Let’s come together in ‘22
Recently Merriam Webster chose the word “vaccine” as the word of 2021.
I would like to nominate a word for the year 2022, “gaslighting.”
One definition of gaslighting is, “Gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes people to doubt and question their own thoughts of reality.”
My definition would be a little more simple.
“Gaslighting” to me is to tell the masses one “story” all the while hiding many other more relevant problems or stories. You are not crazy.
This country is in deep trouble. Don’t look at the bright, shiny objects that the media and professional politicians are peddling.
First though we have to have a difficult conversation.
Right now is the time my friends to have an adult and frank talk about Jan. 6, 2021. Let’s start with the nonsense spewed by Vice President Harris on the one-year anniversary of 1/6. The “Insurrection of 1/6” in no way compares to Pearl Harbor or 9/11. Shame on you Kamala Harris. Stop scaring the American people. Start uniting everyone, both supporters of Joe Biden and supporters of Donald Trump.
1/6 was terrible, awful and a very bad look for America and former President Trump. What it wasn’t was an overthrow of the US government, a “coup” or the end of democracy. President Biden was certified the winner of 2020 general election. Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th
president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2021. Let’s move on.
1/6/21 was the day that half of the country believed all 74 million Trump voters think the election of 2020 was stolen. That 74 million people won’t recognize Joe Biden and the 2020 elections as legitimate.
Let’s move on.
My question is when did the 81 million Biden voters recognize Donald Trump and 2016 as legitimate? These are the same people who brought you the “Russian collusion” nonsense, the Mueller Report and two different impeachment hearings. Let’s move on.
Let us use 2022 to do two constructive things.
One, put the 2016 and 2020 elections finally behind us, including the “insurrection” nonsense of 1/6. Donald Trump won in 2016. Joe Biden won in 2020. Both elections are over. Move on.
Secondly, let’s end the “gaslighting” of the Biden administration.
Put 1/6 in the past. Remember it as a horrible day, but let us move on to the relevant issues of today.
Let’s concentrate on the following:
Strong borders at the southern borders of Texas and Arizona
Ending the choke point of shipment boats off the West Coast
Gaining control off COVID-19 finally after two years
Lowering inflation and the prices of goods and food
Ending the closures of in-person learning/virtual schooling
Stop the shaming of unvaccinated people
Stopping the onslaught of violence and crime across America and finally, let’s start bringing all Biden and Trump voters together in unity, harmony and peace. Let’s come together in 2022.
Time to end the finger pointing, recriminations and hatred of the American people. Let’s all come together with positive solutions to fix Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and America in 2022.
We can do this. Let’s get started right now. Right now! Today!
Let’s move on.
John Farley
Somerton
Keep 54th Ward in 172nd
As an NE Philadelphia community, we request that ward 54 must be part of 172nd House District. Currently, we are deeply and seriously concerned about the preliminary redistricting of our PA 172nd District.
We believe the new preliminary redistricting map and boundaries have really divided our NE Philadelphia community in a very disturbing way. The new map unconstitutionally divides ward boundaries more than absolutely necessary. Such divisions can be justified if necessary to keep neighborhoods and communities of interest together, but this plan does the opposite. Our neighborhoods are very important to us. We are brought together not only by geography but by a unity of interest. In Philadelphia our closest elected officials are City Council members who each represent one-tenth of the city. As such, our local political ward organizations and community associations work to better the quality of life in our communities. The proposed map lessens the ability of these groups to effect positive change for our city.
Therefore, we all request that honorable members of the commission reconsider adding ward 54 to the preliminary mapping of 172nd District, and change it to our recommended redistricting mapping by adding ward 54 in it. Your consideration would unite our communities with reasonable compactness and contiguity.
Aaron Bashir for State Representative
Alleviating poverty
As a constituent of District 202, I am pleased to see that my state representative, Jared Solomon, has taken various steps toward the betterment of our community. First of which, his efforts toward alleviating poverty. By initiating the Philadelphia Platform in 2018, he and his colleagues helped to pinpoint important policies to expand workforce development as well as providing aid to small businesses in the city. I am strongly in favor of this program, seeing as it attacks problems at the root.
Solomon has stated time and time again that one of the most important ways to combat poverty in our community is by providing workforce opportunities for our youth. Earlier this year, he presented a portion of $2.8 million in funding to the Urban Affairs Coalition as part of the PA Schools-to-Work program. After further research, I discovered that the money came from part of a program that he worked to create through legislation H.B. 796. I also found that a companion bill was introduced in the Senate. These are the types of policies that actually make a difference in which I am strongly in favor of.
While I do admire much of his work, I do believe that there is always room for improvement. I ask that Solomon invests more of his time and resources into the imprisonment-to-homelessness pipeline. A large percentage of the homeless population is made up of released inmates who were unable to attain a job due to their history. I believe that this would largely improve the high poverty rate that plagues our community. It is my hope that Solomon takes my thoughts into his consideration.
Kerryne Mesidor
Julia Masterman High School
Better off without morons
We just saw the latest episode of the Hite administration and school board failures with the closing of schools due to COVID-19.
They wouldn’t close all the schools and go virtual as the PFT requested.
They kept on closing more and more schools each day until they reached more than one-third and then went totally virtual for Friday, Jan. 7.
They risked the lives of our children, teachers and everyone they would come in contact with.
Time and time again the PFT union (the workers) comes up with sensible solutions surrounding asbestos, needing nurses, etc. and then has to prove themselves correct.
We would be better off without these morons in the Hite administration and on the school board.
Mayer Krain
Modena Park
