July 17, 2008 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
From our readersCHCA should restore integrity I’ve lived in Chestnut Hill for 12 years. I have no particular political affiliation or involvement — no relationship or significant connection with any members of the CHCA board, past or present. I do read the Local every week, and during my time here, I’ve read letters and articles about the workings of the CHCA with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. The most recent election debacle has moved me to make a few observations: Since the CHCA’s actions affect life in Chestnut Hill, I recommend that the rules be changed so that only residents of Chestnut Hill can have voting rights in CHCA elections. I think it’s wonderful that people who used to live here care enough about Chestnut Hill to want to have a voice in our community, but if they aren’t going to live with the results of their vote they should not have a vote. From what I’ve read, it seems that the CHCA bylaws provide for destruction of ballots 30 days after an election, and historically that destruction has been carried out. However, I haven’t seen anything in the Local that says whether election challenges have occurred in the past, and if so, whether destruction of ballots took place during past challenges. It is standard practice in the corporate world that when a company is the subject of an investigation — or even a civil claim — all normal document destruction procedures are suspended with respect to any documents that might be relevant to the claim. Common sense would call for the same approach to have been applied in this election challenge situation. The destruction of the ballots while a challenge was pending, and the unusual, eleventh-hour flood of newly registered voters whose votes cannot now be examined, casts a shadow over the election results. I see no way to restore the faith of the community other than a rerun of the election. I hope the board will take appropriate action to restore integrity to the process and to this election. Jim Goodman
Are newcomers up to task? At long last, democracy (small d) is coming to Chestnut Hill. Any birth has its pangs but ours certainly involves hard labor. No longer is the community ruled by the mid-19th century developers, their 20th century descendants and their handpicked residents... The once mighty (with a notable exception whose exceedingly generous contributions are made without fanfare) have not so much fallen as moved away from their heritage. In typical American fashion they have found new territory to explore and new fields to conquer. Now a new group of people (and some are developers) are moving in to fill the void. They have energy, vision, and persistence. Their backgrounds are diverse and most of them are new to the area. WASPishness is definitely on the way out. Take up the yoke, newcomers. Make a new and vibrant community rise out of our historic Belgian blocks and trolley tracks. Gone are Streeper’s Drug Store, Nicoletti’s Sweet Shop, the Acme, the A & P, the Grove Diner, Miss Huston’s Emporium, the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads and the PTC. They were essential to our comunity in their day and I will never forget them. This is the 21st century. If the Internet is where we shop, what do we want on our main street? More food stores (a hearty welcome to Weaver’s Way)? More restaurants to serve DINKs (double income, no kids)? A bigger Kilian’s (those aisles are awfully narrow)? A fitness studio? Think ‘outside the box’ and let’s see what you come up with. I would like to live long enough to see the second “Chestnut Hill Renaissance.” The brains and money are here. Go to it! Meredith Sonderskov
Congratulations Congratulations on the articles that you have been including in the Local that relate to the previous Chestnut Hill Locals. The opportunity to re-read these is interesting and fun, but far more than that, it gives us a chance to revisit what the Chestnut Hill Local was like years ago and what issues were considered important. What a joy to see how courageous some of the earlier editors were. They knew that most of the people in the community wanted a paper that was going to look at important issues honestly and in a penetrating fashion. The same continues to be true today. The letter in last week’s Local encouraging more of a “Woodward-Bernstein” approach is a case in point. So, thanks for including those old pieces. They have been a great addition, and the policy decision to print them was right on target. George L. Spaeth, M.D.
He does not clog grocery aisles I loved Jim Harris’ July 3 column on supermarket shopping. (“Why are old people allowed to clog supermarket aisles?”) I am (when unaccompanied) a meld of Superman and The Scarlet Pimpernel, being sought here and there, scooping, zooming, oops-ing, scuse-me-ing, and generally trying to break my own course record for spending X dollars in Y minutes. My best so far is $81.14 in 17 minutes, 27 seconds, driveway to driveway. My pet peeves are the old(er) ladies (mostly) who push the carts with their elbows, leaning over them with their fannies blip-blopping ... If there was a center line in a given aisle, they’d be stradddling it while waddling. Argh! On my own, I drive either a yellow ‘73 Porsche 914 or a red ‘92 Dodge Stealth to market. When my wife’s along, the Super Scarlet persona stays home with the fun cars. We go to and from market in an ‘02 Buick. (again, Argh!) No, I don’t wear a captain’s cap or fogie shades. My head can be seen from behind. Also, on the good side, I try to drive my age in any car. (I am 81.) As Pogo famously said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Dick Lee
Caruso’s is new and improved On July 4, when we picked up a few last minute items at Caruso’s, my wife Joan had the good sense to compliment the two women (perhaps the owners) at the front registers on the look and cleanliness of the store and their welcoming manner. The four of us chatted for a few minutes about the odd letters to the Local that seemed to miss the obvious improvements. Since then, Joan and I have been back three times, and each shopping experience—including the helpfulness of the workers at the deli counter — has been a happy experience. We are at a loss to understand or even imagine the initial negative response to the new management and style, and we look forward to the market’s continued success. Dennis Brookshire
As you drove away Thursday, May 8, 2008, at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Bells Mill Road going east, is it coming to you yet? You stopped for no apparent reason, on a wet road causing the truck behind you to skid, slide into a spin and end up disabled in the road, you saw this in your rear view mirror……as you drove away!! Any person who has tried to make a cell phone call from the bottom of that road, knows it isn’t going to happen,,,no signal. I am 65 years of age, alone in my truck and no wheel where one used to be. You very clearly watched this transpire, I could see your face in the mirror,….as you drove away. I hope the after thought of the inconvenience, the missed doctor’s appointment and expense of towing and repairs, especially on a fixed income didn’t hinder you closing your eyes to go to sleep that night. How very rude. You caused this grief. You are directly responsible for all that has happened as a result. You should have stopped and at least apologized, or offered some sort of assistance, instead you just stared…as you drove away. Tom Ledwith
More effort needed to fight warming As a resident of Chestnut Hill, I’m very happy to see the growing awareness among individuals, congregations, and businesses who take seriously the threat of climate change. Many of us are now taking voluntary actions to reduce our carbon footprints. I’ve come to understand, however, that voluntary actions are necessary but not sufficient to stabilize the climate. Amazingly, Pennsylvania creates more global warming pollution than 101 developing countries combined. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, by 2070, Philadelphia will experience an average of 28 days every summer above 100 degrees. This means that almost every other day in July in August will exceed 100 degrees. How will we cope? In particular, how will the poor cope? Unfortunately, the U. S. Senate just this month rejected the opportunity to pass meaningful legislation to stabilize our climate. I commend Senator Bob Casey for showing support for the Lieberman-Warner-Boxer Climate Security Act. But I am disappointed that Senator Specter voted to prevent debate on the bill, which precluded a vote being taken. I had hoped that Senator Specter would more seriously have considered the dire threat that global warming poses for future generations of Pennsylvanians and the huge economic development that this bill would provide by advancing clean energy solutions. I urge Senator Specter to rethink his position and support both climate and clean energy legislation as opportunities arise. And to Senator Casey: keep up the good work! With hope for a cooler future, Lee Meinicke
Gas prices reflect greed As the price of gasoline keeps on running away, the reasons for this price hike are many. But the TRUE reason for this unfair practice is GREED! Those making billions from this product are simply feeling the water to see what they can get away with. Meanwhile, the people who are mainly affected by these high prices are the average American worker. Workers going to work see many dollars each week going into the gas pump. Prices on almost every commodity are higher as truckers pay much higher prices for diesel fuel. Trying to get our elected officials to help correct this area has gone nowhere! And the promise that gasoline will rise to $5 a gallon installs fear in everyone. But gasoline prices are not the only ones which have risen sharply. Prescription drugs too, continue to rise. One new drug, mainly for a lesser known disease costs $30,000 per year. Thus, the only ones who can find relief from this disease are the wealthy. The company claims it needs to charge this price because the disease, although critical, affects fewer people than other more popular diseases. Thus, today, everywhere we turn, prices continue to rise. For menial workers earning low wages, today’s price problem is truly a “nightmare.” What is needed is to bring about a “United Voice” bringing pressure on Washington to use their powers on our behalf. Failing this, our future may see scenes we will not be happy with. Please raise your voices along with mine! Gerald Samkovsky
Avenue businesses deserve our support We had a delightful dinner last night at the Cresheim Cottage, with attentive service and in a lovely garden setting. As everyone knows, the Cottage, like several other Germantown Avenue businesses, is being severely affected by the extended construction project. These businesses will only survive if we all make an extra effort to patronize them during the construction. Yes, it might take a few extra minutes to park if you’re coming by car. But these restaurants and shops give our neighborhood character and warmth, and they need and deserve our support. Mara Natkins
Re: Supply Side Economics 101 This is in response to Lawrence Geller’s letter to the editor, which appeared in the July 3 edition of the Local. Mr. Geller’s hypothesis — that more regulation and higher taxes on oil companies would lower the prices at the pump — is functionally flawed and devoid of logic and fact. Millions of mostly middle-class Americans have some ownership stake in our oil and natural gas companies through pension plans, IRA’s and mutual funds. It goes without saying that strong earnings translate into both increased energy production and more money for shareholders. Many, if not most, prominent economic analysts believe that the primary factor influencing the steady rise in the price of crude oil is increasing global demand, particularly in rapidly developing countries like China and India, coupled with inadequate supply. The inevitable effect of an “excessive profits” tax would be to reduce incentives for exploration, refining and production, resulting in a rise in unemployment in the oil and gas industry. This brings us back to the basic rule of supply and demand. Less supply means prices at the pump will increase even more exponentially. Furthermore, does Mr. Geller really believe that more incompetent government regulation is likely to solve the problem? One need look no further than the examples he cites — PGW? The Water Revenue Bureau? We all know how government regulation of these commodities turned out. There is a viable solution to this problem that I suspect Mr. Geller is not in favor of — “Drill here. Drill now. Pay less.” May I suggest that his next letter be directed to Arlen Specter, urging him to support federal legislation lifting the ban on drilling off-shore and in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). For the energy crisis we are experiencing is a direct result of our dependence on foreign oil. The economic impact is obvious, but there is another component not addressed by Mr. Geller — it is a matter of national security. Sharon M. Reiss
Why Guantanamo Bay? Our deplorable incarceration and treatment of hundreds of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is bad enough. But I’ve yet to see any one question our right to be there in the first place (part of our imperialistic mentality?) when it really belongs to the sovereign nation of Cuba. Our schoolchildren are taught how we “liberated” Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War of 1898. But the citizens of those countries might have a different story to tell. True, these nations were removed from the yoke of Spanish control, only to find themselves under the control of the United States. Cuba was forced to cede Guantanamo to the U.S. for $1.00 a year, and our congress passed the Platt Amendment giving us the right to intervene in Cuba whenever we felt our “interests” were threatened. So while our student s don’t learn that aspect of history, Cuban students do. As far as Puerto Rico is concerned, more than 30 years after our domination of that island the poverty was there was so shameful, Eleanor Roosevelt, after visiting there in the 1930s pleaded with her husband, Franklin, to do something about it.. And the Philippines? Twenty thousand Filipinos died fighting for independence FROM the U.S. in 1898. One of the American “heroes” suppressing the Filipino independence movement was Lieutenant Douglas MacArthur. Lawrence Geller
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