Letters: A modest proposal to help the city

COLUMNIST Stu Bykofsky writes of the dislike and resentment felt toward our city by the rest of the state.

Stu raised an important question: Does Philadelphia pay more, or less, to the state in taxes than it gets back?

Apparently, we pay way less than we get ($1.3 billion vs. $2.4 billion). But we can frame the question much differently.

The real question: "Why are the law-abiding Philadelphia taxpayers resented because of the fact that so many other, more dysfunctional Pennsylvanians dwell near us?" Does our proximity somehow prove that it's our fault? The rest of the state should be thrilled that so many undesirable Pennsylvanians live here and not there. Why can't they at least chip in gracefully, and be glad that the problem is not on their doorstep?

Perhaps our mayor could more proactively deal with this problem of our having so many expensive-to-deal-with non-taxpaying citizens. We could cheaply purchase some vast tracks of land in places like Berks, Potter or Luzerne counties, and build housing for some of our more expensive citizens.

We would begin to realize a return on our investment immediately when other Pennsylvanians begin to take on the task of educating and providing social services to their fair share of needy Pennsylvanians. Surely they would do a superior and more efficient job of it, without the corruption and waste that we, here in Philadelphia like to indulge in.

Glynnis Gradwell, Philadelphia

Great Caesar's ghost!

I've only just calmed down from reading Stuart Caesar's preposterous letter thanking George W. Bush. Somebody needs to tell Mr. Caesar that Bush is no longer president and the reality-based community is back in charge.

There isn't space enough to refute all of Mr. Caesar's ridiculous statements, so I'll only demolish a couple. To start, Mr. Caesar says al Qaeda hates us because we're free. This is arrant nonsense.

If al Qaeda hated personal freedom, they could have attacked Japan. They do not hate us because we are democratic, if they just hated democracy they could have attacked Canada.

They hate America for things they believe we have done to them (rightly or wrongly) and to deny that is to empower al Qaeda, and America will never defeat an enemy we refuse to understand. Didn't the Vietnam War teach us that much?

Mr. Caesar further insults the passengers of Flight 93 by calling them "superhuman." Those brave souls were ordinary human beings put into extraordinary circumstances and despite being frightened out of their wits, they acted calmly and bravely and most likely prevented an even bigger tragedy. Stuart Caesar has the gall to deny them their basic humanity? What kind of sad, pathetic person would dare to even think that?

Finally, Mr. Caesar crosses a very serious line when he uses the phrase "liberals and 9/11 conspiracy theorists," linking them ideologically, which is unforgivably insulting. The conspiracy theorists must answer for themselves, but there is not a single sane liberal among them.

I don't know what the criteria are for banning someone from the letters section, but I respectfully submit that, this time, Stuart Caesar has proved himself unworthy of any future consideration for publication.

Michael McGonigle, Philadelphia

A rose by any other name . . .

Re the Piazza killing:

I'm puzzled when Rian Thal is referred to as a "party planner." If a person has four kilos of cocaine in their closet, why aren't they a "high-level drug dealer"?

Craig Childs, Lansdowne