Time for parents to take responsibility
The demise of American values is exemplified by our sense of entitlement. When I was a child our parents made sure that we went to school having had a good breakfast. They believed that was their responsibility, not the schools.
Today I read that all children in Philadelphia are going to be provided in school with a free breakfast. Years ago free tokens and breakfasts were given to the “needy.” Students poured the milk down the sink, threw the apple in the trash and ate the cupcakes to go along with the 2-liter soda and large bag of potato chips they brought to class. One girl who was very obese claimed to have diabetes and high blood pressure but ignored my comment that the sugar in the soda and salt in the chips were the cause of her conditions.
We can be sure that some “scholar” will write an article that it is poverty that explains poor health conditions. Students were issued textbooks that cost $50 that taxpayers provided and when they “lost” them we had to replace them free if they did not pay for the book they signed out. In the early ’60s we had students pay $6 for a combination chemistry worksheet and experiment book that was used for the 40-week course at a family cost of 15 cents a week. That lasted until one parent balked and schools had to provide materials free. Now I read that an organization is soliciting donations of pencils, paper, ballpoint pens, glue, tissues, etc., yet students come to school with hundred-dollar sneakers. I suspect that some readers had parents who did without to make sure that their children had school supplies.
If a student misbehaved, all that was required to fix the problem was the threat that in the evening a phone call home would go to the father. Lack of personal and family involvement and responsibility is at the root of poor academic performance and behavior problems. This deficiency is true in our society in general. Don’t blame the teachers and police.
Mel Flitter
Somerton
Decriminalizing pot is the right choice for Philly
Once again Mr. Iaconelli is given a platform for his opinions that offer a mishmash of conflated issues, incorrect information and speculative extrapolation not based in reality.
At its heart, the decriminalization of marijuana is aimed at not destroying the lives of young people who have made a mistake by carrying a small amount of pot. A youthful indiscretion should not haunt someone for the rest of their lives by giving them a criminal record that would harm their ability to get student loans and employment among other things.
What it is not is carte blanche from the city to have 100,000 people smoking their way through the streets causing a Tastykake shortage. Maybe he’s watching too many Dragnet reruns.
He worries the smaller fines will not be a deterrent, but are the current $200 fines and incarceration deterrents? His assertion that most marijuana today is synthetic is laughable. He also says that it causes brain damage, lower IQ, and is a gateway to other drugs, which sounds like alcohol to me — that by the way causes terrible violence, criminal behavior, illness and death, which pot does not.
This law will also free up 17,000 policemen hours, and $7 million in costs that would otherwise be wasted on the arrest and prosecution of people for carrying on average $10 in pot, and go to fight real crimes in the city that are dragging us down.
Councilman Kenney, the City Council and Mayor Nutter should be applauded for this bold and commonsense move.
Wayne Bambrick
Castor Gardens
