Voter frustration

I stood in line for an hour this morning when I voted at the Water Tower Recreation Center. This surprised me, because not many people were in line. But when I reached the little room where the two booths were, I understood the delay. The process of checking IDs, having voters sign the book, and issuing numbers was too slow and inefficient. The result was that the booths stood empty for significant periods of time. All this while the line outside became longer and longer.

When I pointed this out to the people who were checking credentials and monitoring the process, I received blank stares and shrugs.

I'm writing to the Local about this because I hope that my suggestion to increase the efficiency of the voting process at the Water Tower will reach the attention of people who, instead of shrugging their shoulders, will take the initiative to solve the problem.

Not being an expert at the voting process, I don't know precisely what measures should be instituted. But I suspect that increasing the number of people who check credentials would help (I would be happy to volunteer). Also, we need a larger room in which to contain the two booths and the ID-checking table.

What the people who run the polls need to realize is, long lines are equivalent to a poll tax: they discourage voting and punish those who are committed to voting anyway. This is unacceptable and shouldn't be ignored.

I'm lucky that I stood in line for only an hour. I can imagine how frustrating it was for people who had to stand there much longer. If I were one of those people, I would be very reluctant to come back and vote in the next election.

Liz Segrè
Chestnut Hill

Dangerous intersections

I write in regard to the situation wherein John and Jennifer Follo have had two cars demolished in crashes while parked on the 7800 block of Winston Road.

I live at the corner of Winston Road and Moreland Avenue, and was awakened by the early morning automobile crashes on Oct. 11 and Oct. 17 in front of our house. Despite having lived in my Winston Road home only since last December, I can report that there have been a number of other crashes as well as numerous near misses with screeching brakes and some rather shaken drivers.

It appears to me that there are at least two issues contributing to the problems:

… Winston Road is a long, nearly straight, stretch of wide street between Mermaid Lane and Willow Grove Avenue with fairly narrow two-way Moreland Avenue as the major cross street. It is used by many drivers as a short cut to avoid the traffic congestion of Germantown Avenue and they often drive quite fast.

… Winston Road actually turns slightly at its juncture with Moreland Avenue. The result is that drivers attempting to enter Winston Road from eastbound Moreland Avenue find it very difficult to see southbound traffic on Winston Road. To see oncoming vehicles, one must get part way into the southbound traffic lane, sometimes finding oneself in the path of oncoming traffic. Visibility is so bad at that corner that I do not park my van in front of my house on the northwest corner of Winston Road and Moreland Avenue, for fear of contributing to an accident.

Although nothing would solve all of the problems, I believe that four-way stop signs at the corner of Winston Road and Moreland Avenue would be very helpful to drivers on Moreland Avenue attempting to negotiate the intersection of Winston Road and would provide a break in the long stretch of Winston Road, thus reducing vehicle speed.

Parenthetically I might add that the same visibility issues are present where Moreland Avenue crosses Germantown Avenue, Germantown Avenue turning slightly at that intersection. This makes visibility of northbound traffic poor to drivers attempting to enter from westbound Moreland Avenue. Even more important, it is quite treacherous for pedestrians crossing from the east side in order to have access to the many stores on the west side of Germantown Avenue.

Thank you for reporting on traffic issues.

The Rev. William J. Shepherd
Chestnut Hill

Treats, no tricks this Halloween

How sweet it is to live in our Chestnut Hill Community!

Last Friday night, we opened our home for what was initially projected to be a small gathering for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. Lisa Howe, of Artisans on the Avenue, designed and printed the invitation for the event that was called "Appetite for Awareness." The Chestnut Hill Local later followed up with an article highlighting the event and, shortly after, the foundation was flooded with calls. "Can we still come?" Initially, I felt a twinge of anxiety but responded, "Absolutely, come." Then, I quickly made a few phone calls.

Janet Israel of Culinary Concepts ... Can you help me with the logistics? We now need a tent. Answer: Sure, no problem.

John Ingersoll, Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop: Help, we need more food. Can you supply gluten-free cheese trays? Answer: Sure, no problem.

John McGettigan, McGettigan Electrical: We need electrical help. General Contractor, Dennis Meyer, can you quickly make a few repairs so Whitney Howe, Howe Painting, can finish painting trim and shutters? Answers: No problem ... no problem ... no problem.

Bill Stroud, Penguin Photo: We need a photographer. Answer: No problem ... we'll help you cover the event.

John and Mike Serpentelli, Animation Stewdio: We're going to need decorations for the tent. Can you help? Answer: Sure, no problem ... and Chris Paukstis, Laurel Hill Gardens: Do you have any more corn stalks, hay or mums left? Answer: Sure, no problem. And then I see her graciously take down their display so I'll have enough.

Within days, the needed repairs were made, shutters were hung, lights were on and the tent was up and decorated. Our house had been transformed. Some guests even commented that it looked like a Halloween movie set!

So, thank you all! I am incredibly grateful to my very busy friends and numerous Chestnut Hill businesses for making the first National Foundation for Celiac Awareness "Appetite for Awareness" event an incredible success. It truly is a treat this Halloween to be part of this community!

Dorothy Binswanger
Chestnut Hill

Time for soul-searching

Democrats have to feel crestfallen. The exit polls were encouraging, but Bush still won. It is time for some soul-searching. Why does so much of the country disagree with you?

First, here are some of what the reasons are not: it is not about lies. Both sides dished up plenty. It is not about intelligence. Both men have to be brilliant to have gotten to where they are today, though brilliance takes many different forms, and can be obscured by word-finding problems as well as by over-detailed rambling. It is not about personality, demeanor, or geography. It comes down to IDEAS.

I will return to the Democratic Party when they return to market-oriented solutions instead of proven failures of socialism; when they stop demonizing businessmen and "the rich," or indeed anyone who disagrees with them; when they embrace clean local governance rather than patronage; when social justice means promoting rigorous education and economic growth instead of perpetuating a culture of dependence; when national security issues are based on assessments of the future instead of distorted Hollywood recollections of the past; and when they stop hating and return to loving.

The Republican Party also falls short of this ideal. I would love to see the Democrats attain it. But I'm not holding my breath.

Jim Bondelid
Oreland

Moral issues

In this difficult "morning after" for us Kerry supporters, I am offended at the shallow analysis of the media and pundits who have diagnosed the Bush vote under the rubric of "voting moral issues." The implication is, of course, that those who voted for Kerry did not do so for moral reasons; we are amoral at best (if not immoral) in our political decision-making.

As a person of faith, I stand within a Christian tradition and community that considers killing civilians in Iraq and sacrificing young Americans in an unjust war a moral issue. I consider the growing numbers of people in poverty immoral. The fact that many people in my city cannot get health care, a good education, a decent job or even enough to eat is a moral crisis of epic proportions.

In other words, my vote was not driven by ideology but by conscience and was, in fact, a moral act. Granted, people of faith differ in how we weight moral issues. But the media need to recognize that for many in the religious community, addressing war, poverty and injustice is what we believe God calls us to do. Those who voted for Bush do not hold an exclusive claim on religious commitment or moral action.

Rev. Katie Day
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
Mt. Airy

The holistic truth

As a physical therapist with more than 28 years of experience, I feel compelled to respond to a quote by Susan Deutsch in Gail Cohen's article, "That's the way the ball bounces - at Mt. Airy studio" (Local, Nov. 4). The essence of what she said was that physical therapists don't view the movement of the body in a holistic manner, but rather focus on a small area, unaware of what is happening elsewhere ("...how you're clenching your opposite shoulder while you do that. Or squeezing our butt.") That couldn't be further from the truth.

Physical therapists study anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, pathology and pathomechanics in great detail in order to understand the science of movement. Our education emphasizes the importance of viewing the individual as a whole, and observing an individual's movement patterns in its entirety. This includes observing compensatory or accessory movements that comprise an individual's movement strategy, i.e. "clenching your opposite shoulder" or "squeezing your butt." Oftentimes, it is those types of movements that provide valuable information about underlying muscular weaknesses or imbalances that need to be addressed. To suggest that physical therapists don't look at the individual as a "whole" reflects Ms. Deutsch's lack of understanding about what physical therapists do.

The American Physical Therapy Association's tag line says it best: physical therapy is "The science of healing, the art of caring." Physical therapists understand that we don't work on isolated body parts, but rather work with individuals who are often in pain and fearful when they cross our thresholds for treatment.

Jill Galper
Chestnut Hill

Suicidal leap?

Now that a traffic study is being considered, would it be possible to examine the possibility of installing a traffic light at the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Hartwell Lane? At certain times of the day, crossing the Avenue at this spot is well nigh impossible unless one wishes to make a suicidal leap -- a physical feat of which many of us, alas, are no longer capable -- or wait patiently for several minutes.

The difficulties are compounded by the almost total disregard for the one-way status of the unit block of W. Hartwell. This has been increasing year by year and yet no one in authority seems to notice. With cars turning into the street from Germantown Avenue, it is a head-on collision -- and fatalities -- waiting to happen.

Helen M. Hayes
Chestnut Hill