2020 in review
Faster than a speeding bullet,
Able to leap across continents in a single cough.
No, it’s not celebrity Adam Carolla,
It’s the dreaded coronavirus.
Of course the coronavirus was the biggest news of the year,
The pandemic spread death, illness and panic.
And all throughout the year,
The world lived in fear.
People went out and began to hoard,
Nothing was left on the shelves.
From bread to eggs to rolls of toilet paper,
Everything was taken in droves.
Everybody went hunting for hand sanitizers,
Clorox wipes and alcohol.
You were lucky
If you found a can of Lysol.
New standards were put in place,
Social distancing was the name of the game.
Standing 6 feet apart,
Was nothing to be ashamed.
Putting on a face mask
Was the new fashion norm.
Uncertain of what was in the air,
We accepted the new norm.
We couldn’t escape the media’s
Constant barrage of the virus updates
That filled us with fear and terror.
It even kept Joe Biden hiding in his cellar.
And of course it was a big election year,
And caused a lot of tension in the air.
The angry Democrats wanted Trump out from day one.
And when the 2020 election finally came to an end,
They got their wish when Joe Biden won.
Pelosi, Schumer, Hollywood and the biased media
Were all in to rid the outsider Trump.
Because when it comes to Beltway politics,
You don’t mess around with the Washington swamp.
But wait. Stay tuned.
By the time this review
Goes to print in the Northeast Times,
The outcome of the election might not yet be over.
Because President Trump has declared this election was not too kosher.
So we have to wait and see what happens in 2021
Because we still don’t know who has won.
Happy New Year.
Al Ulus
Somerton
Another Kenney screw-up
Kenney has total control of the School Board as he does of the City of Philadelphia and he has been one screw-up after another. How difficult is it to find out if a person is a voting resident of Philadelphia? Maybe because Kenney is a moron and is out of his league. Attempting to run a major city (if you want to call it that) and running a school board are way over Kenney’s head. City Council should have a say in who is on the board, not that they would do a better job. At least it would give us some checks and balances. When Kenney took over the schools from the state, he said it’s now all him. Well, Jimbo, the job you are doing sucks. The Catholic schools and the charter schools are running circles around your billion-dollar monolith. Whenever you get some competent people (who live in the city) on the nominating panel, maybe they could get some of the same to run the district.
Richard Donofry
East Torresdale
NFC Least
The unavoidable fact that one of the NFC East’s four terrible teams is going to make the playoffs this season as a National Football League division winner is a travesty. The Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Football Team have four of the worst win-loss records in the NFL.
However, since one of the NFC Least’s four flailing franchises will win their division by default, one of these embarrassingly bad NFC East teams will be playing in the playoffs at home in January, while much more worthy National Football Conference teams from other divisions (such as the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears) are forced to fight for wild card playoff spots.
Fans of professional football should demand a rule change in time for next season whereby no NFL division winner with a losing record should ever be allowed into the playoffs again. Instead, an additional wild card team should be chosen to replace any division winner with a losing record in the playoffs.
Jake Pickering
Arcata, California
Bravo to Tomas
I have felt the urge to write to your newspaper many times and sadly never acted on it.
What has overcome my inertia is the simply wonderful piece on Tomas Vallejo Gutierrez that appeared on page 8 of the Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 edition.
The story on this young man is so well written and clear that I have read it over many times, each time finding myself smiling and feeling a sense of pride for a youngster whom I don’t know.
His academic and, really, his life accomplishments should be celebrated by all. A full scholarship to the University of Chicago. Holy Ghost Prep, a great school, was obviously a great fit for this kid, and he made the most of it. Bravo.
His triumph is not his alone, either. His parents are to be applauded. The sacrifices they have made out of love for their child, no doubt gladly, have resulted in exactly what was intended: a limitless future for their son.
Your publication is a looked for and appreciated positive for all of us. Thank you.
Tomas, hone your formidable skills, continue to believe in yourself and take a moment, or two, to congratulate yourself before you begin your next chapter in your happy, productive and self-directed life.
Jim Coulter
Torresdale
Financial mismanagement
Our moronic Mayor Kenney never surprises, especially when the tax revenue is lesser mainly due to his financial mismanagement and the pandemic.
The City of Philadelphia commissioned and probably paid a major law firm to produce a report that Philadelphia wasn’t prepared to control the rioting and looting this past year.
Anyone in this city could have told him that for less than half the price.
Mayer Krain
Modena Park
