Arrogant and entitled while parking

Perhaps it’s the Trump era we live in, though I think the sense of entitlement so many people have preceded his election. It manifests itself in many ways; one is parking. You’ve seen it yourself: People who park (or stand) wherever they want because it is convenient for them, even if it is inconvenient for others.

In my particular case, their convenient spot was the entrance to my driveway. This happened twice in one week. The first was a black Volvo owned by a woman (who emerged from a nearby house after I honked several times). She said she was visiting a sick friend, as if that was a legitimate excuse. What made it even less legitimate was the availability of a legal parking space about 30 feet away.

The second instance involved a black pickup truck owned by a property care company. The company was servicing my neighbor’s yard across the street. When I indignantly asked the owner to move his truck, so I could get into my driveway, he refused, insisting that his colleague finish first.

“Where else am I going to park?” he asked, as if it were my responsibility to tell him. (The owner of the house wasn’t home.) To accentuate his arrogance, he gleefully handed me his business card with his name, Ryan Horning, on it.

Since these two incidents weren’t the first (nor, I feared, the last) I was compelled to buy a “No Parking” sign and stanchion, which I will now have to put in front of my driveway to remind people, who don’t know or care that one doesn’t block someone else’s driveway, just because it is convenient. What’s next, the fire department putting no parking signs in front of hydrants? Disabled drivers having to do likewise?

Sam Gugino

Chestnut Hill

Support House Bill HR 2132

While recently shopping for a new car, I was overwhelmed by the number and variety of cars and noticed that the vehicles most heavily advertised are SUVs. The average city MPG of even the smaller crossover SUVs is in the 20s.

While the new car smell is intoxicating, I'm deeply disturbed that we're going backward in fuel efficiency. In this era of climate change, when we need to be reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, cars are getting bigger and mileage is going down. The Trump Administration, with Scott Pruitt as head of EPA, is trying to severely weaken auto fuel efficiency standards. With transportation being our largest source of man-made pollution, it's crucial we work to decrease dependence on fossil fuels to protect our planet.

To help accomplish this, I urge everyone to support Pennsylvania House Bill HR 2132, which proposes to replace fossil fuels with 100 percent renewable energy in Pennsylvania by the year 2050. I also urge everyone to join me and hundreds of our fellow Pennsylvanians as we descend on Harrisburg on Tuesday, June 12, to advocate for this bipartisan legislation for 100 percent Renewable Energy PA Advocacy Day

Rich Posmontier

Wyndmoor

Cultural poverty in Chestnut Hill

The condition is never dealt with, but the fact is that there is poverty in Chestnut Hill. Not economic poverty, but cultural poverty. This cultural poverty is empirically verifiable by what is absent in the Chestnut Hill community.

Chestnut Hill does not have a bookstore with a good selection of books and monthly magazines.

Chestnut Hill does not have a movie theater that would show the art films shown at the Ritz in the city.

Chestnut Hill does not have a music hall/theater for the presentation of good classical and modern music and good American and foreign plays for all ages.

Chestnut Hill does not have cultural celebrations and festivities that exclude or minimize buying and selling (The free Pastorious Park music program is only a summer program.)

Yes, there is cultural poverty in Chestnut Hill. This condition was obvious to me today when I was unable to acquire in the Hill the June issue of the Atlantic Monthly magazine.

P.S. If the reader is aware of additional conditions of cultural poverty, please write your views to the Local. Thank you.

Diamantino P. Machado

Chestnut Hill