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Letters
A Unique Way To Show Our Appreciation

As a community we breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when various area volunteer fire companies were able to contain and eventually distinguish the fires that ravaged our community. As a result of their tireless efforts not a single life or structure was lost in the blaze.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to these brave volunteers and for once there is a way we can show our appreciation. The antiquated 25 year old pumper tanker used by the Ellenville Fire District desperately needs to be replaced. On June 2, 2015 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the Norbury Hall in Ellenville the residents of the Ellenville Fire District will be called upon to vote for the purchase of a state of the art pumper tanker that can carry three thousand gallons of water and more effectively help our firefighters put out fires.

Please join me in both supporting our firefighters and thanking them for their efforts in extinguishing the recent fires by voting in favor of this proposition.

Jeffrey Kaplan, Mayor
Village of Ellenville


What Good Is A Budget That Hurts People?

I recently read a very disturbing newspaper story. It spoke of resolutions passed both in the House and in the Senate of our federal government. Titled "Anti-'Obamacare' budget adopted," the article went on to say that the federal budget would be balanced because "It promises to cut domestic agencies and safety net programs like Medicaid and food stamps, carve up transportation spending and student aid, and curb tax breaks for the poor." Thus the budget will be balanced on the backs of the sick and the poor. Not a word about curbing tax breaks for the wealthy who pay a lower percentage in taxes than the middle class and the poor.

The motto blurted about is that increasing taxes on the wealthy would be "job killing." I guess cutting food and health care, which could be considered "people killing," is more important. I remember an itinerant rabbi some 2,000 years ago who spoke of caring for the hungry, thirsty, unclothed, sick and imprisoned. Those who did care passed on into eternal reward. Those who did not... well, the other place.

Glenn Henricksen
Newburgh


Same Sex Marriage Threatens Nothing

Last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. Those who oppose same-sex marriage contend that allowing such marriages weakens the institution of marriage and traditional family values. Certainly, marriage and family values in the United States are experiencing problems resulting in high divorce rates and domestic violence. However, there is no reason to assume that these problems would be exacerbated by allowing same-sex marriage on a national level.

First, consider marriage statistics. There are more than 60 million married couples in the United States. Of this number, about 70,000 are same-sex married couples. There are about 650,000 same-sex-couple households in the United States. Even if every one of these couples opted for marriage, same-sex marriages would still only represent about 1 percent of all marriages. How could the 1 percent impact the relationships and values of the other 99 percent?

Sadly, some 40 to 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce. Divorce rates increase dramatically for second and third marriages. These high divorce rates result from interpersonal issues between the couples. There is no basis to assume that divorce rates would increase by allowing same-sex marriage on a national level.

The Department of Justice estimates the yearly number of incidents of domestic violence is close to 1 million. These cases of domestic violence are due to psychological problems, alcoholism and substance abuse. Again, there is no basis to assume that domestic violence would increase by allowing same-sex marriage on a national level.

The Supreme Court ruling is expected in June. Whatever the decision, it is clear that marriage and family values would not be threatened by allowing same-sex marriage on a national level.

Don Steiner
Schenectady


Is Dickens' World Of Horrors To Return?

Reading Charles Dickens is often quite comforting. The reader can look at the terrible abuses child characters suffered at the hands of the greedy from the perspective of history. Yes, people acted like Scrooges and worse a century-and-a-half ago, but society gets better.

Or are the Dickensian monsters on the rebound? Over the last six years, America's wealth grew by 60 percent, but the number of our homeless children grew by the same percentage. We have 16 million kids on food stamps, something that a recent member on the House Agricultural Committee noticed with disdain. Why aren't they made to "sweep the floor of the cafeteria?" suggested House Representative Jack Kingston, who votes on school lunch programs. What 1800s novel is he from?

UNICEF ranks countries by children's well-being. Of course, the Nordic countries do well, but does America have to be at the bottom, right by Romania? And that's before we look at America's systemic racism, which results in almost half of black children under the age of 6 living in poverty. A 2014 farm bill cuts $8.6 billion over the next 10 years from the food stamp program, which will make Third World standards look enlightened.

The huge corporations and the 536 American billionaires who own them get tax breaks while our children are robbed. "It is extraordinary that you people cannot take care of yourselves or your children," complains a Dickens character after running over a peasant child with his horse-drawn carriage.

Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck


Social Programs Are The Fabric Of Society

A recent letter to the editor suggested that the government abolish its "socialist" programs to the people of the United States. Would you then abolish Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, Medicaid, the U.S. Post Office, and the billions in subsidies paid to the U.S. farmers as well as big oil?

These are but a few of the programs paid for by the U.S. taxpayer; Social Security and unemployment account for 50 percent of the President's mandatory spending in 2015. Would you close these safety nets?

Joe Teti
Pine Bush


A Heartfelt Thanks To A Great Hospital!

Recently my husband Richard Eck was sent to the Emergency Room at Ellenville Regional Hospital. He had gone for a routine checkup at Family Practice and had a severe problem with his heart.

I cannot thank the Emergency Room Department enough for how fast they took care of him.

He was eventually admitted as a patient. He received the best care a patient could get. How lucky we are in our small community to have the Ellenville Regional Hospital, with its dedicated staff.

Jane Eck
Ellenville


Support For Animal Friendlier Laws...

Kudos for successfully passing Rocky's Law. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Hopefully, this law will be established in every state, and Rocky's suffering will be vindicated together with all the others.

Maria Benson
Monroe


Youth Can Benefit From Social Media

I believe that today's youth can benefit from the use of social media. There are many ways that social media can be helpful to teenagers. Teenagers always want to be connected with their friends. They use apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share their thoughts and feelings. It is the most common form of communication for many teens.

Social media is also a great way to meet people. Of course, teens need to be cautious of who they are contacting. Many people have made great friendships and relationships with people that they met online. Websites can help teens who are not outgoing make new friends. Someone who is shy sometimes is more likely to open up to someone when he or she is not face to face. Many teens feel more comfortable online than in person.

Also, communicating online can help avoid confrontation. An online user can always stop the contact, by "unfriending" them or ignoring any communication from that person.

There are many benefits to the use of social media by teens.

Ryan Duda
Latham


Believes Indian Point Must Stay Open

Indian Point is essential as it provides 11 percent of New York's electricity with virtually zero emissions. It simply cannot be replaced with clean, affordable, and reliable community-based power, however laudable these projects may be.

New York already has one of the cleanest electricity generation portfolios in the nation, with 55.4 percent of power coming from sources that have practically zero emissions. This includes nuclear power (32.7 percent), hydro (18.3 percent), as well as wind and solar (4 percent combined). As a result, New York boasts the lowest per capita carbon emissions of any state at 8.1 metric tons per capita versus the 17.3 metric ton national average.

Numerous independent studies determined that the premature closure of Indian Point means degraded air quality as there would be greater use, especially in the short term, of fossil fuels. In fact, closing the plant is the equivalent of adding one million cars to the roads. Electricity prices would rise, there would be thousands of lost jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in lower annual tax revenue, and degraded grid reliability.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has consistently awarded the plant its highest safety ratings since Entergy took over in 2001, and NRC staff has recommended license renewal after the most thorough evaluation in its history

For these and other reasons, the plant should operate for the next 20 years.

Rich Thomas
New York City


A Senator Backs His Tax Cap Vote

Four years ago when legislation I co-sponsored to authorize the property tax cap became law, I deemed it a common sense approach to help families and senior citizens afford to keep their homes. The cap has delivered over $7.6 billion in savings — just think of the dire straits homeowners and small business owners would be facing if they had to forfeit those savings. Making the property tax cap permanent will ensure that this important tool will always be in our tool chest as we work to cut taxes, improve our state's business climate, and build upon recent economic successes.

State Senator James L. Seward
Oneonta



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