Thursday, May 7, 2015

Philadelphia Freedom

Two items in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer caught my eye.

The first was a push to rename Philadelphia's airport to honor Benjamin Franklin.

I've always been a big Franklin fan.  My first elementary school book report was on a Franklin biography.  Yes, he wasn't perfect, but he was a great guy-- inventor, statesman, scientist, writer, postman...

Having said that, I really don't like naming things after people.  We've been burned too many times.  Someone gets an honor.  Then, we discover a sordid episode from the recent past or present.  The house of cards tumbles.

Ben Franklin died 225 years ago.  I doubt we'll find any new skeletons in his closet.  Naming the airport after him is a safe bet.

Still, the people of Philadelphia paid for that airport.  Keep it Philadelphia International Airport.

The other Philadelphia item deals with Comcast.  The cable and internet giant has its headquarters there.

Comcast knows it has a terrible rating when it comes to customer service, so it's hiring 5,500 customer service workers and technicians.  The Inquirer says the workers will be hired "in the United States" and that's a good thing.  It's always nice to be able to understand the person on the other end of the phone, if you get my drift.

Knock wood, but I've always had decent luck with Comcast.  It has the channels I want and its internet service is reliable.  The few times when I did need a technician to install someone, it was always done well and fast.  I do wish it didn't cost so much.  That's the only black mark.

It's a smart move.  Comcast has an image problem.  This could be the beginning of a fix.

By the way, today's graphic is the logo of the old Philadelphia Bell of the 1970's World Football League.