Category Archives: Op-ed

85 dogs convince me to not move into Philadelphia

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This is one of the saddest stories I’ve read in a long time. How does a city allow something like this happen? 7 years of complaints, 87 dogs (including two dead), two cats, and a stench that caused even the most experienced PSPCA officers to leave the house for a break. How does this happen? One word: bureaucracy.

The story about 739 Earp St. on Philadelphia Weekly is pretty amazing. This one article convinced me that I should stay in the suburbs. The fact that these taxpayers complained to the city government, city council, the PSPCA, Licensing and Inspections – and were unable to get any of them to act until a false tip was called in, tells me all I need to know about my hometown.

One thing about living in my small town, just outside of Philly – if something is happening that I want to ask about, I can call or email my councilperson and expect a response. I don’t know how these people dealt with it for as long as they did. I would have gotten in trouble.

So for all of that, I’ll stay in the suburbs. Close enough to enjoy, but far enough away to comfortably ignore and remain blissful.

Zoning Hearing on Proposed Bank in Conshohocken

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A few days ago I wrote about a historic building here in Conshohocken that a developer wants to tear down to make way for a bank. To follow-up there will be a zoning board hearing in a couple of weeks regarding the building at 528 Fayette St. The following is from Councilman Jason Salus’ website:

The Conshohocken Zoning Hearing Board will consider the applicant’s zoning requests at their meeting on Monday, February 15 at 7:00 PM at Conshohocken Borough Hall (720 Fayette Street).  This is a continuation of a prior hearing and the record for the hearing is closed.  The Chair of the Zoning Board will have the discretion to take public comment.  I encourage all interested residents to attend.

I encourage you to attend and to forward this post to any Conshohocken resident or business owner.

Wall Street vs. Main (Fayette) Street in Conshohocken

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It seems the past few years that we’ve been assault by banks. If it’s not credit cards or crazy mortgage lending. Now it seems that Continental Bank wants to tear down a beautiful building in the center of Conshohocken to build a bank. Within this small borough we have six banks (including a credit union). Do we really need another one?

I will be writing more about this as I find out more, but Conshohocken residents can not let this happen.

Read more about this on More Than The Curve.com

How to Stop Your Car if the Gas Pedal is Stuck

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Toyota has been in the news for their massive recall of eight recent models. First off, if you own a Toyota, you need to check their website to see if your Toyota has been recalled.

Next thing, if your accelerator does get stuck, the following video explains how to stop your car. This can happen in any car, wether it’s a defective pedal or your pedal gets stuck under your carpet. The following video can save a life, so watch it and share it with your friends.

Conshohocken Lends a Hand to Haiti

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On Wednesday, January 20, ten Conshohocken restaurants are donating 20% of your bill to the American Red Cross. The restaurants are:

You may think that there is enough money, but there isn’t. Haiti was destroyed, when the thought of that a few weeks ago would seem redundant. They are going to need our money for years to come. If you’re going to eat out, why not make sure some of the money goes to a good cause? See you tomorrow.

The Fake French Disgrace Themselves in Haiti

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I had problems with CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reporting when he could help – well he changed my mind here. On Friday night the UN told the a Belgian medical team of 60 that they wouldn’t provide security, but they would evacuate them. So the ball-less Belgian director Geert Gijs ordered all the doctors out; and they left; and they took all medical supplies with them. Gupta stayed behind along with a Haitian nurse and took care of the patients by themselves for the entire night.

“I’ve never been in a situation like this. This is quite ridiculous,” Gupta said.

I’ll take you one further – it’s disgraceful. Save for a gun at my head, I don’t think I could have left suffering patients. At a time when many lives hung by a thread, their decision to leave could have done damage, when they took an oath not to do so.

Disgraceful indeed.

Where are the Philly police

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I recently returned to work for a non-profit in Center City Philadelphia. It’s great to be back in the city, it makes me feel more a part of things. Because of the cold, my walk has been limited to about seven blocks. What’s crazy is what I haven’t seen in this time.

It’s been a little more than 3 weeks and I’ve yet to see my first police officer aside from those whizzing by in their cars. Not one policeman or woman walking a beat. No directing of traffic, no standing on the corner making sure there’s no trouble.

It’s not like there isn’t a need – there is a total disregard for traffic laws by drivers, bikers, and pedestrians. There are intersections where blocking the box is the rule. And what happened to the blitz on renegade bicyclists? Seems like it lasted a day. And while they’re at it, there are too many pedestrians that could use a jaywalking ticket. And maybe a visible presence on the streets would prevent the bank robberies that happened downtown recently.

It seems to me that policing shouldn’t be limited to cars, subways, airports, and ghettos. It seems that the Philadelphia Police are only focused on anyone carrying a gun or selling drugs. That’s all well and good, but for the other 99% of situations that deserve their attention, it’s every man, woman, and child for themselves.