Updates on Whose Property is it Anyway

Check out the Whose Property is it Anyway? post below for updates and additonal information.

Marcus Hook Elementary Students are Phanatics for Reading

 Excitement  and laughter poured out of the Marcus Hook elementary school gymnasium as students were treated to a surprise visit from the Philly Phanatic at their Phillies Rally this afternoon. The secret surprise assembly was a reward as a result of the school’s third glass being picked a winner of the Phillies’ Be a Phanatic about Reading program.

The third grade class, which is taught by Mrs. Louanne Mason, had exceeded their reading target goal given to them by the Phillies.

The program, which is also sponsored by Verizon, encourages elementary school students to read, a book of their choice, for  at least  fifteen minutes a day. Students reported to their classroom teacher how often they had read, which teachers kept a log of and periodically sent in to the Phillies for review.

The top performing schools were pulled from the progress reports sent in by teachers, with the top schools winning a surprise visit from the Phanatic and smaller prizes such as Phillies books and book markers.

The Phanatic’s entrance came as a surprise to the school’s students, who all had been gathered in the gymnasium for what they thought was going to be a regular Phillies pep rally.

“It was a secret assembly,” explained school principal James Adair. “The Phillies wanted to make it a surprise for the students.”

Adair even got the opportunity to  perform a skit with the Phillie Phanatic, acting out the Phanatic’s latest book, The Phantastic Journey. Students in Mrs. Mason’s class also each received a copy of the book.

“It’s really wonderful and good for the kids,” stated Mason, holding the plaque her class was awarded for being top readers.

After the skit, the Phanatic danced and goofed off for the entire school, resulting in much giggling and plenty of picture-taking by parents.

“It was really exciting,” stated 3rd grader Sadie Smagala. “My mom would be laughing and having fun if she were here.”

“Yea, it was awesome!” added classmate Kaitlyn Mc Kinney.

When the asked if they were going to keep reading even the contest was over, both girls enthusiastically replied that would.

“I love to read!” exclaimed McKinney.

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Students are entertained by the Phanatic

                     

More info on St. Martin’s Property Plans

One thing that Father James Evans wants to make clear is that while the Church Housing Corporation of Pennsylvania would like to build a  community for low-income seniors, it is not going to a homeless shelter.

“There were people in the community who expressed concer that we were  going to build a homeless housing on the property due to rumour that were circulating,” explains Evans. “We are only interested in building a retirement comunity for seniors who have an income of  $27,250 pera person or $31, 100 per a couple.”

However, Evans adds while using the term homeless conjures up images of  people who sleep on grates, the term actually can describe people who aren’t living on the street.

“People who are considered legally homeless aren’t always on the street,” states Evans. “For example, The term can be applied to a person who uses more that fifty percent of the income to pay their rent.”

The corporation, which also formerly built similiar facilities in Phoenixville and Upland, focuses it’s mission on doing just that; providing affordable housing for the elderly.

The Church Housing Coproration of Pennsylvania came into existence in 1978 when the Episcopal Dioceses’ Convention called for affordable housing for the elederly to become a priority.

“The Episcopal church felt it was time to undertake creating housing for the the elderly as part of its mission,” stated Evans, who is currently CEO of the corporation. “St. Peter’s Church in Phoenixville took on this mission and I was put in charge.”

Evans is a priest at St.Peter’s Episcopol Church, which the Church Housing Corporation operates out of.

In 1983, HUD awarded the mission at St. Peter’s funding and two years later, the Church Housing Corporation officially opened.

Since then, CHC has successfully spearheaded four retirement communities for low-income elderly residents, including ones in Upland, Brookhaven, Allentown, and Phoenixville.

One of the reasons CHC chose the site at 700 Meetinghouse Road is because of the number of elderly people who qualify for low-income housing in the Upper Chichester area, as well as the fact the church’s building, which still stands on the property, is operated by an Episcopal group. The church and the property it sits on owned by the Episcopal Dioceses of Pennsylvania.

“Half the elderly population Upper Chichester qualify for low-income housing,” says Evans.”So, this is actually serving a need with the community, which is affordable housing.”

“Pennsylvania has the second highest eldery population in the country,” added Evans. ” So, the need is there.”

To qualify for low-income housing, income per a person would be $27,250 or less and $31.100 or less per a couple.

There would be a total of three buildings built next to the church. The first  building to be built would be the larger of the three, being four stories high and containing 80 units. Each unit would have one bedroom and bathroom.

There would also recreation areas in the building for activities, social services, and a dining hall with commercial kitchen.

The facility would be intended for residents 62 years of age or older, with funds would be paid to the township in lieu of property taxes for the subsidized housing.

“Since, we a are a non-profit corporation and tax-exempt,” explained Evans. “We would be using funds taken from the  rent paid by the residents and using it pay the township instead of property taxes.”

The other two buildings would three stories high, with 24 units in each building.  The units would geared towards residents who want to purchased their apartments and therefore, would be subject to normal property taxes.

Residents would be able to pick from one bedroom or two bedroom units.  There would be a limited number of social services avaliable on-site, in contrast to the first building. The residence would be intended for seniors 55 years and older.

However, this  facility will not be like a nursing home.

“They are for seniors who want to live independently,” states Evans. “There will no skilled nursing care. If a senior may need some assisted living care, we can provide them with that through the church, on a as needed basis.”

Evans further stated that facility would be very similiar to those at the 32 year old Lutheran Knolls facility at 1800 Mill Road in Boothwyn.

“Lutheran Knolls has a good history with the community and this facility would be very similiar to theirs,” said Evans. “I think they do a very good job, and I think we can,too.”

“Like Lutheran Knolls, the retirement community would not increases traffiic at peak hours or would lower the property value of homes surrounding the area,” added Evans.

Also, like Lutheran Knolls, CHC would develop and maintain the St. Martin’s property. In addition, the buildings would be  highly monitored for fiscal responsibility and upkeep.

However, plans for the retirement community are still in the discussion stage,and Evans would like to open that discusion to Upper Chichester residents.

A meeting to discuss plans for St. Martin’s property will be held on May 4th at 6:30pm at Upper Chichester Municipal building.  The meeting will be opened to the public.

“We need the community’s imput and to talk to the planning commision,”stated Evans.  ” There are several entities we have to go through before we can get approved, such as zoning, the township, and PennDot.”

“We want to make sure we do everything the right way and do all the work we need to do first,” added Evans.

Retirement Community Plans for St. Martin’s Property

Possible plans for a retirement community to be built on St. Martin’s Church property are currently in discussion between Chichester township and Fr. James Evans of St. Peter’s Place.

The retirement community, which would be located at 700 Meetinghouse Road, would be developed in two phases.

The first phase would be geared towards developing 80 rentable units for residents over 62 years of age. There would also be  several community fellowship areas, such as a dining hall, an activities area, and a social services area.

The second phases would consist of building two buildings, three stories each, that would be aimed towards residents over the age of 55 and who are interested in owning a unit, as oppose to renting. There would be 24 units in each building.

The retirement community will provide housing for seniors who $27,250 a year or less.

More information will be added to this post as becomes avaliable.

Whose Property is it Anyway?

Questions over who exactly owns a lot of land on Locust Street in the Boothwyn section of Upper Chichester arose during the April 8th commissioners’ board meeting.

The two 150 by 100 foot lots are situated directly behind Chichester High School on Locust street, which is off of Meetinghouse Road.

“There’s a ‘For Sale’ sign on the lot,” stated Locust street resident Bob Kaufmann. “We own a portion of that lot and were never approached about it going up for sale.”

“It’s stated in our deeds that we own a portion, which is about six to eight feet on the right side of the lot,” added Kaufmann.

Kaufmann, who lives with his wife Linda, alleges that they have also been paying taxes on the lot for the past 20 years that they have lived at their residence on the 2100 block, as well as maintaining the lot as part of their property.

“The township taxes residents on what is considered your property size,” explained Kaufmann. “We’ve always been taxed for our portion of that lot along with the rest of our property.” Other Locust street

Residents, like Ford and Geri Thomas, share the same view as their neighbors.

“We have lived there for 31 years and no one has said anything to us about developing that lot,” stated Mrs. Thomas. “We just saw the sign after it was put up.”

Another worry of residents is the fact that the lot is boxed in from the sides by residential homes and Chichester High School.

“How are they going to get through to the lot?” questioned Kaufman. “Are they going to have cut through one of our properties?”

Concerned, both Kaufmann and Thomas called REMAX realtor, Lee Garrell, whose name and number were on the ‘For Sale’ sign.

Garrell only heightened their apprehension.

“He told us he was given verbal permission by the township and he has the right away to do whatever he wants with the property and doesn’t need a variance,” said Thomas.

Board president James Stewart stated he was not aware of any verbal permission given to Garrell by the township nor was aware of any official talk of plans for the lot.

“Nothing official has been said to the board about the lot,” stated Stewart.

But who actually owns the lot? While Locust street residents are stating that they each own a portion of it, Board President James Stewart stated the lot is actually owned by the township.

“I am ninety-nine percent sure the township owns the lot,” said Stewart, but added that he would “check into it.”

A call to Garrell at his Blue Bell office only added to the confusion.

“It is actually privately owned by an attorney and has been for the past 25 years,” stated Garrell, who would not reveal that attorney’s identity.

“I am representing that attorney and all communication about the property goes through me,” further stated Garrell.

Garrell explained that the lot owner approached REMAX Real Estate Company a few months ago about putting the lot up for sale.

 Also, plans for the lot will depend on the prospective buyer.

“We can build two houses on the property,” stated Garrell. “They can be big or small, depending on how much the buyer wants to spend and what they want build. After they give us their price range, we can start giving them their options.”

“We’re flexible,” added Garrell.

Garrell also explained that since there is no sewer line under the lot, one would have to be run in from Meetinghouse Road. Garrell also explained that the lack of sewer line is one of the reasons the plot hasn’t been developed over the years.

“Running the sewer line is also included in the price of the property,” further stated Garrell. That price is $75,000 per a lot.

A look through files at the Media Courthouse Office for the Recorder of Deeds revealed that Allen H. Tollen is the official owner of the two lots of land. Tollen, a Newtown Square resident, acquired the land in 1986 and has been the owner ever since.

The actually address of the property is c0nsidered Meetinghouse Road.

A phone call to Tollen at his law office in Media further proved that he is the owner of the property.

“Yes, if the deeds state I am the owner, than I am still the owner,” stated Tollen.

As for whether any residents of Locust Street own a portion of the plots, Tollen wouldn’t really say.

“They own what they own and I own what I own,” stated Tollen. “I wouldn’t say I owned anything of anyone else’s and I hope they wouldn’t say that about my property.”

“It will all get sorted out in the end,” added Tollen.

When asked why he wanted to sell the property after so many years of owning it,” Tollen simply stated, “I have owned it kind of forever and it is doing me no good just sitting there. So, it’ s time to sell it.”

Residents, however, are not going to take this lying down. “Something similar to this happen 15 years ago with property on Meeting House Crossing,” recalled Thomas. “None of the neighbors knew the township had plans to build there until it was already in the works. There are now about 69 houses there that had been built.” Because of this, Thomas stated, she is ready to voice her opinion to the township if such plans for the lot do materialize.

The Kaufmanns also stated they would do they same. “If they’re going to do what they want with the lot and say we have no ownership of it, than start giving us the tax money back we have paid over the years on it,” added Kaufmann.

Chichester Robotics Team Invited to National Championship

      On February 27^th, Chichester Robotics Team, Team EagleX, competed, with three of their robots, in the VEX Robotics Mid-Atlantic championship in Westminster, Maryland. The three robots, which were controlled by students on Team EagleX, faced off against 20 other robots from middle schools around the region. Students had to maneuver the robots through a series of games where the object was for the robots to clear as many foam footballs and miniature soccer balls from their side of the arena onto their opponent’s side. During the matches, one of Team EagleX’s robots managed to be the only undefeated robot in the championship. The other two Team EagleX robots also made it to the final round, resulting in the team being eligible to participate in the World VEX Robotics Championship. This competition will take place in Dallas, Texas from April 22^nd trough April 24^th. It will host 300 other middle and high school robotics teams from the world. Both competitions are sponsored by VEX Robotics, which is an entity that provides products and resources for teaching robotics technology in schools.

      “We would be participating against teams from states countries around the world, such as China and South America,” stated Chichester robotics team coordinator and middle school technology education teacher Robert Blonarowycz. “This is a rare and wonderful opportunity for the students.”

      However, there is one drawback in the team advancing to the world championship and that is funding.

     “The cost for competing in the world championship is not small,” explained Blonarowycz, estimating that cost would be around $4,000.00. “This includes the cost for lodging and transportation, as well as competition fees, which we currently do not have.”

More on Chichester Robotics team can be read here: http://delcotimes.com/articles/2010/04/17/news/doc4bc923f1edae0864199213.txt

Holy Saviour- St. John Fisher School opening full day Pre-K 3 Class

     Holy Saviour- St. John Fisher will be opening a full-day Pre-K 3 class in September 2010, which will be new for the 2010-2011 school year. Students must be three years old by September 1st, and toilet trained as well. Class size will be limited to 20 students, with one full-time teacher and one full-time aide.  This program is not daycare, but is designed to instruct the students at their developmental level.  Play time, socialization and going to specials will be included. Registrations are currently being accepted for this class, as well as grades throught to 8th.

   Holy Saviour- St. John Fisher offers a challenging curriculum, spiritual formation, social and cutural advancement along with before and after school CARES. For further information or to arrange a tour, please call Mrs. Leone in the school office at 610-485-0363. 

 

Chichester High Schoolers write Letters to the Editor

  Chichester high school students were recently given the opportunity to voice their opinionsto the Daily Times, by writing their own letters to the editor, Phil Heron. The assignment , which was brainstormed by  teachers Cheri Messick and Sarah Glasgow, was  to focus on a specific problem in society and  writing a letter expressing a possible solution. The top six, out of 100 letters, were chosen and sent into the Times.  The topics ranged from human trafficking to puppy mills to texting while driving, with the responses by the students being both intelligent and thought provoking.  You may view them here:

Human Trafficking

“To the Times:

    In today’s world, when slavery seems a part of the past, there are millions of people being bought and sold throughout the world. This is the evil reality of human trafficking. It is estimated that there are 27 million people living in slavery throughout the world. Half are under the age of eighteen. Slaves can be forced into pornography, work, debt, and prostitution. About 19% of slavery is for the purpose of forced labor, but approximately 80% of human trafficking worldwide is for sex purposes.

The statistics on child trafficking are especially heart shattering: according to love146.org, an organization dedicated to the prevention of human sex trafficking, two children are sold into slavery each minute, and over 1.2 million children a year are the victims of human trafficking. For these children, innocent boys and girls, their childhood is stolen away along with their freedom. It is unthinkable, and yet it exists. More than two thirds of sex trafficked children are abused by their traffickers. They are kept in brothels where they are abused and tortured into compliance. They are given numbers to identify themselves, and stripped of the most basic human rights.

            Women who are trafficked for sex have a much higher rate of HIV and other STDs, tuberculosis, and permanent reproductive damage.

Even in the United States, it is estimated that over 100,000 children a year are forced into prostitution or pornography. According to gvnet.com/ humantrafficking/ USA.htm, 50,000 people a year are brought into or moved within the US as slaves – either for sexual or labor purposes. An “unknown” amount of American citizens are also sold into sexual slavery.

            While this is a horror in our world, there are ways to help prevent it. By donating to places like love146.org anybody can help to prevent it. It is also wise to keep a lookout for any government laws that are helping to stop this, and to vote accordingly on them. With your help, this world can be free of all forms of slavery.”-Brian Burkhardt

” To the Times:

                At eight years of age you find yourself walking home and decide to take a detour through a small, narrow alley just as the day turns to night. Suddenly you are taken from your normal surroundings to a new ominous location. Kids everyday are taken from their homes and families to be sold for sexual purposes or for manual labor. These children would be forcibly kidnapped and moved from their familiar towns and taken to a new area to be slaves.                                  

                These children were 80% women and mostly consisted of kids under the age of 18. Every year somewhere within 800,000 kids are sold, and over 32 billion dollars is profited yearly. Most of these children are brutally beaten if they defy their kidnapper on top of being beaten and molested by the person who has bought them. Human trafficking mostly exists in Asia and Europe. Later in life most of the freed children have severe mental issues and later turn to prostitution on their own.

                Human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the world. Human trafficking is also the second highest organized crime in the world. From 1995-2005 at least 2.4 million people have been killed by their owners. Around the world a census has been taken to estimate that there are at least 27 million people still being forced into slavery. If these kids are not killed by their owners than they are usually not reunited with their families, they are usually placed in foster care or orphanages.

                Solutions for such a growing crisis are scarce. But what can be done is there can be secret underground buyers who try to arrest or crack down on such organized crime groups. More special units can be used to find more and more slaves or the leaders of buying groups. Also groups of people crossing borders can be required to show information stating that the children that are with them do in fact belong to them willingly and were not forced to leave by a stranger. Indeed human trafficking is a drastically growing problem that can be further assessed and that is constantly harming children all over the world.”-Mac Buffamonte

Puppy Mills

“To the Times:

Every year, tens of thousands of helpless puppies die in puppy mills. These poor dogs are bred solely for the purpose of making money. Their careless breeders don’t care about their health or happiness. And worst of all, the laws against these horrid prisons are not being enforced. Little does everyone know that the people buying those “too-cute-for-words” puppies in pet store windows are the ones keeping the puppy mills around.

If you weren’t already aware, a puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. These dogs and puppies are kept in cramped wire cages without adequate food, water, medical care, shelter, space to exercise, or even waste clean up. They freeze in the winter and swelter in the summer. The Humane Society had discovered that the innocent puppies that are born in puppy mills have illnesses, disease, bad behavior, and lack of socialization with humans and other animals. Some litters also result in puppies with unchecked hereditary diseases. The female dogs that are used for breeding are bred at every opportunity possible with little to no recovery time between litters. They are usually killed when they are physically unable to reproduce again. The state of Missouri is considered the largest puppy mill state in the country with 1,400 mills, and Lancaster County, PA, has the highest concentration of puppy mills of any county in the nation. The majority of the dogs in these puppy mills do not come out alive.

However, there are ways to help these innocent pups. For one, stop buying puppies from pet stores. Purchase or adopt a dog from a breeder or shelter that allows you to see the whole facility and meet the dog’s mother. When you buy a dog from a pet store or online, you are giving money to the monsters that run puppy mills so that they can purchase another female dog to breed. You can also work with the ASPCA to pass legislation that ensures that all animals bred are raised in healthy conditions. The cruel things that some people can do to animals sicken me. I assume many of you are disgusted by it too. So help the puppy mill puppies by visiting your local ASPCA shelter and stop buying from pet stores!” -Shannon Huss

 ”To the Times:

            Puppy Mills are a disgrace to our country. A puppy mill is a large-scale dog breeding operation with overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without veterinary care, proper food, and water. Dogs that come from puppy mills often have behavior and health problems and poor socialization skills.  The puppies from the mills are often sent to pet stores and then brought to a home with diseases.  The question at hand is; why would you pay for a dog and bring it into your home with diseases? I’d like to know what is being done to help these poor, defenseless puppies. The lack of enforcement by the USDA and state departments of agriculture means thousands of dogs are left to suffer in inadequate conditions. Some states have absolutely no laws concerning the commercial breeding of dogs, otherwise known as puppy mills.  Puppy mill dogs do not get to experience treats, toys, exercise or basic grooming.  Dogs are often kept in cages with wire flooring that injures their paws and legs. Some mills have these cages stacked on top of one another. The breeder dogs may spend most of their lives outdoors or crammed in small cage like structures. When the condition of the breeding dog is put on the line, it’s also setting the litter up to have heredity problems. Puppies are taken from their mothers and sold to brokers who pack them into crates for transport and resale them to pet stores. Puppies that are shipped from mill to broker to pet store can travel hundreds of miles in pickup trucks, tractor trailers, and or airplanes, often without enough food, water, ventilation, or shelter.  The biggest problem with these puppy mills is that we’re just letting them get away with this poor treatment of the dogs. The USDA is supposed to monitor and inspect kennels to ensure that they are not violating the housing standards of the Animal Welfare Act, but kennel inspections are a low priority. In the U.S., there are more than 1,000 research facilities, more than 2,800 exhibitors, and 4,500 dealers that are supposed to be inspected each year. With such a disgusting project like this, you would think there would be more involvement in the destruction and demise of puppy mills.   If the puppy mill business continues in this country, thousands of dogs will die. We need to give these dogs a fair chance at a normal life, and that should start with getting rid of puppy mills.  There are ways to help the cause. Millions of dogs and even cats are dying every year in animal shelters; these are the animals you should consider. Buying from a pet store is only supporting a puppy mill.  Adopting a puppy is always a great option. Adopting a puppy will ensure you that you’re saving the life of an animal and your money is not going to a puppy mill.  Since there is no criminal prosecution and very little effort to regulate puppy mills, I think there should be a very high tax to operate a puppy mill and a very large fine for the poor treatment of animals. An effective way to get through to the disgraceful people who run these mills is to punish them and take away their business. I hope to see more change in to the laws and expectations of puppy mills in the near future.”-Katy Stevenson

Can We Prevent Sports Concussions?

“The Center for Disease Control estimates 10% of youth athletes who are involved in contact sports suffer a concussion each season. People who participate in sports such as basketball, softball, cheerleading, hockey and volleyball are most likely to get concussions. Too many young athletes get bad concussions from contact sports. What many people don’t know is that a concussion can have many severe side effects such as death.  Most people tend to neglect the severity of head injuries because they are so common.

Many parents and directors of sports and schools are concerned about the brain health of children and teens who play contact sports. These parents and directors are trying to help people become more aware of the injuries that can cause a life threatening injury. Football players suffer the most concussions of any other sport. On average, at least one player sustains a mild concussion in every game.

Many people don’t know when they have a concussion because sometimes they don’t lose consciousness. Most of the time it can just feel like a headache and people won’t know it is a concussion. Parents and athletic directors are very concerned with the way children are playing sports today. Youth sports are causing so many head injuries that some parents will not allow their children to participate in the sport. Parents, coaches, and directors are looking for ways to make sports a little safer.

To prevent multiple concussions, parents and doctors should keep their children safe by recommending more safety gear for the sport. For example, in softball, every girl should have to wear a face mask in the field, and in football the players should be provided with more padding in their helmets to prevent head injuries. Children who have concussions should not be allowed to participate in the sport for at least two weeks and they should have to check with the doctor to make sure everything is safe before they resume playing the sport again. The coaches should not allow the participant to play in a game or practice until he or she has permission from the doctor. With parents, coaches, directors, and doctors coming together and agreeing on this, we can decrease the numbers of deaths and serious injuries caused by sports concussions.” -Cheyenne Murphy

Texting While Driving

“To the Times:

On the road today, what is the main cause of car crashes? I believe that cell phone use is the main cause of accidents. When one begins to call or text while driving, he or she becomes distracted, causing the person to look away from the road. Many states have prohibited any type of cell phone usage while driving. The problem here is that American drivers have become too involved with modern day technology. This causes them to become distracted and not pay attention to the road, therefore endangering themselves and others.  

Fourteen states want to pass laws stating that if anyone is caught texting and or talking on the phone while driving, then he or she will get a $50-$100 fine and two points added to their license. I believe that this penalty is not a great one. Say the person would have created an accident and the person in the opposing car died. What would be their penalty, jail time?  Now, say that they got pulled over and fined before they got the chance to create an accident. I believe that people will continue to text while driving. What would the penalty be for repeat offenders?

Did you know that if a person texts while driving they have a 23% greater risk of causing an accident? Did you also know that if someone is going 70 miles per hour, while typing a three second text, they travel the distance of a foot-ball field without looking at the road once? What could happen within three seconds?  Well, I can tell you. You could have just now created a deadly crash. A person dialing a phone number is now four times greater to create an accident. Then while talking on the phone there is now a 1.3 greater chance they will cause a crash.  While modern day technological advancements bombard everyday life, cell phones are the most assessable to talk to someone.  Distracted drivers cause 80% off ALL accidents as well as 65% of all NEAR crashes in the United States. However, I feel near is close enough. We as American people should not allow people to endanger the ones we love.

I believe that the United States should pass laws banning any type of cell phone use while driving. With higher fines and a chance to lose their license, I believe the number of people that text while driving will lower. For every time caught driving, I feel three points should be added to your license. As for first time offenders, I feel that the fine should be from $300-$500. If someone is caught texting while driving more then twice, their license should be suspended for a short amount of time. If you text while driving, I feel that is considered endangerment of those around you. If you create a bad accident and kill all involve would that be considered a homicidal suicide. Texting while driving is just as bad as driving under the influence. I feel that this is just like driving under the influence because you are more focused on the cell phone than you are on the road. I believe that with greater penalty people will be more cautious with their actions on the road. Greater penalties for offenders should result in a greater decrease in number of people who text while driving.” -Christina Rivera