DN letters: Heroin crisis is a scourge on Philadelphia
I WORK IN Center City for SEPTA and deal with the walking dead every day. They are the homeless junkies who are on every corner, at every subway station. They have turned Suburban Station into a hotel where a paying customer can't sit down while waiting for the train. They defecate and pee in our stations on are streets and they just don't care.
I WORK IN Center City for SEPTA and deal with the walking dead every day.
They are the homeless junkies who are on every corner, at every subway station. They have turned Suburban Station into a hotel where a paying customer can't sit down while waiting for the train. They defecate and pee in our stations on are streets and they just don't care.
Heroin is their No. 1 problem. Every day, they say the same thing to the public: "Can you help me out with some change or a token? I'm trying to get home."
They panhandle and get on the El and head to Kensington.
They shoot up on the platforms in the stairwells and on the El. I've seen it time and time again.
We as a nation have lost too many sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters to that poison.
When will the people of Philadelphia, the people of this amazing country, say, "OK. That's it. Enough is enough"?
When protesters march down Market Street, there are 50 cops to protect them. Put those cops on every corner in Kensington. And here's a plan – get caught selling heroin, you get 20 years. The second time, we execute them and charge their families.
Do I sound angry? You bet I am. I talk to these young women, the fallen angel brigade. They have abandoned their own children for this poison. They prostitute themselves for a fix. They hate their lives and themselves.
They say they've been in rehab several times, yet go right back to the street and the bag. They can't stop, so we cut the supply. Shut those bastards down. Close every drug corner in Kensington.
We put a man on the moon, so tell me why we can't shut down the heroin dealers in this great city.
To readers: Your son, daughter, the one playing video games or with toys, they could be next. Just think, in 10, 15 years your daughter could be jumping in and out of cars for a fix. Your son could be panhandling on a corner.
John McGurk
Ridley Park, Pa.
Sugary-drink tax drives business out of city
After reading how the soda tax has affected the businesses and is now causing layoffs, I couldn't help but think of what it means to be an elected official, specifically a mayor of a city.
It means to do what's best for your people. There's a reason it didn't work when Mayor Nutter was in office. It's the same reason it's not working now. It hurts your people!
Driving away business and job losses are not a good look for the city. How can Mayor Kenney and everyone who chose to pass this ridiculous tax think this would be good?
Now, we have people traveling out their way to the suburbs to save money on sugary drinks, but their gas costs are going up. More power to those people, and shame on those officials for causing such an inconvenience.
I'd rather give my money to the greedy gas companies than this government in Philadelphia. We are among the most heavily taxed people in the country as is.
Let's hope they don't start taxing water . . . or air.
Pete Pinnel
Philadelphia