Methadone clinics are bad news
I see that The Healing Way methadone clinic has been granted permission to open. That’s not progress.
I know that prescription drug abuse is rampant in this country, but building more methadone clinics isn’t the answer. These places just promote a different kind of drug. I don’t think they really care about getting the addict off of these drugs at all. Some people stay on methadone for years. That’s recovery? Now I am hearing the phrase “methadone maintenance.” Are you kidding me? I don’t want to hear it, I really don’t. I have actually heard methadone being compared to insulin. How insulting is that? Diabetics do not choose diabetes.
I don’t think methadone clinics have a good success rate for recovery. If 300 addicts receive methadone, how many are weaned off and able to lead productive lives? Who pays for this methadone? I’d also like to know if the same drug company making the opiates also manufactures methadone. That’s a win/win for the drug companies.
And, why do we have to be a society that “accepts” everything? What now, methadone clinics are the way of the future? I am sorry, truly sorry, for people who get addicted. But I’m not going to accept a methadone clinic being built just to make it convenient for someone to go get this drug. That just makes it easier for the addiction to continue, in my opinion.
Methadone is not a magic potion that can make everything better. It’s an opiate too, not a cure.
Annette McWilliams
East Torresdale
Thank you, Acme
I recently was chosen as a customer of the month at the Acme store at 6600 Roosevelt Blvd.
What a pleasure. I received flowers and bags saying I am customer of the month and a gift card. I want to thank everyone for this. The people in this Acme are all very nice people and may I just say, if you haven’t shopped there, try it. I’m sure you’ll be happy you did.
Alma Hoffman
West Mayfair
Label recycling bins
I just came home from running errands and found the recycle bin against the front of the wall (it’s not mine) but I didn’t put out the recycle bins in the morning on a trash day. The bin has no name and no address, and I think someone who’s immature stole the bin from another neighbor’s property and left it on our property. This is the second time this year, and I would like to remind everyone, please get a permanent marker to put your last name and address on all the recycle bins so you can avoid losing your bins. This is the best way to be able to get your bins back. I hope that will help.
Robert F. Schaffer
Millbrook
Most are descendants of immigrants
“We are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants except American Indians (Native Americans).” — Franklin D. Roosevelt.
If people like Ms. Adelsberger were around when her ancestors became citizens, maybe she wouldn’t be here to prevent other people from becoming citizens. What ever happened to “e pluribus unum”? Or are they just words that don’t mean anything anymore.
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves and under a just God will not long retain it.” (Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U.S., Republican — Illinois)
John P. McGreevy
Fox Chase
Save St. Leo the Great
To the leaders of the Catholic Church in Philadelphia, I realize it is difficult to determine which parishes will be closed. None of us wants to witness the downsizing of the Catholic Church in Philadelphia and surrounding area. There is so much history and continued great works that are being done. However, given the current factors, changes need to be made. I’m an accountant and former auditor for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I understand the numbers, fewer people participating, higher costs, etc. However, the impact of closing down a parish goes far beyond the numbers. It affects the lives of the people in the community now and in the future. That’s what makes these decisions extremely difficult.
I have been fortunate to be part of the Catholic community in Philadelphia throughout my life and am grateful for countless experiences. I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia in St. Matthew Parish, attended Father Judge High School, La Salle University for my accounting degree and Villanova University for my MBA.
When I was younger, I would go to different parishes and participate in various church events. I continue to participate in other parishes besides St. Philip Neri, where I’m now registered. In recent years, I’ve attended Mass and church events in Plymouth Meeting, Conshohocken, Norristown, Andorra and Center City. I’ve also been involved in St. Leo the Great Parish in Tacony, which includes attending Mass and volunteering for the activities there. This has allowed me to see the good things that are being done at St. Leo’s, which have been done for the last 130 years, and I hope will continue for another 130 years.
The people of St. Leo’s are proud of their parish, which is a cornerstone in Northeast Philadelphia. St. Leo’s has an active community and is financially solvent. It is located in one of the oldest sections of Northeast Philadelphia, which in time should be revitalized. Part of what makes this area historic is its beautiful buildings. St. Leo’s Church should not be viewed as a liability because of its age, but held as a gem, which I hope will be standing intact for years to come. To close St. Leo’s will be devastating to Tacony. I hope that this parish will be allowed to continue for the people who live there now and for future generations, when the Tacony section resurges.
The people of Northeast Philadelphia understand the significance of St. Leo’s, and it would be tragic to see its ending. Those who I’ve spoken with in the area as well as myself do not understand the reasoning for closing St. Leo. Why should this parish lose its buildings, its assets and its name?
Please listen to the people of St. Leo’s and consider allowing this parish to remain open. This should not be the challenge, for those who have remained faithful, which results in them leaving the Catholic Church. The parishioners of St. Leo have supported their church over the years. I pray that the Church does not abandon these people now. As you reevaluate this decision, I put faith in the Holy Spirit to provide you wisdom.
I greatly appreciate your time in reading my letter, and reconsidering the fate of St. Leo the Great Parish.
Gerald J. Dieckhaus Jr.
Plymouth Meeting
Gay parents can raise good kids
Mr. Iaconelli, I did not read your original letter nor the response letters. However, I did read your retort to Heather Steinberg and Michael Alexander. You claim that they had no argument and resorted to calling names. I am here to answer your question, “How could you support ‘gay marriage’ when it comes to the well being of children.”
Studies have demonstrated that children’s well-being is affected much more by their relationships with their parents, their parents’ sense of competence and security, and the presence of social and economic support for the family than by the gender or the sexual orientation of their parents.
You said, “My point was simple. A girl reaching puberty does not want a gay man as her mother. No boy reaching manhood prefers to be instructed by a lesbian dad.”
You show your true colors right there. Instead of lashing out at those who respond to your letter simply by calling you out on your prejudice, why don’t you ask some children of gay and lesbian couples how they feel. And feel free to write another letter stating that I called you prejudiced, too. Your concern is unfounded and your accusations misinformed, so if the shoe fits….
Richard Beebe
Tacony
We must continue to teach lessons of Holocaust
It was with regret that I read Mike Zecca’s letter (“Boyle and Williams pandering for votes”). Mr. Zecca’s implication that the legislation I’ve introduced (House Bill 176) to promote the teaching of genocide education across the commonwealth is an attempt to use the Holocaust to curry favor with certain portions of my constituency is disappointing and completely misses the point of the initiative.
There is currently no statewide requirement that Holocaust or genocide education be included in a school district’s curriculum. While some individual school districts, including Philadelphia, do provide Holocaust or genocide education in their curriculums, the overwhelming majority of districts across Pennsylvania do not. This means that both the Holocaust and other instances of genocide can be taught or ignored at the discretion of individual school district administrators.
If passed, HB176 would provide for the age-appropriate teaching of a variety of examples of genocide, as well as the social and political conditions that are often precursors to such atrocities. These are lessons that not only recount the history of genocides worldwide, but teach students the importance of civic engagement and personal responsibility as a means of fighting intolerance that can lead to acts of genocide if left unchecked. Given the universal desire for a greater appreciation of history and civic involvement among our young people, I hardly think these lessons would be out of place in our classrooms.
In response to Mr. Zecca’s concern over the teaching of math and science in our schools, I would point out that our state core curriculum does currently provide requirements for both subjects. Moreover, I agree that we need more resources put toward the promotion of math and science statewide, which is why I’ve opposed every budget that has cut a single penny from basic education since the day I took office. Improvements in these core subjects cannot come by slashing education budgets and laying off thousands of teachers across the state. We need to give our schools the resources to offer the best possible education to every student who walks through their doors, and I think restoring the $1 billion in basic education cuts that Gov. Corbett signed into law since 2011 would be a great place to start in order to realize these goals.
As a longtime supporter of the Holocaust Awareness Museum at the Klein JCC, and in speaking with community leaders and constituents about HB176, I’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback over the last few months. With several dozen members of both parties in the House and Senate cosponsoring this legislation, the base of support for this bill has crossed geographic and party lines. At a time when there is so much that separates many of us politically, it has been refreshing to see such a broad coalition of support for what I believe to be a very reasonable measure to ensure major historical events with worldwide implications are not absent from our classrooms.
Even in our present day, acts of genocide continue to persist around the world, affecting people from every country, including the United States. The numbers of genocide survivors, including Holocaust survivors, currently living in our community is a living testament to this fact. It is important that we do all we can to make sure that the lessons their stories provide are passed on to future generations, so that we can continue to learn from their experiences. It has been said those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, and this axiom is one that should be remembered by both students and the public alike.
Brendan F. Boyle is the state representative for the 170th Legislative District in Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County. He was elected in 2008 and is serving his third term in office. He is a candidate for the Pennsylvania 13th Congressional District.
