Sanders is best candidate
The election that never ends has finally reached my Northeast neighborhood and, after much soul-searching and researching, I have decided to switch my allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders.
As a longtime member of the newspaper community, I watched while good journalists were laid off year after year. This happened not only in journalism, but in businesses all over. Many middle-class Americans are working longer for less income, even while expenses like housing, health care and college have relentlessly been pushed higher.
The problem is that our economy, both by accident and design, has become rigged to make a fortunate few very well off while leaving most Americans struggling to keep up. The Democrats are trying to push their own establishment candidate with the patently unfair super delegate system, and a vote for Sanders sends a strong message against that system.
Sanders’ positions have been misrepresented in some letters to this newspaper, one claiming last week that it means higher taxes for all. Quite the contrary, because, in his tax proposal, taxes remain the same for those earning $250,000 or less. Hillary Clinton offers no real solutions for the 99 percent. A Sanders nomination carries with it the kind of landslide that promises Democratic sweep of the House and the Senate. That means the kind of real change Northeast Philadelphia needs to bring back its once-thriving middle class.
Mike Gibson
Bustleton
Make America great again
Wake up, people. Can’t you see what is going on in this campaign? Why do you think the big guns have been called out to discredit Donald Trump? The disruption at the rallies is being funded by George Soros to make Trump look bad. These thugs are professional disrupters.
What has happened to the American way of elections? It is obvious the majority want Trump. Let the elections be the voice of the people. Ronald Reagan wasn’t wanted, either. Look what a great president he turned out to be.
Did any of you hear the interview with Trump’s butler, Anthony Senecal? This is the positive information you don’t hear. Look it up. I learned Trump was born on Flag Day. He loves this country with a passion and is willing to do anything to get back the greatness of America. I love America, too. I want her back.
Carol Malinowski
Morrell Park
Military miscalculations are costly and deadly
Ted Cruz says that he would carpet bomb until the sand glowed. Sounds macho, but would it work? During the Vietnam War, Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay said that the solution was to bomb the opposition back to the stone age. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara resigned after seven years claiming that the Vietnam War was not winnable. Henry Kissinger said that we should not have been there in the first place. The U.S. dropped more than triple the tonnage of bombs in Vietnam than were used in all of World War II.
We no longer have trench warfare, war against other nations or soldiers facing each other across fronts. Tanks cannot stop suicide bombers, and billion-dollar airplanes cannot stop improvised explosive devices. The rules of war have changed and we must change with them.
Just recently, 12 years after entering Iraq to create regime change, six Americans were killed by a suicide bomber. If an unknown person is willing to die for any variety of reasons — be it in San Bernardino, at the Boston Marathon or on Sept. 11, 2001 — it is virtually impossible to stop them.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, no clearly stated long-range goal or exit strategy existed. No rational person would deny that Saddam Hussein was evil, but he did not threaten our vital interests. One could argue that our involvement created much of the violence ISIS now inspires. We went into Afghanistan to capture Bin Laden. Both he and Hussein are dead. New leaders have replaced them.
Be careful what you wish for. It may come true. The Soviet Union crumbled after invading and being bogged down in Afghanistan. When a desire for freedom destroys law and order, a desire for law and order will destroy freedom. All these miscalculations have cost us trillions of dollars as well as American lives. I hope that in 2016, the person we elect to be president will not repeat previous mistakes.
Mel Flitter
Somerton
Thank Sabatina for Israel op-ed
Thank you, Sen. John Sabatina Jr.
I commend you on your eloquent, principled and brilliant op-ed defending the state of Israel in its battle to survive against the onslaught of detractors in the media and on college campuses who are seeking to isolate and defame the staunchest supporter of the United States, the sole democracy in the Middle East, and the foremost target of Jihadi terrorism in the entire world.
Our country has much to learn from Israel on how to protect itself while at the same time upholding its constitutional and moral principles. Sen. Sabatina has accurately pinpointed the BDS and its manifold cohorts as those who are seeking to scapegoat Israel while totally ignoring the horror and chaos that are taking place beyond its borders.
As stated in his op-ed, they are being motivated by one primary factor only — anti-Semitism. Their blind hatred obscures the tremendous contributions made by this tiny country to promote the welfare of the inhabitants of its region and of those throughout the world. Thank you, Sen. Sabatina, for your forthright and courageous proclamation.
Hershel Barg
Rhawnhurst
Kevin Boyle understands NE
I want to take the opportunity to articulate to voters why I chose to support Kevin Boyle. Simply put, Kevin understands what Northeast Philadelphia needs and has tangible ideas to move us forward, and he is the best candidate to represent our communities. Beyond this, there are a number of important differences between Kevin and his opponent John Sabatina:
Kevin voted to tax gas drillers in order to fund our public schools so they have the resources to provide a quality education for our children. Sabatina voted with Republicans on an amendment that allowed gas companies to drill without paying any taxes.
Kevin voted against allowing dangerous payday lending in our community, while his opponent voted to allow these loans, which routinely charge working families nearly 400 percent interest.
Kevin voted for the 2013 transportation bill that invested billions into our state’s economy. Sabatina was the only Northeast Philadelphia Democrat to vote against it.
Kevin has fought for police, firefighters and organized labor. This is why he is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and nearly a dozen other unions.
Planned Parenthood has given Kevin a 100 percent rating and has not endorsed any candidate for state Senate because both candidates have strong pro-choice positions.
Prior to making my choice to endorse Kevin, I met with him for several hours discussing issues that my voters told me were important to them. And after looking at his record of advocating for our neighborhoods, I was and am convinced that he is the best choice to represent us in the state Senate. To voters, actions speak louder than words and Kevin’s actions and his record are what convinced me to support him!
Mike Kates
Somerton
We need health protections
Gov. Wolf proposed new consumer protections for times when Pennsylvanians are most vulnerable. The proposal uses the threat of hefty fines to force feuding insurers and providers into binding arbitration and shields patients from onerous out-of-network bills.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, surprise medical bills “arise from visits to emergency rooms in hospitals that may participate in the insurance company’s network but employ emergency medicine doctors who do not. Another common scenario is when a patient schedules an operation with an in-network surgeon at an in-network hospital and discovers only when a bill arrives later that an out-of-network anesthesiologist had been part of the surgical team.”
In the summer of 2013, a collection of chronic medical conditions began to bear down on my father, sap him of his strength, and put him at the mercy of an often unsympathetic healthcare system. By autumn of that year, they had ended his life. It was a sad and stressful time for me, my siblings, and our entire extended family. Luckily, dad’s membership in the carpenters union afforded him excellent insurance coverage. That protection, along with Medicare, protected my family from potentially astronomical out-of-pocket expenses.
Illness, accidents, and death are a sad fact of life. However, the added stress of dealing with an unfriendly healthcare bureaucracy need not be. Working families deserve this kind of common-sense protection. I urge my representatives in Harrisburg to support the governor’s proposal and push for swift enactment by the legislature.
Matt Darragh
Candidate for State Representative
170th Legislative District
Hillary, Bernie are bad news
Ronald Reagan would be appalled by what the Democratic Party is trying to do today. For a man who despised communism during the 1940s Hollywood and the Cold War of the 1950s, Reagan made sure to defeat the ideology of communism during his presidency of the 1980s.
But seeing how Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are turning their backs on capitalism, they are trying to turn the tides of American capitalism to a dead-end socialism country modeled after the long-demised Soviet Union.
Bernie’s idea of America’s well-being is to heavily tax the working class, just enough to squeeze enough of our earnings out of us, just so he can build a utopian world of laissez-faire people. To the layman, it means a lazy, let’s sit around and let the government take care of us through the hard work and sweat of the real and the only working man with a back-breaking job who brings home not the bacon, but a heavily taxed paycheck.
Bernie and Hillary’s idea of this “social cause” that they so desire to implement is a danger to any real progress that any of us will be able to survive.
Higher taxes will certainly stymie our ability to buy any consumer goods, because all that the working class can afford to pay for is just barely enough for their taxes and not even.
Jobs will cease, no monies will flow from hand to hand, and that will be the end of Bernie and Hillary’s false utopia and surely the end of us as Americans. What we need is opportunity for jobs and businesses to stay open and not the burden of taxes.
Provide a society of ample jobs and not a society of 47-percent welfare state.
That means close to half the American population is not working and relies on government handouts. The other 53 percent of us are toiling for Bernie’s laissex-faire.
So, please have a sense of not believing their hype as much as Ronald Reagan crusaded gallantly for our freedom as hard-working Americans with jobs, not as Soviet Union’s or Red China’s government of a servient People’s Republic, and not as a servient to Bernie and Hillary’s unrealistic ideology.
Al Ulus
Somerton
Boyle’s views on abortion wrong
Kevin Boyle used “betray” and “betrayed” to describe John Sabatina. Might those words fit Boyle?
A recent Boyle mailing suggested Boyle has “supported pro-choice legislation…” and “opposed efforts to ban insurance coverage of abortion.”
Is Boyle a product of Catholic schools? Did Boyle learn the church’s teaching about abortion? Does Boyle present himself as Catholic?
If Catholics think the answer to these questions is “Yes,” and they know Boyle’s record described above, might they think perhaps that Boyle has betrayed his faith for votes? If Boyle did that, what else might he betray for votes?
Jerry Brennan
Fox Chase
Kenney is off to a terrible start
The decision about Philadelphia being a sanctuary city should have been decided by the voters, not a brand new mayor. This is the same mayor trying to impose a soda tax that he voted against while serving in Council. Please remind him we are one of the highest-taxed cities in the country.
Anthony Dello Russo
Fox Chase
Jared is an improvement
My family has lived in Mark Cohen’s legislative district for nearly 20 years. Over the past 10 years, I’ve spent a lot of time away from my home while working towards my degrees. Without fail, every time I came home from school I noticed that the neighborhood had become dirtier and more dangerous. There is increased crime, poverty and litter. It breaks my heart to see my mother, a hard-working single parent, upset because the neighborhood where she chose to raise her family is in decline.
Our political leaders have a responsibility to serve their constituents and help solve the problems plaguing the public. I have seen nothing from state Rep. Mark Cohen to help remedy these issues.
On the horizon, I see only one person who will bring our neighborhood the hard work and dedication required to tackle the issues we face. That person is Democratic state rep. candidate Jared Solomon. I support Solomon because he has a proven track record of exceptional community service, and like myself, he was raised in Northeast Philadelphia.
He is a shining example of what a state representative should be. Help make change by voting for Jared Solomon on April 26.
Sheream J. Reed
Castor Gardens
Trump is not a politician
The country is run like a business. People work, pay taxes and in return we are supposed to get security and protection as citizens. Where in the Constitution does it say that a person has to be a politician to become president?
If Donald Trump is a person who has the capability of producing something of substance that all the career politicians have not done, then more power to him. Businessmen can become presidents, as much as an actor-turned-president Ronald Reagan or a peanut farmer named Jimmy Carter.
Don’t belittle a man who has heart to become a president. We need more of it from our leaders.
Judy Smith
Summerdale
Solomon best for the NE
I am a relatively new resident to the area, moving to Kindred Street in 2014. I am grateful to live in this neighborhood for many reasons — my son’s school is close by, there are plenty of parks and recreation centers, there is a bus stop at nearly every corner, but most importantly for me and our neighbors in the Northeast, Jared Solomon is turning our neighborhood into a cleaner, safer, more close-knit community.
I first met Jared through my mother-in-law, who volunteers for his campaign and is a member of his community group, Take Back Your Neighborhood. I was amazed that through TBYN, I’m given the opportunity to meet my neighbors and discuss issues such as crime, trash and education. Through TBYN, I also got to know Jared and his passion for our community. Through determination and grit, Jared has led the renovation of the Spruance Elementary playground, with support from the Philadelphia Eagles, created tennis and basketball programs and pushed for more police patrols to keep our streets safer.
I’ve never been involved in politics because I’ve never seen a politician who cared so much about his community as Jared. On April 26, I’ll be casting my vote for Jared because I know that no one fights harder for our community. If you want to see the Northeast thrive, join me and cast your vote for Jared Solomon.
Jose G. Melendez
Castor Gardens
Impressed with Solomon
Having lived in the Northeast most of my adult life, I’ve always voted for Mark Cohen as my state representative. However, Jared Solomon found his way to my doorstep, determined to replace Cohen. After speaking with Solomon for a few brief minutes, I was left with one thought, “This time may be different.”
I’m still somewhat torn as to who I’ll be voting for. The old, reliable politician (Cohen) or the up-and-coming man of the community in Solomon. I’m very impressed with Solomon. He’s already done so much to improve our neighborhood and he has great plans for our future. Maybe it’s time for a fresh face.
Leann Freer
Mayfair
Donald trumps the rest
Let’s look at who we have to choose from.
Old Bernie believes that everything is free. The people who vote for this old fart have no idea how much taxes will go up so the working class can support their lazy butts. This guy will destroy what’s left of America with his socialist ideas. Sanders is a career politician.
Hillary Clinton is another who wants to raise the taxes so the hardworking class can support those who would rather do nothing. We have had enough of refugees and illegals pouring into our country. We the people who have built this country have had enough. Clinton is a career politician.
Now, let’s take a look at Ted Cruz. Look what he contributed to Colorado. The GOP decided the delegates will do the voting. It was rigged. Kasich won only his state of Ohio. He tries to play Mr. Nice Guy. Kasich is a career politician.
The only true candidate running who does not owe anyone anything is Donald Trump. He is the only outsider who will work for all Americans. Since the GOP all fear Trump, they want to block him from getting the nomination. We all know that the GOP wants a brokered convention or even a contested one.
Barbara Kennedy
Parkwood
