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Let's Conserve

To the editor:

Because Pennsylvania generates about 60 percent of its power by burning coal, our state is a major contributor to global warming. Our dependence on this polluting fossil fuel makes us the third largest U.S. contributor of carbon dioxide, after Texas and Ohio.

Although the legislature recently adopted the Clean Vehicle Program, which will help Pennsylvania reduce greenhouse gas pollution due to transportation, no significant progress has yet been made in the power-generation sector.

Fortunately, components of Governor Rendell's Energy Independence Strategy are now working their way through the General Assembly. House Bill 2200, introduced by Rep. Camille "Bud" George (D, Clearfield), would require electric utility companies to implement efficiency programs that would reduce electricity consumption by 2.5 percent in five years.

Because reducing electricity consumption is the most practical way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, the environmental and safe-energy community is rallying around this legislation.

Not surprisingly, opponents of HB2200 include utility companies and the coal industry, both of which depend upon increasing energy consumption to increase their profits. Despite industry opposition, public support and lobbying in Harrisburg helped HB2200 pass in the House by a 152-45 vote margin.

The bill is now in the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, where its fate is less certain. The more conservative Senate is dominated by energy and mining interests.

A full court press is needed to convince senators to pass HB2200 without amendments that would weaken the bill. Please contact your state senator and ask him or her to support the prompt passage of HB 2200, with no weakening amendments.

Jeff Schmidt

Pa. Chapter Sierra Club

Rural America

shortchanged

To the editor:

President Bush's proposed budget for 2009 eliminates funding for 20 important rural development programs.

It's crucial for the longterm health and viability of rural communities that we create opportunities, generate wealth and build assets for individuals. If funding for rural development keeps being neglected our rural communities will continue to decline. The less we invest now in rural development, the more our rural communities' infrastructure deteriorates and the more it will cost in the long run.

As with previous budgets, the 2009 budget recommends termination of numerous federal rural development and rural asset-building programs. Adoption of the administration's budget would cause total rural development funding to be 72 percent less than its 2003 level.

Sen. Tom Harkin was recently quoted in an article as saying, "What good does it do if we keep giving more money to farmers but they don't have any towns, they don't have churches, they don't have hospitals, they don't have schools, and they don't have water?"

Sen. Harkin's analysis is a snapshot of what is already happening to our most rural communities. And given the rapid decline in rural development funding, it's apparent the federal government is walking away from any commitment to the future of our rural communities and the 60 million people who call rural America home.

For information on how you can help, please contact me by email at elishas@cfra. org.

Elisha Greeley Smith Center for Rural Affairs

Tax Freedom

Day

To the editor:

April 21 was a holiday in Pennsylvania, but I'll bet it came and went without you realizing. It was "Tax Freedom Day."

That's the day that people who have jobs quit working for the government and start working for themselves. In other words, every cent you made between Jan. 1 and April 21 this year went for taxes. The remainder you make in 2008 is yours.

Tax Freedom Day was declared by the Tax Foundation, calculated each year, state by state, through government data on income and taxes.

"Government continues to dominate the American taxpayer's budget," said Tax Foundation president Scott Hodge. "Americans will still spend more on taxes in 2008 than they will spend on food, clothing and housing combined."

In 2008, Americans will work 74 days to afford their federal taxes and 39 more days to pay state and local taxes. Meanwhile, buying food requires 35 days of work, clothing 13 days, and housing 60 days.

Other major categories are health and medical care (50 days), transportation (29 days), and recreation (21 days).

Five major categories of tax dominate the tax burden. Individual income taxes, both federal and state, require 42 days' work. Payroll taxes take another 28 days' work. Sales and excise taxes, mostly state and local, take 16 days to pay off. Corporate income taxes take 13 days, and property taxes take 12.

Tax Freedom Day answers the basic question, "What price is the nation paying for government?" An official government figure for total tax collections is divided by the nation's total income.

The answer this year is that taxes will amount to 30.8 percent of our income.

Will Mitchell

State College

Thank You

Endeavor News

To the editor:

I saw the picture and information on the donkey basketball game in Endeavor News. I went to this game and there were lots of laughs.

I thank your staff for listing the amount the Cameron County High School yearbook staff donated to help the Brockway fire victims. Helping people is important, and I know the fire victims will be happy that we cared for them in their time of trouble.

Keep up the good work, Endeavor staff, and thank you for informing the community.

Matt Nolder

Freshman

CCHS

Deer decimation To the editor:

Where is the outrage?

The Pa. Game Commission had a chance to take the first step in restoring the deer herd in WMU 2G. So what did they do? They decided to sell just as many doe licenses this year as they did last year.

That tells all hunters, business owners and tourist promoters that the smaller deer herd is here to stay.

We have come to the same camp for three generations now and a fourth is on the way, but I have bad news for Cameron County: we are about ready to sell out and find a place where my grandson might actually have a chance to at least see a deer (we are not meat hunters).

Where is the outrage?

I guess most people have given up and decided they cannot do anything about the annual decimation of the deer herd.

Remember the old movie where the newscaster said, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more!"

If I lived in Cameron County, I would be jumping all over the Game Commission and expressing outrage about the continued assault on the deer herd.

Don't your tourist agencies, business owners and chambers of commerce have anything to say about this? You could also get some help from your elected legislators. They can put the heat on the Game Commission.

Errol Bell Pittsburgh