Object at rest stays at rest

Regarding your “bootstraps” article (“End welfare! Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” Dec. 17), you raised a good question since this expression doesn't seem to make any sense. You use bootstraps to pull your boots on, not to pull yourself up. Maybe there is some old rationale to this, but I don't know it.

I'm going to take a guess right here. I think that men used to pull on their boots while they were lying on their backs. And so the expression means that a strong man could pull his torso up by pulling on his bootstraps while his leg was outstretched. Maybe that was the original meaning of the cliché.

As for the welfare group, most of them don't have what it takes to pull themselves up by bootstraps or by any other imaginable contraption. That's why they're on the dole. They either have serious mental or physical problems, or they just don't have the stuff of which traditional Americans are made.

I know a guy whose brother has not worked since May, 1978! He was barely 24 at the time and he was in a serious car accident. Yes, he was legitimately disabled for at least two years; he nearly lost his leg and needed serious surgeries. But by 1981 or so, he was able to get some kind of job or do something with his life. I guess he gets some kind of disability or something because he hasn't worked in over 37 years! And that includes temporary or part-time jobs! I think that's some kind of record!

If you remember Newton's first law of motion: "An object at rest, unless acted upon by some external force, will remain at rest." That fits this guy – and many other drones – to a tee!

Chris Bachler

Media

Not a serious thinker

I just read Len Lear’s column, “End welfare! Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”

Freedom of the press is one thing, but irresponsible journalism is something else entirely.

He begins by stating (and I'm paraphrasing) that almost all Republican candidates for public office refer to welfare recipients as “lazy moochers” who only want to suck up our tax dollars while they sit at home watching daytime soap operas.

I have never heard any politician, a Republican, Democrat or other, use such a sense of rhetoric.

Perhaps this is the dialogue Mr. Lear would like to hear in order to justify his own bias.

The column continues with bewildering and not-at-all funny references to footwear, with and without “bootstraps.”

Welfare is a serious issue in our country. Jesse Jackson recently commented that there must be an effort by the White House to become involved in urban reconstruction in many of our cities. This was perhaps second in importance only to combating terrorism in the U.S. and the world.

The end of the column describes Len Lear as a serious thinker. His attempt to use lame humor to describe the most serious problem for many unfortunate Americans reveals that he is anything but.

David Banov

Mt. Airy

Jazz in the burbs

I just read Stacia Friedman's article about the jazz scene in Philly. The Whitemarsh Valley Inn, (formerly the Wooden Nickel) located at 474 Germantown Pike in Lafayette Hill, offers live music seven nights a week. It features a Monday night jazz jam. Many great players and singers perform each week. The house band is the George Sinclair trio.

Ron Barnes

Bassist

Disputes ‘racism’ in ballet allegation

I read your article about discrimination in the ballet world (“Film explores racism in world of classical ballet,” Dec. 17), and I am so tired of reading and seeing in the liberal media that every time somebody does not get the job they think they should get, they blame it on “racism” or some other kind of “ism.”

What ever happened to the old American idea of working hard, applying yourself and if you get knocked down, get back up again and try harder? Even the most successful people in every field suffered rejection and setbacks somewhere along the way, but instead of whining about it and blaming it on other people, they pulled themselves up and tried even harder to prove their mettle. Those are the people who rise to the top.

If this truly American characteristic became popular again, we would have fewer people blaming everyone for their shortcomings but themselves. And our whole country would get back to where we used to be, leading the world in so many things.

Norton Donaldson

Chestnut Hill

Thanks from cat rescuers

BrendasCatRescue wants to thank everyone, especially our volunteers, who supported us this past year, making 2015 one of our most successful. Our "CatCamp" presence at 8514 Germantown Ave. presence, thanks to Bowman Properties, for five months resulted in 75 permanent adoptions.

This year alone, we've rescued 213 cats (TNR, adoptions and fosters) as we continue to seek permanent and foster homes in our quest to end cats' suffering on the streets of Philadelphia. We have no financial support except for donations and adoption fees. Please check our website (www.Brendascatrescue.com) and Facebook page for adoption events and happenings.

Wishing our Chestnut Hill Family a New Year filled with prosperity, safety and joy, and most importantly, please don't ignore animals in need.

Brenda Malinics

Roxborough