Reader feedback

Readers call and leave messages for Inquirer reporters all the time. Some of the messages are tips, some are insightful observations on events of the day, some are so-so, and some are as foul-mouthed and contemptibly racist as you can possibly imagine.

There's one regular caller, a woman who sounds a little bit older, who usually calls early in the morning before reporters are in to answer the phone. Take this morning's message, for instance. We've transcribed it word for word below, omitting only profanity and vile racist epithets. As is typically the case, she starts out reasonably enough:

"Yes, I  just finished reading your article about this wonderful mayor wanting to charge us for our trash and again with reassessing our property. I'm an old woman. I'm only on social security. I will not pay money for trash. I've already wrote a letter to Frank Rizzo Jr. about it and I called his office. We don't deserve this. It's bad enough they used to come around at Christmas time trying to collect from us like a fee or whatever. They get paid well. They have a definite job, it's not going to be sent overseas. I don't care about the budget cuts. Whether they cut the pool, the libraries, or what. I only care about the fire stations."

Not particularly charitable, perhaps, but fair enough. But she was only getting warmed up. The message continued:

"I cannot pay another assessment. I fought in front of the BRT the other year and got it stayed the same, and if not I'm going to burn down this god damn house. Thank you it's a wonderful article. Keep on following it. They don't tell us anything about the poll and the meetings he went to are mostly in the (big expletive) (big racist epithet) neighborhoods. Oh sure they don't worry about paying taxes or paying rent or anything else, but we have to worry about in the Northeast Philadelphia that supports the whole goddamn (big racist epithet) city."

Charming. The thing is, we've heard worse from this mystery caller, who never leaves her name. Much worse.

Obviously we're not posting this because these views deserve a wide airing. But it is worth noting that, for at least some percentage of Philadelphians, debates about taxes and city funding are seen through the prism of race.

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.