Christie should attend to Job 1

ISSUE | WEATHERING THE STORM

Christie should attend to Job 1

The pain on Gov. Christie's face as he was briefed on the blizzard Saturday was not the pain of empathy after hearing how the people in the Shore communities were suffering ("Back from blizzard, Christie slams rivals," Monday). You just know he was thinking, "Man, I wish I were back in New Hampshire."

Christie, who was an absentee governor for 261 partial or full days last year, needs to come to Cape May County to understand the depth of suffering in Shore communities, including Sea Isle City and the Wildwoods. If he did show up (instead of saying from North Jersey that things are "not that bad"), he'd see that things are very bad as a result of the high tides and driving winds. He would see that federal disaster relief for many sections of Cape May County is essential.

The governor should stop worrying about running for president. His single-digit poll numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire should tell him to pack it in and come home to do what he was elected to do.

|Robert F. Holden, Steelmantown, N.J.

No more hugs for New Jersey?

You have to admire Gov. Christie's unmitigated gall, or should we say self-promotion? He had no trouble meeting and praising President Obama and providing Obama with the famous photo-op bro hug after Sandy. Now that a winter storm has created havoc for New Jersey homeowners again, especially at the Shore, and he is running for president, Christie finds campaigning in New Hampshire more important than his duties as governor, stating that his aides have the situation well in hand.

|Tom Gavin, Philadelphia, thomaspgavin@gmail.com

Imagine if Gov. Christie and his state trooper bodyguards had shown up at the Jersey Shore with mops ("Christie's storm talk not popular at Shore," Tuesday). He'd be at the top of the polls instead of the bottom.

|Gerard Iannelli, Haddon Heights

Tough talk can hurt, too

Shore residents had negative reactions to Gov. Christie's comments about and handling of the snowstorm and the resulting flooding. I wonder how many of them voted for his reelection because they were enamored of a tough guy who tells people to "sit down and shut up." I guess they don't like it as much when he tells them that.

As someone who worked for Christie's opponent, Barbara Buono, I still don't understand how 60 percent of the people in my state voted to reelect him. P.T. Barnum was right.

|Dave Lipshutz, Voorhees, delipshutz@comcast.net

Use 'people power' to clear small streets

As founders of the Philadelphia Society of Small Streets, we have suggested that residents of small streets shovel the street, not the sidewalk, in heavy snowstorms, because there's no place to put the snow. Unfortunately, the city continues to tell everyone to shovel their sidewalks, even though there are hundreds of small streets in Philly.

Plows came to our street, South Jessup in Washington Square, on Sunday, but that has not always been the case. Our daughter, who lives in the Pennsport section of South Philadelphia, was still waiting Tuesday for her street to be plowed.

So why not use "people power" to help out? People like to help. You just need to ask.

|Lynn and Cliff Landes, Philadelphia, lynnlandes@earthlink.net

ISSUE | PHILA. SCHOOLS

No finding on SRC

The Pew Charitable Trusts' research on governance of the School District of Philadelphia and other urban districts across the country did not draw conclusions about the "benefit" of the School Reform Commission ("City schools need an elected board," Jan. 19). The only conclusion we reached was that there was no consensus among researchers about whether any particular form of school governance leads to better student performance or fiscal management.

We did find broad agreement that any system that produces uncertainty, distrust, and ambiguous accountability can impede a district's progress.

|Larry Eichel, director, Philadelphia research initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia

ISSUE | ENVIRONMENT

A breath of fresh air

Gov. Wolf's plan to reduce methane emissions from natural gas drilling by 40 percent is good news for Pennsylvania residents ("As Year 1 ends, Wolf finds accomplishments to tout," Jan. 20). As a nurse and a master's student in public health at Drexel University, I am proud of the governor's efforts to protect public health.

As a new state resident, I worried about the health risks of fracking. New York has banned fracking, but the cost of living there is too high. Pennsylvania offers a balance of affordability and access to big cities.

Young professionals like me are looking for places to settle down, and the quality of health is a key criterion. The governor's plan demonstrates a progressive approach to protecting communities and will influence my decision on whether I want to stay in Pennsylvania.

|LaTiana Ridgell, Philadelphia

Protect waterways

While snorkeling along a breathtaking reef off St. John in the Virgin Islands, I was shocked by the sight of plastic rings stuck on the pristine coral. The reality of junk at sea has become too apparent to ignore, threatening every ocean, shoreline, and estuary ("Plastics are overtaking oceans," Thursday).

Bottles, plastic netting, and soda-can holders are impervious to decay and threaten the birds, fish, and marine life we depend on to sustain us and our fragile environment. Plastic trash may become the single biggest threat to sustainable life after global warming unless we stop dumping at sea.

|Scott Cameron, Philadelphia