Northeast Philadelphia residents discuss taxes and the media’s representation of Pennsylvania priests in this week’s letters to the editor.
Rich should pay more
Who is not happy to pay less taxes? But what is the big picture? Depending on which government figures are used, the national debt is about $21 trillion and the annual interest is about $320 billion.
The federal government, by law, before spending a penny, has to set aside this amount, resulting in less money available for infrastructure such as decaying bridges and roads. Tax cuts also reduce the amount available for entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, something that many Americans rely on just to survive.
The new lower federal tax rates might save the average person hundreds or even a few thousand dollars for higher income earners. The wealthy save hundreds of thousands, or in some cases, millions.
According to government sites, the Social Security rate is 6.2 percent of total income up to a cap of $128,400, which comes to $7,960. A person earning $1 million a year pays the same $7,960 into Social Security but in that case it represents not 6.2 percent but less than 0.8 percent of total income. To help save Social Security and Medicare, remove the cap that benefits the wealthy and have them pay on all their income, as the rest of us do.
Mel Flitter
Somerton
A loss for taxpayers
This wasn’t a compromise between City Council and Mayor Jim Kenney to fund affordable housing. This was more or less of letting the big developers and the unions off the hook. The unions keep their jobs and the developers keep their profits.
The losers in this supposed compromise are the taxpayers of Philadelphia. Another slice of the general fund pie. I guess Kenney will just have to buy a bigger pie pan because there are no slices left in this one.
His soda tax was a bust and those projects are coming out of the general fund. It’s time for this administration to get its act in order. Overtime is running rampant with no management oversight. City programs are being mismanaged (anti-poverty office). Employees are basically stealing because of the lack of oversight.
Let Kenney use the $33 million for this program when he finds it.
Richard Donofry
East Torresdale
Good priests have been tainted by editorial cartoon
The following Letters to the Editor are in response to an editorial cartoon printed in the Northeast Times on Aug. 22:
While I did not see the ugly cartoon comparing “pedophile priests” to animals, I am outraged that our faithful, good priests are continuing to be embarrassed by the media. I was not home in Philly at the time, but I can understand the criticism leveled at lots of ordinary people in today’s world without proof. I can speak from my own lengthy experience. I have enjoyed much learning and friendship from many worthy clergy and so have my family. There are a lot of good people offended by ugliness, and perhaps a cartoon depicting this can wake us up.
Joan Dougherty
Mayfair
There was a cartoon published in the Northeast Times that compared pedophile priests to predatory animals.
As a sincere Catholic, I am greatly outraged. Its vileness is repulsive. It is an absurd generalization about priests. We, in our parish, St. Martin of Tours in Oxford Circle, are disgusted and angry. You have shown severe disrespect to the Catholic priesthood and to the Catholic Church.
We expect an apology from the Northeast Times.
Deeply concerned and disappointed, I am.
Patricia Birney
Frankford
What possessed you to print that disgusting cartoon in your paper? It only made the haters happy, but the good priests and people of the Catholic Church sick and disgusted. It feels like getting beaten again and again. The good priests suffer and so do their people.
Bad priests need to be found and punished.
Mary Moser
Mayfair
