Joseph Bastrimovich writes that a "veterans" designation applies to only a quarter of the units proposed.
To the Editor:
After reading the headline "Just in time for Veterans Day, N.J. town (Clayton) gets $1.7 million for vet housing," I became interested in the details of this story.
Rev. Floyd White, director of Camden County veterans affairs, presents the widow of WWII US Army veteran William Wright with a Camden County Military Service Medal during a ceremony at Cadbury Continuing Care Retirement Community in Cherry Hill, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015. (Joe Warner | For NJ.com) If you were to read the headline without the article below, you'd get the impression that this proposed housing development would be exclusively for veterans. That's not the case. Only 25 percent to these rental units are exclusively dedicated for veterans. The other 75 percent will be just plain low-income housing (although veterans are supposed to have preference).
I've seen this kind of move before in recent years. As a selling point to a community, politicians and developers attempt to portray a project as being "for veterans," with the intent of fooling the public into accepting more low-income public housing. This is deceptive salesmanship at its finest.
Politicians and developers know nice communities will resist public housing and the bad elements it brings, so they're working to fool people.
If you look at any town that has a large share of public or subsidized housing -- Penns Grove, Salem, Paulsboro, Camden -- what do you see? You see crime, drugs and utter decay. You see unsupervised youth running wild because they don't have proper parenting.
The more public housing we finance, the more unproductive people we support. Wake up, people! Don't let politicians and greedy developers cram more of this down our throats.
Joseph D. Bastrimovich
National Park
Make sure N.J. school bus ads are worth it
To the Editor:
The first ads on school buses in New Jersey were placed on Atlantic County Special Services school buses in September 2012. I'd like to know how many school districts in the state have joined the program and how much revenue has been generated annually in these districts.
Have these ads been a money-maker for these districts or a waste of time and resources? Have any school districts discontinued the ads due to lower-than-expected revenue or other problems ?
ALSO: School bus ad programs growing in New Jersey
The Vineland Board of Education, which is slated to vote next week on a bus advertising program, should contact school districts that currently participate to find out the pros and cons of the ads. Any questions that board members have should be addressed before this initiative moves forward. When all the pertinent facts and figures are presented, the school board should be able to make a more knowledgeable decision.
David M. Levin
Vineland
Keep lingeire models a secret from readers
To the Editor:
Upon reading the Nov.12 print edition of the South Jersey Times, we were shocked at seeing an explicit photo of a lingeire-wearing model at a Victoria's Secret fashion show.
We are getting older and probably not "cool," but we felt that this was a photo better displayed in a tabloid or, perhaps, in Playboy magazine. Moral values appear to be at an all-time low, and our local newspaper is choosing to advance this agenda.
We are saddened by this, and believe that many other Salem County families feel the same way.
Lois and Morant Hassler
Woodstown
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