Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Facial Expression
In response to Kevin Gordon's letter claiming City Paper had a racist intent with two cover stories [Mailbag, June 23, 2005], I saw something different in that cover picture of Joel Hobson ["Make No Mistake About It: I Was Going to Kill Someone," Brian Hickey, June 2, 2005]. This wasn't Time magazine with a blackened O.J. picture. It was a clear picture of a handsome man with almost kind eyes; someone who could be my friend. That picture made the story that much more tragic.

I agree with you that the mainstream media have become a right-wing propaganda machine, but don't lump City Paper in with those creeps. The other day I picked up a Philadelphia Inquirer — after canceling my subscription three months ago — and on the front page was an editorial piece denigrating the Downing Street memo! I immediately threw that paper away. I know that has nothing to do with race, but I think you get my drift.

And as for people crossing the street on you: Dude, I'm white, but I'm also 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds. People do the same to me. Even though we are good men and would come to the aid of weaker people in distress, they fear us for our size. Be a man! Get over it.
Derek Parker
Center City

Slow Ride
Instead of relying on the twisted logic of cutting service and increasing fares to try to squeeze more money out of a dwindling ridership [WTF, "The Big Slowdown," Duane Swierczynski, June 23, 2005], perhaps SEPTA should try to increase service, charge less and be more reliable. With economies of scale, they would still make more money, once ridership was to finally increase because it turned out to be more convenient than driving or taking a cab (not that taxi drivers have anything to worry about in the near future).

The regional rail system is even worse than trying to commute within the city. Although they do run on set schedules and stay close to them, it is still a disservice to the community to offer service once an hour in the evening after a certain time, and to stop service before the bars and restaurants close. What incentive does it give people to take mass transportation? I realize they share the tracks with Amtrak and there are complicated logistics, but I think it comes down to poor planning by out-of-touch staff. I wonder how quickly their service would increase if it were mandatory for their executives to ride SEPTA daily?
Gordon Wong
Art Museum area

Keeping Them, Driving Them Away
[Cover Story, "Why Can't We Keep Them?," Doron Taussig, June 16, 2005] spoke to the many challenges that come with nonprofit work in Philadelphia. What wasn't mentioned was one of the city's newest strategies for keeping young people — Home Buy Now. Home Buy Now is a Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI)-funded employer-assisted housing program managed by the nonprofit Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC). Through Home Buy Now, employees combine special funding from their employer with a city matching grant. The City of Philadelphia will match up to $3,000 from an employer. In addition, many households (including, most likely, some mentioned in your article) will also be eligible for another $2,000 via the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. In total, Home Buy Now can provide a prospective home owner with $8,000 for a down payment and/or closing costs.

Although the program is open to all city-based employers, nonprofit employers in particular are discovering the benefits of participation. Because nonprofits tend to pay lower wages and have fewer benefits, they also have serious problems recruiting and retaining employees. Employer Home Buy Now programs can be structured in ways that make it easier to recruit and retain workers and in so doing, the employer's participation can actually pay for itself.
Daniel Hoffman
Project Consultant, Home Buy Now

I was struck by two of the article's stunningly complacent assumptions: A) that the future of Philadelphia turns on whether the city can retain idealistic twentysomething activists, and B) that such social activists should expect and get a "living wage" for their efforts. The first notion is merely laughable; the second exposes the flawed thinking that dogs the entire city. Benevolence is not possible unless someone can pay the bills. What pays for philanthropy, whether governments or foundations are writing the checks, is commerce. And Philadelphia does everything it can to kill commerce dead.

I own a small business in New Jersey and conduct business in this "program-happy" city. For my efforts, I am charged a business privilege tax and a corporate tax, while my employees pay a wage tax. For this taxation we get no representation (not even a fractional vote) and the "privilege" of dealing with a lazy and unmotivated city bureaucracy. This bureaucracy, and many other of the city's inhabitants, are already protected and demotivated by the existence of too many "programs," and yet you seem to feel the solution is adding more of them.

The real cause of brain drain is not a lack of job opportunities in the social justice sector. The cause is a culture emanating from City Hall, a culture of protectionism that shelters the mediocre and drives away the talented.
Rob Lawrence
Collingswood, N.J.

Why doesn't anybody do a study on the type of people who stay and see Philly as a vibrantly growing, progressive community? This group of people are pleased with driving out what your article calls intelligent, progressive and able people. If you study history you'll find many great cities (e.g. Samarkan, Cairo, Babylon) fall into the trash piles of history. It seems to me that history has passed the city by, and, that you and yours are in an ignorant state of denial.
Mona Kerr
Via e-mail