Get involved
Election deniers had two years to join the ranks of poll workers if they wanted to combat or detect alleged improprieties. But it’s easier to sit behind a computer than to get up at the crack of dawn on Election Day and stay until 9 or 10 p.m. to make sure the job is done.
More poll workers are needed. Become part of the process instead of the complaint.
As I watched members of my community assisting voters, carefully checking registration logs and making sure the system works for everyone, I could not have felt prouder to see real democracy in action. Voting doesn’t happen by magic. It takes your neighbors laboring at all levels of the process to secure this precious privilege that many people around the world still die for.
Contact vote.pa.gov or the Committee of Seventy to join us next May. Together we protect democracy.
Pam Baranackie
Castor Gardens
UPS location ideal
Regarding the proposed UPS distribution center on Red Lion Road in Northeast Philadelphia, UPS has been a responsible corporate partner by hosting community meetings with its Northeast neighbors and assuaging their concerns over traffic, noise and other factors that come with any large-scale distribution facility. The Building Trades also respects UPS for being a unionized corporation, which is why we use them almost exclusively for our shipping needs. The new UPS distribution center will create 1,200 jobs, 356 of which will be full-time while the remainder will be part-time. Area students who land part-time positions will also receive tuition benefits. The Red Lion Road location that UPS has chosen is ideal as it’s close to the communities the company serves, but isolated enough to not be problematic for area residents. The Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council stands at the ready to build the UPS distribution center, safely, on-time and on-budget.
Ryan N. Boyer
Business Manager
Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council
Father Steve was a great help
I am a retired Philadelphia police officer after doing 25 years on the job.
About 5½ years ago my wife and I lost our 58-year-old son.
We went to a few bereavement meetings and it was not good for us.
I then called Father Steve Wetzel at the FOP and asked if we could come see him.
This was a blessing for us. We went for about 5 months each month and just the two of us with him.
He suggested and directed us to many things and it all was a big help.
This is something that no parent can or will ever leave them and he was so good in his explanation of important information.
We talked about everything. He would tell us stories about his mom and him at the shore. He loved the beach and we told him our Tim would say let me get to the beach to get my burn on.
Father Steve thought very much about his mom.
After about 5 months he suggested he knew a bereavement group that would be good for us and he gave a name of a person and we went to our first bereavement meeting with that group and there were about 20 people in the group.
This has helped us a lot.
And we still go each month after all these years.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert McCann
Rhawnhurst
Good news for a change
It was a pleasure to read our Northeast Times community newspaper on Nov. 9, especially the opinion page. I suspect that many others have been disgusted by the previous lack of civility, name calling, mocking nicknames targeting the mayor, district attorney, school officials, police, teachers and so on. Today on the contrary, when there was a difference of opinion, Tom Anderson, a contributor, said in a respectful manner. “But Janet I disagree with you on Social Security … “ and most importantly he justified his opinions with evidence. Another contributor spoke up about buying American-made products and yet another spoke against banning tobacco products citing the failure of Prohibition, which not only failed to stop the consumption of alcohol but resulted in increased crime. It was a pleasure to read an article praising a deceased pastor who did so much for our community as well as another article about a longtime teacher describing her accomplishments. I read about well-deserved awards to scholars and athletes at several area high schools. It was a pleasure to read those articles rather than the normal recitation of negative behaviors that are usually presented for our consumption every time we turn on the TV or read the daily newspaper. I especially want to offer special praise and thanks to the publishers and editors of the Northeast Times for highlighting the positive opinions and accomplishments of neighbors in our community.
Mel Flitter
Somerton
Killing babies carries the day
Someone I know who has not voted since 1998 thought that it was so important to vote that he did get out there this time. If the election did not turn out the way you wanted and you did not vote, then shame on you. Don’t complain to me about things and laws that we will undoubtedly see in the future.
There were many issues here in our city that really should have been addressed that were not. Killing babies was more important than our young, innocent children being killed on the streets of our city.
Thanks to all of the citizens who did vote.
Patti Wirsz
Bustleton
Law and order loses on Election Day
The national election results may have been mixed, with both parties claiming key victories, but one thing is for sure — Philadelphia lost.
Could there have been a worse Senate candidate for “law and order” in the whole USA than John Fetterman? He’s the parole board Santa Claus, the perfect book-end to “let-em-loose Larry” Krasner.
As attorney general, Josh Shapiro has shown no willingness to confront Philly crime. Not the 2020 rioters, nor “raise-the-white-flag” Jim Kenney. Will a Gov. Shapiro confront our “sanctuary city” policies? No way.
So far in 2022, Rhawnhurst has seen multiple killings, a bicylist brutalized in a hit and run, carjackings and even many catalytic converter thefts.
Quality-of-life crimes are off the charts. In my 42 years living here, I’ve never seen anything like it. A fellow senior had a gun waved in his face, merely for complaining about a pile of trash.
I will no longer ride public transit; it’s dangerous even to cross the street. No safe “sanctuary” for us seniors.
So what do our crime-weary citizens do? We give a mandate to the softest possible candidates. Fetterman got a whopping 82% of the vote and Shapiro over 85%. (I doubt Moses or Jesus Christ could have done better.)
Unfortunately, Philly Democrats are like a cult — only the “D” before the name matters. The root of Philly’s problems have long been — the voters. We embolden criminals. We are complicit in our own demise.
Most economists agree that a recession will hit us by 2023. More drugs, more crime, more illegals – and more excuses. I’m sick of life here.
Maybe it is time to move out of Rhawnhurst.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
