Poor people are not lazy
In response to Peter DiGiuseppe’s Letter to the Editor, “Rich people work harder,” printed in the Northeast Times on July 10:
Nothing had my blood boil more than when I read the letter by Peter DiGiuseppe on July 10, “Rich people work harder.”
On average, rich people work more because they can. They often have less physical work jobs and therefore can work more hours. As for poor people, often they can only find part-time work and have little control over their work hours. Also, their jobs tend to be more physical.
The poor people I know often work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. In some cases, this can lead to safety concerns, i.e. driving accidents from a lack of sleep, mistakes on the job and injury to themselves and coworkers.
Rich and poor use drugs and alcohol at the same rate. But the rich have access to better lawyers and are incarcerated at much lower rates.
Mr. DiGiuseppe also said that if poor people made better choices, they would get rich. I hope he then supports places like Planned Parenthood so women and men can get the reproductive help they need. Or is sex only allowed for rich people and not poor?
So please don’t lump poor people into the category of being lazy, making poor choices and just looking for a handout. Please read what researchers say about these issues. Let’s stop the corporate welfare system and let our tax dollars go to where they are truly needed. I support all the politicians who are coming up with ways to combat this issue. And, yes, I support more taxes on the rich.
Barbara Frederici
Holme Circle
Trump’s tweet was wrong
With regard to the president’s tweet about the four congresswomen of color, there is no way around it. The president’s tweet was completely wrong and un-American.
Congressman Brendan Boyle, a first-generation American, whose father immigrated from Ireland, rightfully pointed out that the president never told the congressman to “go back,” when the president disagreed with the congressman’s liberal and progressive agenda. Why these four women of color, then?
I am grateful for Congressman Boyle and the other elected officials with the moral strength and guts to quickly condemn the president’s tweet, and I am ashamed of those who failed to do so. Because the only remedy to “bad” speech is with “good” speech.
Daniel A. Alvarez
Somerton
Be proud of our military
Back in the day, didn’t we watch sci-fi movies that showed the Earth being invaded by space aliens, and what was the first thing they employed when they were being attacked? The military, and it was the tanks that were rolled out first to attack the invaders.
So why are these politicians in Washington so against President Trump wanting a military parade with tanks on the Fourth of July in our nation’s capital, when it is the military, the police, and the National Guard that are sent out to protect the citizens, like in the movies?
Shouldn’t we be proud of our military and those who serve, especially when families are sending their sons and daughters to serve in the armed forces? So why don’t we see what we are spending our money on?
It’s not all about Trump, like these politicians keep insisting, rather it’s President Trump gladly supporting our servicemen and women to celebrate and showcase them on a day that is meant for our independence that came from their sacrifices.
These politicians should show respect and gratitude for our police and military and stop the negativity against them and the president.
Al Ulus
Somerton
Thanks, Parks and Rec
On June 4 last year, the state House and Senate officially declared July 19 as Park and Recreation Professionals Day.
This resolution highlights the work that public servants and caring individuals do to maintain and continuously improve our parks and provide programming and recreation.
Parks and recreation provide people with a sense of community through connecting people to their neighbors and families. Parks are proven to improve water and air quality and provide habitat for wildlife as well as provide a place where people can connect with nature.
As a Philadelphia resident, connecting with nature isn’t a very frequent occurrence. This makes the parks we do have so influential and that much more special because they provide an experience that most of us living in the city don’t have on a daily basis.
Show your appreciation for the professionals who make our parks and recreation possible by visiting your local park or recreation facility and thanking a worker for all that they do — they deserve it.
Jacquelyn Oberdorf
PennEnvironment Intern
