John McBride doesn't understand another writer's attempt to link a teachers' union with abortion policy.
To the Editor:
It was painful to read Gerald Keer's recent convoluted, apples-and oranges letter, "Do N.J. teachers promote 'War on Infants'?"
This was an awkwardly put-together commentary against abortion, but it made no sense to me. (Keer wrote that the New Jersey Education Association backs Democratic state Legislature candidates who support public funding for Planned Parenthood.)
Planned Parenthood does indeed help facilitate abortions, but the last time I looked, abortion is legal. In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court made it a point to state that fetuses are not human beings and abortion is not "murder."
So, where is the "war on infants" that Keer accuses the teachers and Democrats of participating in? I don't agree with those who say that the GOP has declared a "war on women" because many Republicans oppose what Planned Parenthood does. I also understand and respect Keer's opinion on abortion, but he has used the accusation against the Republicans to rationalize an argument against Democrats that can't possibly be true.
To answer Keer's question, the proper time to prosecute the killing of a child is when the law says it's the proper time -- not when he and the Republicans say it's time.
John McBride
West Deptford Township
DRPA tram to nowhere typical
To the Editor:
The Delaware River Port Authority spent $18 million in toll and fare revenue on a scuttled passenger tram between the Philadelphia and Camden waterfronts. The unfinished project netted commuters two unused concrete pillars, which the DRPA board is now trying to sell for pennies on the dollar.
Despite such mismanagement of the commuter's money, the DRPA's ex-CEO, former state Sen. John Matheussen, was given a New Jersey judgeship, even though he hadn't practiced law in a decade. Matheussen's replacement as CEO, John Hanson is in line a for a 20 percent salary bump after less than two years with the title.
The DRPA is slated to provide project management for the proposed Glassboro-Camden light rail line. Before it does, I think commuters deserve to know who, if anyone, got rich off the tram deal.
Hopefully, an ongoing federal investigation into how the DRPA spent $500 million in economic development funds will be completed before any more big-bucks projects are undertaken.
Carol Rhodes
Barnsboro