Letters take on climate, assault weapons, loan forgiveness
The climate fight is on
While it was a big climate win with the reconciliation package in Washington, D.C., we can’t lose sight of the fact that much climate action needs to take place in the states. Pennsylvania is among the largest greenhouse gas polluters in the nation and has the fourth dirtiest power sector. This means our carbon emissions hyper-warm the atmosphere, contribute to ozone smog and are putting us in an endless cycle of heat emergencies this summer in southeastern Pennsylvania and along the eastern seaboard.
Our state has moved to address this climate emergency via its participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state cap-and-invest program where power plants buy allowances for their carbon emissions and generate revenues that are then used toward lower-polluting energy sources including solar and wind. Communities like mine in Montgomery County are leading the way in solar adoption at the municipal level and creating a model for the region. Equally important, RGGI proceeds have been used toward energy efficiency measures in participating states over the life of the program and that reduced energy use is key to lowering electric bills, incredibly important as we all work hard to stay cool.
The climate fight is on and RGGI is an important tool in that fight. Those who aren’t on board need to step aside so we can get the job done.
Joy Bergey
Springfield, Montgomery County
Sellersville on board with 'assault weapons ban'
Last month, Sellersville Borough Council, in a 4-2 vote, passed Resolution 2022-13 in support of Senate Bill 1300 introduced recently by state Senator Steve Santarsiero. Santarsiero’s bill would ban 150 types of military-style assault weapons, and gun magazines with more than 10 rounds. It would also require owners of these weapons to obtain a certificate of possession and would prohibit the sale or transfer of a “grandfathered” weapon. Sellersville’s resolution cites the following:
1.) Gun violence is now reported to be the leading cause of death among children.
2.) The five deadliest mass shooting incidents in the U.S. all involved the use of assault-style weapons and/or high capacity magazines.
3.) Assault weapons are significantly more deadly than other types of weapons
4.) These weapons are intended to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible, and therefore they have no legitimate place in a civil society.
The resolution passed by Sellersville Borough Council urges members of the state Senate Judiciary Committee, where SB1300 currently resides, to vote the bill out of committee so that it can be considered by the full Senate.
As the sponsor of Resolution 2022-13, I hope other municipalities will consider sending similar resolutions to the Senate Judiciary Committee and to their state senators.
Don Crouthamel, councilman
Sellersville Borough
Time to transition to electric school buses
I appreciate the (July 31) guest opinion of Rachel Meyer, who expressed her concerns about the dangerous effects of heavy vehicle emissions on children’s health. These vehicles are necessary, but very harmful for the environment and human health, especially children.
Fortunately, there is something we can do right here, right now. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $5 billion over five years to begin electrifying our school bus fleets.
Electric school buses are cleaner, quieter and cheaper to fuel and maintain than internal combustion vehicles. This is a big winner for children’s health, and also a winner for taxpayers. The application process is now open, and there is more information available at https://www.wri.org/insights/how-help-your-community-fund-electric-school-buses-us. Our local school districts shouldn’t miss this important opportunity.
Jim Baldassarre
Doylestown Township
We already paid for college once
This 79-year-old American has had enough. President Biden is planning to forgive college student loans. Our family paid over $250K for three children and three grandchildren to attend college.
We borrowed the money using loans on our home and we paid our income taxes as well. We eliminated vacations, new homes and cars to pay for college educations. We chose not to use the government-funded student loan program.
Why should our family eventually be paying again for our children's education? We already paid once.
John and Barbara Carr
Washington Crossing
When do we say 'enough' to developers?
This summer, the news has been full of reports of drought, fires, and pending food shortages throughout the U.S. and the world. What are we doing in Bucks County to support and preserve the last remaining farmland in the county? How do we preserve open space, forested land, farms and meadows before they get purchased by wealthy land developers?
If we don't actively manage the land, our beloved beautiful green spaces will continue to shrink. The pressure to develop the land is just too great in our county.
The country lanes we drive on at high speed are already too narrow to accommodate more traffic. They are unsafe, with no shoulders or curbs for pedestrians, bikers or dog walkers. The more paved spaces that we create, the more runoff causes flooding in already overstretched and expensive infrastructure. At what point do we say "enough" to development? Who decides? How can we set aside enough land to preserve the remaining beauty without creating islands of green, surrounded by roads, houses, pavement?
If you share these concerns, please contact your local planning commission, Bucks County Planning Commission or even write a letter to the news outlet of your choice.
Barbara Smith
Hilltown
Life begins at conception
Sunday's newspaper (July 31) contained a lead article on the front page featuring Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Governor Wolf's conference at the Women's Center of Montgomery County. Their statements proclaim that Pennsylvania will not interfere with a woman's right to abortion.
Nowhere in the article are there any comments from pro-life advocates or those who run maternity homes and pregnancy centers. In my high school biology textbook, I learned that human life began at conception. This scientific fact cannot be denied. As the signs in our community tell us, "Science is Real." That baby in the womb has its own DNA and deserves the right to be protected according to our Declaration of Independence.
Those in leadership in the Democratic Party have embraced this taking of innocent life as their sacrament and continue to ostracize those of us who defend human life.
I long for a day when all humans born and pre-born will once again be protected from the womb to the tomb.
Patrick Stanton
Jenkintown
Go with popular vote, term limits to effect change
There are simple, rational solutions to many of the problems plaguing American politics today. The first would stop the “Big Lie” nonsense that has infected the Republican Party. That rational solution is to eliminate the long obsolete electoral college. The President of the United States represents all the people of the country and should be elected by the popular vote. The imbalance of power between states with large populations like California vs those with small populations like Wyoming is addressed in the Senate where every state regardless of size or population has two senators. When a candidate wins the popular vote by millions of votes and loses the election the majority of voters have been disenfranchised.
The second rational solution to our radically divided country is term limits for Congress including Pennsylvania’s legislature. Already in place for presidents and governors, it would mitigate the ability of career politicians from consolidating their positions through gerrymandering and voter suppression laws like we are seeing in many red states and even in PA. Term limits for the Supreme Court would also prevent a radical politicized court like we have now from overlong influence over evolving political and cultural issues where their decisions often overlook the views of the vast majority of Americans. Witness the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Unfortunately rational solutions to the many problems our democracy faces are not possible in today’s political climate where master obstructionists remain in power.
Paul Kozel
Doylestown Township
This article originally appeared on The Intelligencer: Letters take on climate, assault weapons, loan forgiveness
