We must put Earth first
Eccentric billionaire Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars and he will have manned space flights ready by 2025. I say it’s a stupid idea, especially when we, as humans, can’t get it right on our own planet. If we can’t get along here, we certainly won’t get along on Mars.
With the present climate of humans battling each other here over differences on religion, politics and such, Elon wants to move everything that we haven’t fixed here to another planet. Soon enough, when we do colonize Mars, the same problems will arise there with the same arguments, and then we will destroy living on Mars, too.
Besides, it is estimated that it takes a journey of six months to get there along with the high doses of space radiation that will inflict the travelers with an exposure to the equivalent of about 6,000 chest X-rays. So what’s the point?
Why don’t these think tanks worry about fixing the problems here on Earth first. Soon enough, the world’s population will reach into the trillions. Let’s worry about how to feed these people. And what happened to rethinking the overpopulation issue of no more than two babies per household by the Chinese model?
So if Elon wants to spend his money, then put that money into rebuilding the cities that were devastated by the hurricanes in Texas, Florida and the Carolinas, or fire-raged California, or repairing Michigan’s water supply.
And then worry about how to make our food and our water sources safer on our planet, instead of running off to Mars.
Al Ulus
Somerton
More taxes on the way
Does this deal to fund affordable housing have a clause in it that tells the taxpayers how the $53 million in tax abatement money is going to be replaced? Of course not. So I guess we will be getting a tax increase next.
It’s great to see the mayor and City Council compromise but not at the expense of the taxpayer. The only institutions that will benefit from this compromise are the unions, developers and the re-election campaign funds.
Richard Donofry
East Torresdale
Let’s avoid a civil war
Some people, like a writer in the New Yorker last year, have expressed real concern over the possibility of a “civil war” if Donald Trump is impeached and removed from office.
The ideological divide between the core supporters of the president and what seems like everyone else has grown into a Grand Canyon, or perhaps a sinkhole wide and deep enough to swallow democracy itself.
This is fast food for thought, since there is considerable overlap between the roles of Trump’s ardent supporters and the membership of the National Rifle Association, which also favors semiautomatic pistols with large capacity magazines. The rest of us, if “strapped” at all, tend to have basic sporting arms, and so would be seriously outgunned in the event of such a hypothetical civil conflagration.
That the domestic political situation has devolved to where such a scenario could become even a remote possibility is a testament to this country’s unresolved issues and animosities.
While some people might welcome an opportunity to advance their ideology by assault rifles, most, I believe, would rather see the current long-running political train wreck end peacefully.
Chris Mark
Port Richmond
No Man Behind
Agent Orange delivered its carnage
In Vietnam’s jungle of death
But back in the sixties
Those flower child hippies
Got the EXPOSURE instead.
Still to this day there’s been little repay
To those who suffer its crime
Just like on the battleground
As well as at home now
We should “Leave no Man Behind.”
Tom Wetten
Modena Park
