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Love it or hate it,
it’s still Frankford
In regard to your recent comments about Frankford, my wife Joy (Powell) and I are graduates of Frankford High School, she in 1954 and me in 1950. We both grew up in Frankford, she on Pratt Street and me on Bridge Street.
There were many pleasant summer days playing in the streets — not many cars back then. Neighbors sitting on the front step would chat well into the hot summer evenings. Bright colored lights would adorn the houses during the Christmas season.
We have lots of fond memories regarding our childhood in Frankford. We’re glad to be Frankford people.
Bill Thomas
Macungie, Pa.
• • •
Every week I find here in the Northeast Times a reminder that Frankford was once a glorious place and is currently in the process of restoration.
Yet, every time I travel through the neighborhood, I am reminded of a quote from the illustrious Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian that was true in 1989 and remains true today:
"You can’t get to heaven on the Frankford El because the Frankford El goes straight to Frankford."
FYI, I rely solely on Wikipedia.org for all factual information and I buy all of my water on the Boulevard.
Brian Jackson
Torresdale
Many thanks for
the scholarship effort
On behalf of the Thomas McNally Academic Scholarship Organization, I’d like to thank the many sponsors who contributed their time and efforts to this third annual event named after Thomas McNally, a lifelong resident of Philadelphia and city official.
The scholarship was formed in his name to assist the parents of parochial school children in paying for the ever-increasing costs of a private school education.
Special thanks to Mr. Reese Hartey and Brian King of the Mayfair CDC for their leadership and guidance in this year’s event, held at the John Perzel Community Center at St. Vincent and Battersby streets on June 22. The day-long softball tournament and basketball shooting contest were augmented by a Chinese auction in raising funds for partial scholarships for grade school students. I’d also like to recognize Mary Ann Colfer and Maggie O’Brien for providing their time and efforts to this worthwhile cause.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the many people of the Mayfair community and business organization who provided their support and generosity in helping determine a successful outcome for the benefit of others.
John J. McNally
Bustleton
We the flagless people
are still patriotic
I am hearing a lot of hype about us Philadelphians not being patriotic and being disrespectful to American veterans, as well as those serving in Iraq, if we do not have an American flag flying in front of our homes.
That may be so for some, however, not in my case.
I have had six different American flags hung in front of my house in the last 10 years that I have lived on the 4200 block of Lansing St. The problem is that hardware that I used to hang it never survives the violent wind that sometimes hits the front of my house. I have even had strong steel flag holders hung, which have actually snapped, causing two of my flags to end up in my neighbor’s tree!
I even had a flag hung from my back deck, which ended up cracking the skylight on the roof of my SUV, which had been parked under my deck in my driveway at the time that a fierce wind knocked the flag out of its hardware.
Please don’t be so quick to judge some of us who don’t hang the American flag, and don’t label us unpatriotic, because some of us really have no choice.
Jennifer L. Johnson
Holmesburg
She doesn’t abuse
her handicapped sticker
I try not to be judgmental and I think more people need to practice this. Not everyone who has a handicapped hanger or license plate is in need of a wheelchair. Handicaps come in many different forms. Some may have heart conditions, breathing problems, or, like myself, severe back and knee problems, which do not necessitate the use of a wheelchair but, on some days, make it so painful to walk that every step is like someone banging a chisel in those areas.
It is not so easy to secure these handicapped tags or plates. One must get a physician to sign forms in order to secure them. And, so far, I have never come across a physician who is willing to stake his reputation by signing a fraudulent document. It was my orthopedic physician who suggested I apply for my tags. And I appreciate having a handicapped tag and only park in those spaces on days when I am in severe pain.
Joan E. Schott
Torresdale
Thanks, Sean!
"Thank you" seems such a small, inadequate way to express our appreciation to Sean, who is a friend and neighbor to all who live on the 8100 block of Leon St.
He is a family man who gives of his time to cut the grass, sweep up the pavements and pick up the trash in front of the homes that need it.
Remember, the next time you see Sean out front of your home with the broom, yell, "THANK YOU!"
Mae Vetter
Holmesburg
More nurses, shorter
lines, a partial cure
Philadelphia has nine neighborhood-based health centers that provide high-quality care to thousands of Philadelphians. Philadelphia’s health centers are utilized by a wide spectrum of consumers, including many with private insurance that could go elsewhere.
The problem is that recent administrations have allowed the health centers to wither, not even ensuring that they are fully staffed. A painfully slow hiring process, plus inexplicable foot-dragging on filling vacant positions, has left our health centers short of essential personnel.
As a result, it can take up to six months for an uninsured person to get an initial appointment at a city of Philadelphia Health Center. The health centers do see a certain number of walk-in patients each day. Visit many centers at 7:30 a.m. and a line is already forming.
I have worked for the city of Philadelphia for 36 years, the last 28 as a nurse practitioner. What attracted me to work in the Health Department was the department’s team of nurse practitioners, support staff and mission of promoting women’s health. Today, though access to primary health care is as critical as ever, the number of nurse practitioners has dwindled and we’re not provided enough support staff.
A nurse practitioner is a primary care clinician. We can do some of the jobs performed by physicians, making us cost-effective in a public health setting. Currently the city only utilizes nurse practitioners in the field of family planning and women’s health. With only about a half-dozen nurse practitioners spread throughout nine neighborhood health centers, it can take months for women to get an appointment.
With employers increasingly moving health care costs on to their workers, and the federal government continuing to abdicate responsibility for tens of millions of people with no health insurance and millions more underinsured, citizens in Philadelphia need strong, reliable health centers and a re-ordering of the priorities that have allowed our health centers to decline.
We are truly on the front lines of public health, but the salaries are not competitive and there is not enough support staff. The long lines and waits for appointments are directly attributable to not having enough qualified health professionals to do the job.
Mayor Nutter deserves credit for acknowledging the problem and planning to fill many vacant positions at the health centers in his budget. However, simply filling previous vacancies and adding just a handful of new nurses citywide won’t fix the long lines.
We can do better. Working with the health center advisory boards, members of the community, elected officials, and health center staff, we need to take a serious look at the management at the centers to ensure maximum efficiency, and we need to evaluate staffing needs at each center and determine hiring goals based on the real needs of each center.
Barbara J. Capezio
Nurse practitioner, Health Centers #2 and #10
And the survey says . . .
oh, it doesn’t matter
During the presidential primaries and now heading toward the general election, we are inundated with constant survey results. They range from African-Americans for Barack, women for Hillary, veterans for McCain. It’s a constant annoyance and we should ask ourselves, who are they surveying?
Are they standing on street corners, knocking on doors, doing mailings or making phone calls? I have never been surveyed and I’m a registered voter. No one has ever asked me for an opinion about anything — not about toothpaste, crime, elections or cars. But I shouldn’t complain, because I may be setting myself up for every telemarketer on the planet to start contacting me.
When I was in college, I was required to take an introductory course in statistics. I struggled with mathematics beginning in the first grade. When the professor began on the first night, she said that anyone who didn’t remember high school algebra should drop the course. My study partner patted my hand and promised to help. I resisted the urge to run out of the room.
For the next couple months, we studied the process of gathering information, how results are determined and memorized pages of formulas. I worked hard, received an A miraculously and learned one important thing. Statistics are not always accurate.
One of my favorite programs on television was cancelled. No one called me to ask if I was watching. How do they know that 1 million people watched the Oscars? No one peeked in my window that night. Are we being influenced by numbers reporting that one candidate is favored over another? Are we driving a car that statistics tell us is safe? What about all the new drugs that are advertised on TV? Are the studies reliable and should we really worry about all the side effects?
We should look at studies, surveys and statistics with an open mind and make our own judgments. Remember, the information is not truth carved in stone.
As the election approaches, we should make a good decision, but there are not enough hours in the day to do a lot of research. I don’t think I’ll be included in the survey results. Oh the phone is ringing — maybe it’s someone conducting a survey.
Janice Jakubowitcz
Bell’s Corner
The Constitution Party
offers the only real change
Since local Democrats are having Obamanasms about their prospects in November (Dems gather to bolster stock in Northeast, June 19 edition), I’ve prepared the following short platform comparison chart to clue the voters in as to exactly what hope and change they can look forward to:
Life and family: — The Constitution Party welcomes pre-born babies into the human family. The Democrats claim they are not human. The Constitution Party recognizes the importance of the traditional family and seeks to protect it. The Democrats want to redefine marriage and legally recognize all so-called alternative "lifestyles."
National security — The Constitution Party recognizes the threat posed by international terrorists. The Democrats want to abandon the War on Terror.
Liberty — The Constitution Party will expand liberty by standing up for free nations around the globe. The Democrats cozy up to tyrants, especially those who espouse socialism. For example, when Hugo Chavez successfully ran for president of Venezuela in 1998 as head of the Fifth Republic Movement, which advocates "democratic" socialism, the Carter Center, an organization founded by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, endorsed Chavez.
In addition, Ramsey Clark, who was attorney general in the Lyndon Johnson administration, volunteered his "legal" talent to defend Saddam Hussein, who headed the Ba‘ath Socialist Party in Iraq. Clark also flew to Belgrade to support Slobodan Milosevic during the NATO campaign against him. Clark told his hosts, "It will be a great struggle, but a glorious victory. You can be victorious." Clark had nothing to say about the siege of Sarajevo, the massacre at Srebrenica or the 1 million homeless refugees from Kosovo.
Property — The Constitution Party will protect your property, and that of your children and grandchildren, by lowering taxes and through legislative action that would limit the right of eminent domain. The Democrats want to confiscate it in the name of "social justice" (whatever that empty buzz-phrase means).
Rule of Law — The Constitution Party will promote the rule of law by supporting judges who will NOT create constitutional "rights" to support social engineering. The Democrats? Well, you know the answer to that.
Folks, let’s all work to secure our borders, cut taxes, spread liberty, and protect life, the family and private property. Now, that’s change we can really believe in. Vote the Constitution ticket come November. I will.
George Tomezsko
Fox Chase
A park-recreation
marriage? Just say “No!”
On June 19, City Council approved a plan to merge the Fairmount Park Commission and the Philadelphia Recreation Department. This is supposed to improve each operation, which lacks money and optimal organizational capacity.
To many citizens, it sounds like a power grab. It makes as much sense as merging the Phillies and Eagles to win hockey’s Stanley Cup.
No, it’s not a done deal! We the voters get to decide this November, as a ballot question. Courageous freshman Councilman Bill Green was the lone "no" vote, noting that he had concerns over the possible sale of parcels in the park.
So do I and many other Philadelphia residents who recreate in the park, walk our dogs in the park or engage in numerous other activities that involve enjoying nature.
Even if Mayor Nutter and City Council have the best intentions, nobody knows whom the next mayor or mayors will be.
One day the city may find itself on the brink of bankruptcy and some genius with an MBA degree may advise the mayor, "Hey, let’s sell off park property to a golf course or for residential development."
Sounds crazy? So does leasing the turnpike.
Please vote "no" on the park and recreation department merger.
Myles Gordon
Vice president, Krewstown Road Neighbors Association
Other synagogues
are in the area
In your article last week, A forced marriage for synagogue, about the closing of Adath Zion synagogue in Burholme, one of the synagogue members interviewed said (referring to the synagogue they are merging with, Ner Zedek), "They’re really the only synagogue in this part of the Northeast." This isn’t quite true.
Within walking distance of my home, there is Ner Zedek which his synagogue is merging with, but there is also the Lubavitcher Center at Castor Avenue and Napfle Street, which has regular Shabbos services.
In Rhawnhurst, we also have: Aitz Chaim on Summerdale Avenue, Ahavas Torah on Rhawn Street, and Bnai Israel-Ohev Zedek on the 8200 block of Castor Ave. (and I may have left some out as well that I can’t think of right now).
Rhawnhurst actually has a very vibrant and growing religious Jewish community, consisting of many newcomers from New York and other areas, as well as new Jewish businesses, especially along Castor Avenue, even though the original Jewish population of this area has been declining.
Thanks for allowing me to clarify that error.
Anita Wasserman
Rhawnhurst
• • •
o o o
I appreciated the excellent article written by Bill Kenny regarding the merger of the two synagogues, Adath Zion and Ner Zedek.
It was stated by Mr. Kenny that Adath Zion was the last traditional synagogue in the area.
That is a technical error, because Temple Beth Ami, at 9201 Old Bustleton Ave., is still a viable and "heimish" traditional synagogue that would welcome any and all Jewish congregants who seek affiliation with a traditional shul.
I am both a proud congregant and member of the board of directors; we urge anyone interested to attend our open house Sundays and/or daily and Sabbath services. You are welcome here.
Arlene Mars Kushner
Bustleton
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