The Shout out:
Incumbent Larry Krasner, Democratic challenger Carlos Vega and Republican Charles Peruto are running to be Philadelphia’s next district attorney.
Your turn:
Who are you backing and why?
Send your thoughts to voices@philadelphiaweekly.com.
Support D.C. statehood
The 712,000 people who call Washington, D.C., home are just like any other Americans. From teachers and nurses to firefighters and custodians, Washingtonians raise families, pay taxes, and fight in America’s wars. Yet, they’re deprived of full representation in Congress and are subject to the politically motivated whims of lawmakers like Ted Cruz because of the capital’s status as a district.
But we can change that by making the District of Columbia a state.
With statehood, D.C. would be able to respond to the will of its people and enact policies that reflect the wants and needs of its residents. As a state, D.C. would finally have equal voting representation in Congress, and control over their own laws and budgets. This way, conservative lawmakers can’t force their archaic positions on abortion access, gun reform, or health care onto residents who didn’t elect them.
No matter where you live, all Americans have the right to full representation and having their voices heard. Statehood for Washington, D.C. is about treating all American citizens fairly and as equals – and that’s why I’m urging my senators to support D.C. statehood.
David Kannerstein | Lafayette Hill
Sen. Toomey should support For the People Act
The U.S. Senate is about to vote on one the most important bills in our lifetimes for the preservation of our democracy, The For the People Act (S1). S1 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen our democracy by putting more power in the hands of everyday people by strengthening our voting, elections, campaign finance, and ethics laws. We are seeing just the opposite from an explosion of anti-democratic and authoritarian forces in states across the U.S., attempting to shut more and more people out of the political process through racist voter suppression laws. Our democracy is threatened literally with a return to Jim Crow.
What can we ask and expect from our senators? It’s a lock that Sen. Casey will vote for democracy. But, Sen. Toomey? Maybe there is hope. Will his vote for Trump’s conviction in the Senate impeachment trial, against the majority of his Republican colleagues, be a clue? Does he see how his party has come to believe that their route to winning is to create barriers to the very heart of our democracy, the right of all citizens to vote? Sen. Toomey, we hope and plead that in your retirement ahead you will look back with pride for your vote for S1 in behalf of our democracy.
Thomas Vernon | Center City
