Letters: Gas-drilling threats to water should be a city election issue

THE

Daily News

and other media outlets are doing their subscribers a grave disservice if they don't challenge politicians to clarify themselves on policy initiatives.

The state-approved Land Bank Initiative gives the Nutter administration the chance to package parcels of municipally-owned property to improve its purchase appeal to potential investors and, in some instances, facilitate its donation to interested parties.

But the city also owns, as a result of past-due taxes and abandonment, contaminated property. Will these be excluded from parcels donated to organizations set on construction and public access? Will the city pick up the cost to clean these properties beforehand, as well as provide full disclosure on the extent of contamination to prospective recipients?

Another question the DN should be calling the Nutter and Rendell administrations on while the governor still has a few weeks at the helm is how the Water Department is preparing for relaxed Environmental Protection Agency natural-gas regulation, given new Gov. Tom Corbett's campaign positions, and the potential threat of benzene, a carcinogen used, among other undisclosed chemicals, in extraction of the Marcellus shale natural-gas sites.

Shouldn't a question of this magnitude rank as a top priority for any candidate in the upcoming mayoral election? If you don't want to jeopardize your standing with the mayor or governor, give me a press pass. As I'm out of work, I'll do it for free.

David James Pride, Philadelphia

nolead begins

Yankel Gorokhofskij's letter bashing Christians during their holiday season is the thanks we get for sending our largely Christian armed forces to free his people from Hitler and his war machine? Merry Christmas!

Mike Franklin, Marlton, N.J.

Mr. Gorokhofskij, and his view that he welcomes the politically correct way to treat Christmas, oops, I mean the Holiday.

While I feel for the problems you had, we all, sir, have problems growing up. To be politically correct today as you would have it would diminish and even take away the celebration of Christmas for me, a Catholic, a celebration I grew up enjoying and still celebrate, (and I don't mean the shopping part).

If, in your heart you are a religious person, you would not advocate this.

When store employees refuse to acknowledge my saying "Merry Christmas," and are specifically told not to say the word, as I have personally been told, this is not, as you say, "according people more respect," but demeaning the name Christmas.

However, in accordance with your not wanting to return to "the good old days of Christmas break and Christmas concert," I offer this, (and with all due respect to everyone):

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Yule, Happy Ramadan, Happy Human Light, Happy Diwali, Happy Winter Solstice and Happy Saturnalia.

Hope you find a card to fit your requirements of a politically correct holiday.

William Klimansky

Mercerville, N.J.