School district in disarray
It’s about time the school district has caught up to the real world as it considers layoffs. They have had crossing guards in front of empty schools. The on-and-off scheduling of schooling is not conducive to proper budgeting. The school district has been in disarray ever since this pandemic. It took them six weeks to start virtual learning in May. Which gives the indication there are too many cooks in the kitchen. The private sector has been furloughing and laying off people since March. It really looks like the school district, Mr Kenney (I’m responsible) and his school board are slow learners and it is costing the taxpayer a boatload of money because of the ineptitude.
Richard Donofry
East Torresdale
Cooperate for the common good
The COVID virus brings to mind that we are all connected. Four-hundred years ago the poet John Donne said that, “No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main … ”
Each of us is linked to the rest of us. The Buddhists call it interbeing. With our rights come responsibilities.
Ben Franklin said 300 years ago on another matter, ”We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately.”
People still gather in large numbers with no masks without social distancing, spreading COVID, refusing to even cooperate with the government by providing “contact tracing.” Citing their right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness they are spreading a virus that has already killed over 280,000 fellow Americans. Should this be ignored? A hundred years ago in Hawaii, people who had leprosy were isolated on another island.
We all must also do our part to stop the spread of the virus by supporting scientific evidence.
It is the responsibility of every citizen to give up some liberty rather than potentially depriving the rest of us of our life, liberty and happiness. In the comic strip “Pogo” many years ago it was said that, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” In New Zealand and South Korea, there is greater cooperation for the common good. Perhaps that is a reason why the deaths per million population is 5 for New Zealand and 10 for South Korea while we have 850.
Mel Flitter
Somerton
Vaccine safe and effective
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down. My mother has been inside her home without access to her grandkids. She hasn’t seen any of her friends. My son has not been able to enjoy his senior year in high school. I’ve watched many of my favorite Northeast businesses shut their doors.
The fact is: The only way Philadelphia will get through the COVID-19 pandemic is by ensuring that Philadelphians get vaccinated. The first COVID-19 vaccines are nearly ready for distribution to Philadelphia. Healthcare workers in our emergency rooms and nursing homes will receive the first doses of the vaccine, but soon after, the vaccine will be available to each of us.
Despite the fact that the vaccine is the only way Philadelphia will return to normal, and despite the evidence that vaccines are safe, many Philadelphia residents have indicated that they are not sure that they will get the vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccine is new and most of us don’t understand how vaccines work. But, I am going to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available because I know vaccines are the most effective way to prevent contracting COVID-19. Vaccines don’t make us sick and they do not infect us with diseases; they teach our bodies to fight off diseases. Vaccines are safe, and the COVID-19 vaccine will be more than 90-percent effective.
More importantly, I want to spend time with my family. I want to enjoy indoor dining and attend a sports game. I want my sons to get back to in-person learning. I want my neighbors and friends to get back to work and I want all of us to resume all of the other activities that make our lives whole. And the only way that will happen is to get Philly vaccinated.
Councilman Bobby Henon
6th District
The contributions of tech platforms
Our business, which focuses on providing premium virtual assistance services, is woven out of access to affordable digital tools. We have embodied the economic promise of an increasingly online age since before the pandemic began, and will continue to do so.
This pandemic would have been a death sentence for small businesses just a few years ago. But services like Asana, Slack and Google Docs have allowed us to maintain contact with both customers and employees despite these unprecedented circumstances.
Unfortunately, recent legal moves surrounding leading technology companies simply don’t reflect the priorities of our business and countless others across Pennsylvania. In fact, they could detract from our access to the digital tools we rely on every day. As the small business community continues to adapt to the pandemic through technology, I hope our political leaders will take a similarly flexible approach that recognizes the contributions of these platforms.
Emily Morgan
Delegate Solutions
Do as I say
We all know the coronavirus is dangerous, especially to older people and those with pre-existing conditions. We get it.
I’m getting tired of government leaders lecturing us that we must continually sacrifice, while they go about their merry way — like California Gov. Newsom, at a swank dinner party, while he bans other gatherings.
Then there’s Mayor Lightfoot in the streets of Chicago, celebrating Biden as she scolds others for public gatherings, and our own governor and mayor, caught on camera, doing things they tell us not to do.
Do you sense manipulation here? Lock down, put on a mask, wait for a handout — a great way to condition people to be submissive, and be controlled.
The price is high. Do you think our kids will ever recover from a lost year of schooling? How many small businesses are now destroyed, and people sent into a spiral of drugs or depression?
Do our leaders ever show any sympathy for the loss of community? Church groups, civic associations shut down — our friendships and acts of humanity, lost to fear and isolation.
In 1968, we had the infamous “Hong Kong Flu.” Adjust the numbers, and it killed the equivalent of nearly 200,000 Americans. No lockdowns, no media hysteria. A highly contagious virus is really not controllable until you get a vaccine or herd immunity — unless you want to live in your basement.
We must demand of our leaders to simply give us the latest information. Tell us where the virus is spreading, and how people are getting it. We’ll assess the risks, make choices and go on with our lives. Please don’t steal our Christmas, too.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
