 trillion shortfall. Who’s responsible for the shortfall?
This is not Social Security, nor the responsibility of the people who pay into Social Security!
If the government would pay back the money it "borrows" from Social Security, it would be more than solvent. Why is it if I take out a loan I must pay it back with interest? Because that is what you do when you "borrow" money! Isn’t the government accountable for its actions?
The government caused this problem and now expects the worker who pays into Social Security to fix it or do without. I ask you, is this fair? Social Security does not have the shortfall, it’s the big spenders in Washington, D.C., who created the shortfall and should be the ones to clean up their mess! But what it comes down to is they’ll just raise taxes to cover their "borrowing" so they can "borrow" some more. Just one more type of taxation without representation.
John Biddle
Holmesburg
Let’s think about
our teachers
In the Philadelphia mayor’s race, most people have already conceded that Michael Nutter will win in a landslide over Al Taubenberger.
However, there are others on the ballot this November (City Council members) and in November 2008 (state legislators) that can really have an impact on all Philadelphians.
On Aug. 31, 2008, the Philadelphia teachers’ contract is up for renewal, and if there aren’t sufficient monies available to negotiate an appropriate contract, Philadelphia will continue to not be the first stop for most teachers.
The money needs to be available for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008. All of my tax clients that are teachers use some of their own money for classroom supplies. Doesn’t your employer supply you with adequate supplies and tools to do your job? The IRS has provided a special deduction line on Form 1040 for these expenditures. But that only gets them a small percentage of their money back.
Our dedicated teachers rank close or at the bottom in salaries in Pennsylvania, yet they continue to put up their own money to ensure that our children get a better education.
Studies have shown that property values are generally related to the quality of the schools.
So, we should hold our elected officials accountable, to put up real (our tax dollars) money and not just hear "sound bites" about what they "can" do about our city’s education.
This is the time when things line up perfectly, so that we can do things with foresight and not lament in hindsight.
All Philadelphians have a stake in this if you own real estate, and whether or not your children attend public schools, etc.
Mayer Krain, CPA
Modena Park
Council candidate:
I have guts
For decades, the Northeast has been a safe haven for working families who wanted to live in a part of the city that offered the conveniences of city living without the problems. The Northeast has been described as "patriotic," "clean," "family oriented," "safe," "convenient" and "a great place to live." But residents in the Northeast know that their way of life has been under increasing attack for the past decade.
Neighborhoods are not what they used to be and more and more good families are moving out. Senior citizens are under pressure to continue to make ends meet and even remain in the homes they have paid for long ago. Roads are jammed and the streets are not safe. Youth are not respectful like they used to be. City services are non-responsive. Things are worse now than ever before.
It is clearly, time for a change! That’s why I am running for City Council at-large. I served our city as a prosecutor, so you know I will be tough on crime. I served our nation as an officer in the U.S. Army Special Forces, so you know I am a strong leader who will "tell it like it is" and "give it everything I’ve got." I’m also the father of a 4-month-old baby girl, so you know I am in it for the long haul.
We need a fighter in City Council who will burn the midnight oil working hard and working smart. I have served on the boards of many of the organizations that deal with the problems facing the Northeast and the rest of our city.
I have a new approach to making your life and your community better, and that’s by making our whole city better. I want to create good jobs, reduce crime, improve schools, protect our seniors, help our homeowners and provide opportunities for our young people.
"Circling the wagons" does not work. The solution is not that easy. It’s time to work hard and fight hard for what we want. Elect someone with the ability, energy and guts to make our economy boom, our streets safe, our neighborhoods great and our schools excellent.
On Nov. 6, you will have the power to make the difference. Vote for David Oh!
David Oh
Republican candidate, City Council at-large
Let’s do a better job
of leaving no child behind
Guest Opinion
State Rep. Tony Payton Jr.
As Congress begins to debate the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), our children are left waiting for the nation’s leaders to stand up and provide a sound vision for their educational endeavors.
While standardized testing, teacher accountability and partisan rancor dominate the discussion, the actual reforms that need to take place continue to be muted by the unwillingness and ineptitude of our leaders to change the direction of the conversation and provide innovative solutions to our current educational crisis.
The time has come for the federal government to stop their irresponsible propensity of enacting unfunded mandates. In 2006, President Bush called for $22.8 billion in new initiatives, yet asked the Congress to fund only $13.3 billion of those same initiatives, leaving the state governments to pick up the bill for close to $10 billion.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, the initial sponsor of the legislation, claimed, "The tragedy is that these long overdue reforms are finally in place, but the funds are not."
The federal government has to take a more active role in funding the education necessary for our children. How can our federal government continue to ignore the fact that 70 percent of our inner-city children cannot read or write at a basic level?
The current funding mechanism provided to educate our youth is fundamentally flawed. Using property taxes to fund education has caused a statewide property tax crisis, which has affected every family in the commonwealth. Curbing the current funding mechanism would address the inequality in education that property-tax-based funds foster.
In a few months a study that was commissioned by the General Assembly will be releasing information that will identify the cost of education per child in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania (The Costing Out Study).
This study will determine the actual cost of educating our youth, particularly children in poverty, English language learners and children with special needs. We need to use the study as the impetus to create a more equitable funding mechanism for our youth’s education, which would also alleviate the property tax burden for all Pennsylvanians.
The onus of providing an education should be shared by the federal, state and municipal entities. The federal and state governments should take on the majority educational funding, while local municipalities should act solely as a supplemental fiscal contributor. This would inevitably alleviate high property taxes in Pennsylvania while creating equality in education across the commonwealth.
The debate over the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind has provided a unique opportunity to discuss the necessary changes in our educational system. The time has come for us to revise the way we educate our children. The base of our current educational structure is a pre-industrial ideology which has grown stagnant.
The world has changed dramatically in the latter half of the 20th century; our visions for education should accommodate this phenomenon to ensure our children are prepared for the demands of a more expanded world view. This expanded world view must be reinforced with a renewed emphasis on the arts, languages and various after-school programs that foster a heightened intellectual blueprint for every child. However, before we can discuss how to educate the children of the 21st century, we must find adequate and equitable funding mechanisms that actually ensure no child is left behind. ••
Mr. Payton, a Democrat, represents the 179th Legislative District.
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