Help veterans, forget the parade

Instead of spending umpteen millions for a parade to show off our tanks and guns, why does Congress not allocate these same funds to help create a state-of-the-art Veterans Affairs medical system that would truly help and honor our veterans?

Choose someone as secretary of Veterans Affairs who actually has experience and knowledge of military workings and needs and of a large medical organization, who is a hardworking and independent representative for vets. Imagine the improvements that could be made.

Sigh ... an American dream?

Margaret Zanoni

Edgewater Park

Evesham officials lack tolerance

The end of the April 10 meeting of the Evesham Township Council was sad and interesting to watch. During “council comments,” Mayor Randy Brown and his council members made a series of remarks lambasting residents’ opinions and grasp of facts, a disturbing trend seen nowadays from town hall to the White House.

The mayor and council displayed a lack of tolerance for the diversity of opinions, experiences and ideas that regular residents have and express. Their use of straw man arguments, selective and deceptive use of data and facts, as well as their own anecdotes paint a picture of elitist officials who are out of touch with the residents and identity of our town, and who are interested only in speaking about what they want residents to hear and think.

Their indiscreet use of legal threats against critics, criticism of the press and “with us or against us” mentality are an emulation of the worst qualities of President Donald Trump. Their rhetoric and attitude poorly represent Evesham and the fine people who make it the great town it is.

Phil Warren

Chairman

Evesham Township Democratic Committee

Nonprofits need charitable deduction

On behalf of New Jersey’s thousands of charitable families, we thank state Sen. Troy Singleton for recently signing on as a co-sponsor of legislation to create a charitable deduction for state income taxes.

This legislation, sponsored by Sen. Tom Kean, comes at a critical time and sends a powerful, positive message to our state’s nonprofit organizations and donors. For vulnerable families, it is increasingly difficult to live in New Jersey. This is reflected in the steady increase of those turning to the nonprofit sector for critical support, from food and housing to medical needs and education opportunities.

Unfortunately, the charitable New Jerseyans who make the critical work of these nonprofits possible are facing choices about their future giving. Due to changes in federal tax laws, for example, far fewer taxpayers will itemize their deductions and thus lose the tax-planning incentive to give. Many other New Jerseyans are considering leaving the state altogether. New Jersey is, in fact, ranked the least charitable among wealthy states.

For the sake of New Jersey’s nonprofits and the people they serve, it’s time for a turnaround. Singleton’s legislation to create a charitable deduction will provide a needed boost to nonprofits and make clear that New Jersey values local giving.

Hans Dekker

President

Community Foundation of New Jersey

Morristown

Delran has plenty of low-income housing

In response to the Burlington County Times’ April 25 editorial about Delran’s affordable housing issue, in 1983 the Mount Laurel II Supreme Court decision granted builders’ remedies to developers that had sued several towns in an effort to build large housing developments with low- and moderate-income housing components. One of these towns was Delran.

Although the concept that every community should be affordable to everyone is a noble concept, the fact is that social engineering does not work. These builders’ remedies forced Delran, through this court order, to allow the building of Summer Hill and The Grande at Rancocas. Small components of these two developments are low- and moderate-income housing.

A number of these Council on Affordable Housing properties have gone through foreclosure. To preserve these homes as affordable units, Delran has had to buy them. Currently, the municipality owns three unoccupied COAH homes that have been marketed by the state agency and Delran for some time, yet qualified owners cannot be found. Delran has had an inventory of these homes since before I left the Township Council seven years ago.

Delran has a significant amount of low-income housing in the Hunter’s Glen complex. These units, if applied to our COAH assessment, would more than meet our obligation. For some reason, these units don’t count toward our obligation. Before we are forced to build more, can we find qualified buyers for the empty properties?

According to the BCT editorial, a victory by Delran would be a legal victory only, not a moral one. I disagree.

Mark Macey

Delran

Original Article