Lou Barletta for governor
Hello neighbors, I am proud and excited to endorse Lou Barletta to be our next governor of Pennsylvania. Lou has the experience, integrity and passion to get our commonwealth back on track. Lou gained his experience as councilman and then mayor in Luzerne County for 10 years, congressman in PA District 11 for 8 years. Lou also started his own small business here in Pennsylvania and grew it to the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania. Lou grew up here, went to school here and raised his family here. Lou loves our state.
Lou is proud of his blue-collar upbringing that taught him to appreciate hard work and the value of an honest living.
Lou will create jobs, help small businesses through these tough times, lower taxes, get the crime crisis plaguing Philadelphia under control, unleash our energy industry, stop illegal immigration, restore integrity to our elections, improve our broken education system.
On May 17, I ask all registered Republicans to vote Lou Barletta for governor.
God Bless America.
Gary Grisafi
53rd Republican Ward Leader
Illegals are new Democrats
In response to Megan Chan’s post on Feb. 16, she uses the term “undocument immigrants.” To quote Joey Vento, that’s like calling drug dealers undocumented pharmacists. Sorry, they’re illegal. Julia Masterman High School should make a real effort to educate you on the true expense of illegal immigration, which is in the billions of dollars in tax money. I am not against immigration, but the Democrats only a few short years ago talked about securing our borders. Check Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer saying this on YouTube. So what has changed? The Democrats are losing their middle-class base. To shore up their base, they want to flood our southern border with new Democrats. So Megan, do you think it’s fair I, as a Republican, support the Democrat vote base with my tax dollars. There is much talk about a $15 an hour wage that I support. But illegals will work much cheaper, and to their credit much harder than the spoiled American citizen. We have to instill work ethic in our schools. Nothing is free. Life is a struggle. So ask yourself, Megan, are you getting an education or indoctrination?
Tom Anderson
Holme Circle
Can’t have it both ways
Is there something I’m missing about the uptick in all kinds of crime in our once-great city and the role Larry Krasner clearly plays? Not a week goes by where Uncle Larry isn’t seen at a podium surrounded by local politicians, ministers and community activists, all well-meaning and mostly black, while he defends his progressive policies despite a crime wave that has most citizens of Philly, in virtually all neighborhoods, watching in disbelief, fear and disgust.
But what baffles me most is that these same politicians, ministers and community activists on one hand rightfully complain and cry out about the difficult challenges of everyday life in their crime-ridden neighborhoods, yet on the other hand stand in support of the one person most responsible for what they are allegedly upset about. The quality of life their constituents long for and well deserve will always be years away from being years away while they continue to align themselves with the likes of “Let ’em Loose” Larry and other progressive left-wing Democrats, who for the past 60 years have kept an awful lot of good people stuck in local crime, failed schools, terrible poverty, and many hopeless lives. Get back to me in another 60 years and see how things have turned out.
Not many people want to see an innocent person in jail, and even less support the 1% of law enforcement who ruin things for the other 99% who are everyday heroes out on the front lines for all of us. Let Larry go after that very small minority of “bad cops,” but those standing next to him at the podium can’t have it both ways. They had better let him also know he needs to get the career criminals off the streets, the ones with the rap sheets who have made it clear how they are gonna live among others, others who will soon be their targets.
If not, get used to the carjackings, robberies, muggings, and sending lots of balloons up into the air. He is not called “Uncle Larry” for nothing.
Jim McCaffrey
Mayfair
Crime should be top priority
A recent poll shows 70 percent of Philadelphians concerned about crime. With shootings and carjackings near record rates, we should be demanding action.
Crime reduction is not that hard to do. It is incredibly frustrating that this mayhem continues.
Most violent crime is committed by the same small circle of people. Police and the courts usually know who they are. Under Mayor Nutter and DA Williams, there was much more
direct interaction with troubled and violent youth.
A small number need intense counseling; some need to be locked up — period. Get them behind bars, even if it is for a secondary crime.
There needs to be a period of aggressive”stop and frisk” policing. This, and not some unenforceable new gun laws, will reduce mindless violence.
Such a program will be upsetting to some communities. Yet, with properly trained street officers and body-cams, this can be done fairly, provided we have real leadership.
Far better to inconvenience 2,000 at-risk youths than to try to mend 2,000 shooting victims.
Leaders. Do we have any? Someone needs to lead this city past the race hustlers and the “woke” do-gooders to some common sense about crime. We know the answers, and they
have worked before. If we have the guts, they will work again.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
Assigning blame
Who is to blame for the meteoric rise in the homicide rate in Philadelphia? Let us look at the numbers: Starting in 2015, there were 280 murders in Philadelphia. In 2016, the murders dropped by three to 277. Then in 2017, there were 315 murders and in 2018 there were 353 murders. In 2019, there were 356 murders. In 2020, there were 499 murders and in 2021 it reached an embarrassing 562 murders in the City of Brotherly Love. The saddest part was the number of juveniles who were killed since 2016.
So, who is to blame? Let’s see, Mayor Kenney was sworn in on 1-4-16, District Attorney Krasner was sworn in on 1-1-18 and Commissioner Outlaw was sworn in on 2-10-20. What is one of their duties? To protect the citizens of this city. The strategies, policies, tactics and decisions that Mayor Kenney, DA Krasner and Commissioner Outlaw made obviously have not been working. Their attempt to reduce the murders on the citizens of this city has failed. They have excellent verbiage when describing their anger, fury and wrath but words are not stopping the bloodshed.
If the numbers were declining, they would all be taking credit for the reduction in murders, but the murders are increasing. The truth is the blood of the victims are on the hands of the mayor, district attorney and commissioner.
Joe Nadolski
Academy Gardens
