City needs rainy day fund

It's ridiculous that the City of Philadelphia claims they don't have enough money to repair the rain-damaged section of Cresheim Valley Drive. This road serves many thousands of residents. The closure of it adversely affects thousands of people; neighboring streets are now subjected to heavy traffic, traffic jams are mounting on Germantown Avenue, and businesses are losing income. The heavy rain that caused the damage is unusual, but not without precedent in recent Philadelphia history (Hurricane Gloria in 1985, for example.). After inspecting the roadway damage, it is obvious that the road was poorly constructed at the outset and that it should be able to handle heavy rains. 

Now the City of Philadelphia claims it doesn't have the $800,000 for the needed repairs. Where is the money? Well, just last week Mayor Street bragged about the new "wireless internet service" for the Parkway Area. Whoopty-doo! This experiment has already cost 10 million to construct, and will cost one million a year to maintain! A previous experiment costing millions of our tax money, the new digital wireless radio system for the police, has already proven to be unreliable.

Unlike families and businesses, Philadelphia apparently has no rainy day fund (literally) for unforeseen events. This is incredible, but allegedly true. The city's undertaking a "high-tech" internet foray while apparently broke is like buying new furniture when you have a leaky roof. The city should not be whining about state funding or federal funding either: all the bureaucracy involved will just waste more money- our money. The city government earns ridicule.

Charles Phillips
Mt. Airy

Rhetoric vs. reality

At the convention, the Republicans repeatedly said one thing, but their policies and their platform say another. While putting up moderates to talk about inclusion, they adopted a platform that seeks to write discrimination into the constitution and make permanent tax cuts proven to disproportionately benefit the wealthy.

They say the economy is strong, but there are more than 36 million Americans in poverty, rising 1.3 million between 2002 and 2003. The administration projected that 3,978,000 jobs would be created over the last 13 months, but in reality, since the tax cuts took effect, there have been 2,565,000 fewer jobs created than the administration projected through the enactment of its tax cuts.

They talk about protecting Americans, but the administration's own experts say that we're less safe, that we've played into the enemy's hands and made it easier for Al Quaeda to recruit, and alienated the rest of the world. Foreign relations for the first three years of President Bush's term have been a "national disaster."

Let's get real, and agree it's time for a change by voting for the Kerry-Edwards ticket in November 2004. Remember, you can volunteer on line at John Kerry.com to help the campaign or stop by the Kerry-Edwards office in Mt. Airy for more information.

Mary Ann Baron

Bow hunting a cruel exercise

Fairmount Park users should be aware that beginning Oct. 2, an extended archery antlerless deer season will commence in Philadelphia County on private properties surrounding the park. In addition, crossbows will now be permitted in the county. Prior to 2001, the crossbow was on a list of prohibited hunting devices as established by the General Assembly.

These changes will allow for more opportunities for hunters to "get this area's deer herd under control." And, of course, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is rewarded financially through the sale of more hunting licenses.

Pennsylvania's deer "management" policy strives to increase deer populations through hunting. Providing more living targets is their primary mission. Killing only increases their reproductive capability.

Many state agencies view bowhunting as purely a recreational activity with a minimal impact on the target animals. It is also considered horribly cruel.

Adjunctly, on June 26, 2004, the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about a man excited by his first deer kill; driving home with his kill, anxious for his sons to "see her and touch the blood."

Mark Twain described hunting as a "barbarous amusement that demonstrates the innate depravity of man."

William Cowper (1731-1800) attacked hunting as a "detested sport that owes its pleasures to another's pain.

Today, philosopher Peter Singer and animal behaviorist Richard Ryder agree on the importance of suffering as the bedrock of morality. Singer believes that we and animals are equals in pain. Pain is pain regardless of the species suffering it. Ryder reminds us that today the greatest moral blindspots are in our exploitation of the other animals. Those who are cruel to nonhumans are not all wicked; most are just unthinking, says Ryder.

Most poignant is that Gandhi's birthday is also on Oct. 2. He irrevocably stood up against the direct physical or psychological harm to any nonhuman -- this, unjustified violence.

The lurid violence in our midst is not conducive to the betterment of humankind and only serves to debase its animal victims.

Bridget Irons
Chestnut Hill

Public transit is essential

The Chestnut Hill Local raised the right issues in its coverage of the proposed SEPTA service cuts and fare increases. Good public transit is essential to the economic, social and economic viability of any metropolitan area. While it is often not identified as such, reliable, affordable public transit is one of the most important factors in ensuring that our region flourishes and develops in a manner that is sustainable to future generations.

In no other industrialized country is public transportation treated so shamefully. In Europe, transit is seen as a public necessity, much like electricity, sewage service and water. If government in the United States had the same perspective, would we be here today discussing the possibility of certain communities no longer receiving water service? Or receiving sewage service only on weekdays?

In urban areas such as the greater Philadelphia area, automobile emissions are the largest source of ozone pollution. One bus can remove 40 cars from area roadways, while one train can remove 120 cars.

The need for a dedicated and adequate funding source for SEPTA and other transit authorities across the state could not be more glaring. State officials need to find a way of removing the yearly uncertainty transit agencies face in determining the amount of state support they can expect year to year. Pennsylvania's public transportation providers must be able to plan operating levels and capital improvements with some confidence that they will be able to carry out those plans.

It is time for our leaders in Washington and Harrisburg to begin to view public transportation through a different lens. Why is it always public transit that is asked to "pay for itself?" Why are we not here instead discussing which highways will not get built, those that will not get repaired, or what parts of the Schuylkill Expressway and I-95 will be closed evenings and weekends? Why are we not discussing how to make roads "pay for themselves?"

Joe Minott
Wyndmoor

Enough is enough

I live in East Oak Lane and every day I drive over to the Fern Rock Train Station to park. SEPTA has two parking lots that can be used for $2 per day but you have to get into the train station between 7 and 7:30 a.m. to get a parking space in one of them, and I don't have to be at work until 9 a.m.

I have gotten a number of parking tickets, sometimes as many as two in one week, because there is no place to park on the street. If you are unable to park in one of the two parking lots, there is a third parking lot that charges $32 for a parking permit. You have to call SEPTA at 1234 Market Street to get on a mailing list to receive the permit.

My utter annoyance is that people are allowed to place in front of their homes in available parking spaces anything from a chair, crate, trash can, cinder blocks, tires, tree stumps to baby strollers, and every day I run the risk of getting yet another parking ticket because I have to take the chance parking in front of a garage, fire hydrant, too close to a corner, etc.

Yet there are no tickets placed on the doors of the people who have placed these items in front of their homes to hold that parking spot. It is not fair and this is done in a four-block radius around the train station.

I think there should be a law that anyone found holding a parking space without the proper signage should get a ticket placed on their door and have to pay a fine. Those who park in such a way that they take up two parking spots should also get ticketed.

Since when did the street in front of your home become a part of your property? If you can get a ticket for parking on the pavement then you should get a ticket for putting things in the street where parking is allowed.

The Parking Authority and the police officers should be permitted to write warnings and or tickets after the warning is ignored. The ticket or warning should be placed on the front door of the home when something is placed in the street in front of the home to hold a parking place.

If people had to pay a fine in conjunction with placing something in the street they would stop holding parking places.

In most cases these parking spaces are held in excess of eight and nine hours a day while the person is at work. This is ridiculous and I am fed up.

Jackie Shirley
East Oak Lane

Intersection no longer safe

We wish that you would urge the appropriate Philadelphia department to have the intersection of Springfield Avenue and Lincoln Drive made a four-way stop. This has always been a difficult intersection for drivers on Springfield Avenue, but now that traffic has been detoured from Cresheim Valley Drive, this intersection is actually dangerous.

Also, the closing of Cresheim Valley Drive (which has been for many weeks now) has caused a great influx of cars on Springfield Avenue. Though detour signs direct traffic to Willow Grove Avenue, much of the traffic travels along Springfield Avenue to Germantown Avenue. For those of us living off Springfield Avenue, it has become a major problem to enter or cross Springfield Avenue.

The situation really must be corrected.

Diamantino P. Machado
Chestnut Hill