Peggy Gentile-Van Meter writes that she'll miss the longtime author of the South Jersey Times/Bridgeton News column.
To the Editor:
I have known Jack Hummel for years, and just wanted to thank him for all that he has done for our community, and wish him a healthy and wonderful retirement.
Hummel, an editor and reporter who authored the Times' BEN column, is truly a man of the people. His name brings smiles, and sometimes frowns, but he always says what is on his mind! If he supported your views and activities, you bet that they were in his column. If he didn't support your views, he still gave fair billing.
Jack Hummel Hummel always did his homework. Sometimes, if he just wanted to get people thinking, he would write one sentence that was enough to stir the pot. That is what I always enjoyed about the BEN column. Hummel knew what buttons to push, who to point the finger at, and who to give credit to. He never wanted thanks, and he did not relish being the center of attention.
A man of his word, I cannot recall a time when I asked him to print something that he did not do so within 48 hours. A devoted community advocate, his Times' work will be missed by many. Hummel is truly one of the last links to our Cumberland County community, and specifically, the City of Bridgeton.
He will always believe that, given a chance, we can make society a better place. You do not have to agree with him, but you'd better be prepared to defend, with reasons, why you disagree.
I will look forward to hearing Hummel on the radio on Saturdays. One way or another, he will always get the word out.
Thank you, Jack Hummel! Thank you for caring about us.
May you be healthy and happy wherever you are.
Peggy Gentile-Van Meter
Stow Creek Township
Editor's note: BEN is continuing under the authorship of veteran Cumberland County reporter Don Woods. Woods' first BEN column appeared Jan 1.
GOP blocks action on huge national debt
To the Editor:
When I talk to some Republican acquaintances, it's always astonishing to find that they rail against the public debt -- but, when I ask who should pay down that debt, they say, "Not me."
Sometimes, they tell me that I should send the government my own "extra money" for the debt. What they don't understand is, to pay down the debt you need a national policy, not individual donations.
Then I ask these Republicans, "Wouldn't it be beneficial if the wealthy paid more?" Their response is always "People should be able to keep what they make." This begs the question: "Then whose responsibility is it to pay off the national debt accumulated on your watch? Your children and grandchildren?"
When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton reportedly replied, "Because that's where the money is." It's entirely delusional for the Republican rank and file to think that shielding the ultra-wealthy from higher taxation will somehow magically improve the country. Why? Because that's where the money is.
When a fringe organization captures the entirety of the Republican Party by requiring candidates to sign a pledge to never raise taxes for any reason whatsoever, you get a national debt of nearly $19 trillion and something for the rank and file to complain about.
Taxes are the dues you pay for civilization. Forty years of reducing taxation on the wealthy has led us into high debt, failing infrastructure and a fading middle class. Nineteen trillion dollars of freebies are being transferred to future generations by the "Worst Generation." This is incredible theft.
Restore America with Bernie Sanders.
Roy Lehman
Woolwich Township
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