May 2008 Archives
This June will mark a tragic anniversary for Route 30. On June 6, 2006 on a clear, dry afternoon, a tractor-trailer ran a red light at the intersection of Route 30 and Roosevelt Avenue, ending the life of my friend and co-worker Michael Euculano. My intent is not to rehash the details of that accident or to place blame but rather determine “what have we learned?”
I am privy to information from a study done on Route 30 by a Task Committee of The York County Chamber of Commerce with information provided by local/state police, and PennDot. This study attempted to examine signage, light cycles and enforcement along Route 30. Sadly, there is no one solution and shockingly it was reported that enforcement has only had short-term results (days) on driver behavior.
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CBS Corp.'s firing of Kidd Chris for airing a song with racist lyrics (aside from the humiliation of, and danger presented by, CBS's complete disregard for the First Amendment being conveintly ignored) at least stands in vivid contrast to the hateful and filthy lyrics broadcast daily by black rap stations across the country. But, who am I to paraphrase to those black stations what the king's courtier told Cinderella- to wit, "If the shoe fits, you can damned well wear it !"?!?
Jon Johnston
Springettsbury Township
I'd like to address the proposed smoking ban in city parks by Mayor Brenner. First of all I'd like to say that I'm a nonsmoker and have never been a smoker at any time in my life. I find it to be a filthy disgusting habit that I can't stand to be around. That having been said I would urge Mayor Brenner to mind his own business.
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That rotten smell isn’t the water -- it’s the water company.
York Water Company has for decades appeared to be environmentally responsible and customer directed.
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There have been many occassions over the years when I have delighted to read stories in the York Daily Record where individuals have made the choice to do the right thing. Where doing the right thing outweighs the temptation to look the other way or to be dishonest. Unfortunately, a recent incident that occurred to my mother has left me filled with disappointment.
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General Petraeus has far more success talking to enemies than does President Bush talking to friends. The president made a trip to Ryadh, Saudi Arabia recently to ask his good friend King Abdullah to increase oil production so as to bring the world price down. Mr. Bush was warmly received by his long time family friends, but was flatly rejected on his plea for greater production. So much for Bush’s friendship.
Ed Muhlbach
Shrewsbury Township
RE: Our decisions . . . by Barb Murphy.
Ms. Murphy is very much on target with her comments. I think she should be commended for her courage to identify that perhaps the cry of "wolf" when said without the support of true hard work towards a goal, is getting quite tiresome. It also points out that perhaps many of these statements/stories are stand-alone stories or thoughts without a real foundation.
Leroy Keeney
York Township
You hear it in the news, Foreclosures at an all time high. I have lived in the southern york county area most of my life and I am taken back at the prices of single family homes, homes that are 60 years old selling for $260,000.00? Are they really worth that much? New homes with signs in front of them stating "Live free for a year, REALLY". Are buyers that stupid? I guess so, because nothing is free.
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With the steady rise of gas prices and the onset of nice weather more people (like myself) are opting to ride motorcycles or scooters, if you are thinking of getting your motorcycle license I highly recommend signing up for a free motorcycle safety class. You can find one in your area by looking at their web site which is www.pamsp.com. The rider/coaches that I had were professional and made the classes fun and interesting.
Some insurance companies will actually give you a discount for the successful completion of the safety class.
Jake Griest
Airville
THE RED LION AREA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS RECENTLY APPROVED A 4.5 MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET INCREASE IN THIER OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE 2008 - 2009 SCHOOL YEAR WHICH RESULTS IN AN INCREASE TAX RATE TO 20.44 MILS UP $175 FROM LAST YEAR TO A $2,044 TAX BILL THIS YEAR FOR A PROPERTY ASSESSED AT $100.000
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In the late 1700’s England pushed the original 13 colonies residents over the edge by yet another new tax. The new tax applied to tea and that tax proved to be the catalyst that led to the Boston Tea Party and eventually to the Declaration of Independence and war with England. Just as now, Pennsylvania politicians displayed reluctance and a lack of courage to take measures wanted by its citizens to eliminate the tax. Politicians of the tea tax era who spoke out against the tax faced a charge of treason against King George of England. The penalty was death by hanging, a rather good deterrent to keep politicians quiet.
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Conserve this, conserve that, be more energy efficient. That's what is being drilled into us in our everyday life. Why. Why bother because we all know we'll pay more in the long run.
Better fuel efficient cars, drive slower it will save you on gas usage. Well we all know where that ended up. I don't even want to go there.
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I didn’t see it coming nor did I hear it slithering towards me. POW!!! I got Comcasted right out my shorts. That’s right, I forgot all about the ending of my year long promotional pricing (as if anyone keeps track of that) and then they pounced.
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I'm a local crafter, I offer hand made items also buy-and-sell items in which I buy from wholesale suppliers. The Old York Street Fair advertises handmade items from local crafters. Needless to say I was very dissappointed in all the buy-and-sell items that a lot of vendors were selling. This was not fair to the vendors that do all their own work.
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Why is it that the york city police will come by and catch city residents drinking on there porch but when i went down w.jackson st on a saturday night there was college students on there porch and standing on the side walks with cans of beer in there hands and not one cop could be found. i'm not talking one or two students i am talking atleast 30 to 40 standing out there just drinking away. lets treat the college students like you treat residents.the law should be the same for everyone.
Bob Walker
York
This letter is written with much concern over Senator Clinton's remarks about her "political base." The Clintons have made their careers with the support, hard work and love of African/African Americans. However, Senator Clinton has recently turned against those who have supported her and her husband over the years.
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Have you ever wondered why, the first Bush president, did not know, we were in a recession? And why this Bush president, doesn't know we are in a recession? Could it be, because their oil companies, keep making so much profit, they don't have a clue, of what normal American families, are going through?
I may be naive, but I often wonder why, this President, and his father, with the oil companies that they own, do not cut their profits, to help the American people, and the country, they say they love.
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Regarding the opinion piece of 5/7 (School Discipline is a Balancing Act), I must say I'm dismayed that you would support schools attempting to impose any authority over the off-campus, non-school-related activities of children. Would you also sanction your boss disciplining you for private activities that he did not condone, that have no bearing or impact on your ability to do your job?
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It is, or at least was, my observation that water has become a most precious commodity, evidenced by the drought-parched communities in the South forced to truck the liquid in from other areas. Apparently, however, my perception has been effectively invalidated by the York Water Company that is now contemplating a rate increase because it did not realize a profit.
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There are different kinds of racism – individual, cultural and institutional. Hopefully very few people are deliberately racist, yet a country cannot be based unashamedly on racist principles from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries and expect the residue to be magically erased by the stroke of the pen which signed legislation in Washington, DC, in 1965.
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All over the world water is a most precious commodity, and some sources say we're in danger of running out of clean drinking water! Kudos to the York County citizens who are doing their part in being good stewards of this natural resource and helping to conserve it. The York Water Company, a privately owned "public utility", obviously doesn't see it that way.
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There is a time in every community when it's newspaper is a real service. In the case of the York Daily Record, you have reached a real low. Last summer in your Roses and Thorns editorial page you critized people for using too much water. As a good community we followed your misguided advice. Now the wonderful water company is going to raise rates for not using enough water. How about thorns to the water company? With help like yours we'd be better off reading the Philadelphia news.
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I have been interviewed many times over the years about my experiences while in Viet Nam. I am proud to tell people of my service with the US army. For 39 years I have talked with veterans from all wars and told them to join a veteran club.
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Hello I am Tyler Crone. i am a senior at Central York High School. I was in an accident wednesday night. My two friends and i rounded a sharp turn and flipped my ford explorer onto its roof. We were two feet from the creek on Jug rd. Luckily we are all okay. i was the most banged up but other than a few cuts and scratches none of us were hurt too bad. the cops and paramedics said we were lucky that chances of surviving it were 50/50. My truck is totalled now and we are back in school. Anyways i thought it would be a good story.
Tyler Crone
York
I noted with some dismay the letter from Arlene Schmitt (5/9/08) concerning TND plans in York Township. Although there may be aspects of that particular development that may need further revision, her letter sounded more like NIMBY (not in my backyard) at the expense of the community at large.
Let me begin by saying that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest, as Ms. Schmitt does, that a TND would have a negative impact on property values. All indications are that the exact opposite is true. The aesthetic qualities required of a TND make them very attractive places to live.
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I was outraged today on my way to work driving up Route 83 from York to New Cumberland when I saw a billboard advertising a gun show. It featured a beautiful young woman holding in front of her chest two bulls' eyes as if her breasts were a target. What more blatant example do we need to show disrespect for women than such a bill board would be created, approved and paid for by some business, and tolerated by the viewing public!?
If that were a person of another minority holding up bulls' eyes in front of them, no one could not acknowledge how totally despicable, inappropriate, and indicative of male privilege and chauvinism the billboard is. What could more exemplify men exercising power and control over women than using women for a shooting target!?
Kathy Rauhauser
President York Chapter of NOW
Last Thursday I got a desperate call from a woman who reported a red fox, dragging a leg hold trap, in the parking lot of Medford Health facility, on South George Street. She thought the animal looked pregnant and was obviously in pain. The State Game Commission was called and sent out a local animal control officer to dispatch the animal because they "don't try to save rabies vectors," which means they kill anything that's injured that might be able to pass along rabies. By the time we all got to the scene the animal had dragged itself away, likely into the huge shrubs and despite a serious search, it could not be found.
I can only imagine the horror and pain it suffered, the trap clamped on it's crushed leg -- in some cases they chew thru the leg to free themselves. How anyone can put out such a trap, that may very well trap a cat, dog or child, is beyond me. These should be outlawed because of the inherent dangers to animals and humans.
Jane Heller
Spring Garden Township
Housing prices in the Dallastown Area School District (DASD) have fallen 16% from a year ago, and home sales are in the tank. Surprise! This is not a reflection of any problems with the DASD, rather, it is a direct result of stupid decisions made by York Township's Board of Commissioners (YT-BOC). This is the not-so invisible hand of the marketplace at work.
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I would like to thank the people of Wrightsville who came out to Thursday night's meeting about the Police Department. I was glad to hear their opinions. I don't think that 46 opinions cover the whole borough. I would like those who would like to express their opinions to have a chance to do so, who couldn't come to the meeting.
They may do so by sending me an email at: edwrightsville@comcast.net. They may also place their opinion in a sealed envelope, and drop it off at the borough office, attention: Ed Sipes, giving it to the borough secretary. They must include their name and address, just like at the meeting.
Ed Sipes
Wrightsville
A respected member of the community is beaten to a pulp at a concert in the rest room at Farquhar park last summer. Every night in the evening paper I read of muggings, assaults, armed robbery or murders. So how do the City Fathers address these very serious problems? Why, they institute a "No Smoking" ban in all city parks. What part of this scenario is my aging brain missing?
P. Philip Mann Jr.
Conewago Township
I am writing as a parent of children who attend Clearview Elementary School in the Red Lion Area School District to express the concern of myself and other Clearview parents regarding loss of our full-time principal.
Slightly over a week ago our principal was informed she would be transferred to another elementary school in the district “because of falling enrollment numbers in the lower end of the district”. As a result, Clearview is now to share a principal with Chanceford Elementary.
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Once again, no homeschooled seniors were recognized in the recently published Senior Honor Awards.
The York Homeschool Association (YHSA) has over 450 member families. Many other York families have homeschools, but do not belong to YHSA. With these numbers, more students attend homeschools in York County than attend Christian School of York and York Country Day School combined. So, why does the York County Chamber of Commerce and the York Daily Record/Sunday News continue to ignore such a large number of students?
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In his responses to his former pastor Barack Obama has missed an opportunity to help lift America out of our ignorance regarding some of our misbehavior. Reverend Wright is right: the United States government is capable of anything -- and so are you and I.
We should worry most when we claim it is not possible we can be as bad as others. Thomas Jefferson said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
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Sunday’s YCCAR article on the question of White to Black racism brought back memories of many volunteer hours after the riots in upstate NY, helping to bring about healing, including circulation of Open Housing symbols in my suburb and starting an education program for those in nearly all-white churches.
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In response to Gordon Freireich's column, "If these wall could talk" He wrote about the demolition of a section of row homes in York city and how his son is house hunting in a turn around section of Philadelphia. I seem to remember back in the early 80's a program for homebuyers where one could buy a home in certain parts of the city for one dollar.
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I cannot begin to describe how disappointed I am after hearing Governor Rendell’s plan to raise the tax on all tobacco products in Pennsylvania. As the owner of three small retail establishments in downtown York, I am afraid of what this tax increase could do to my business and my customers. I cannot afford to lose the business of my loyal customer base, because of some “big government” tax increase. People are struggling to make ends meet as it is with high gas prices and high inflation.
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A May 4th York Sunday News frontpage article questions whether racism still exists . . . yes it does, and in no small part because of the cottage industry that thrives on keeping it alive. You know who I mean, from the "diversity" gang's mandatory employee lectures at any large place of business, to national public personalities constantly jumping at any chance to highlight how racist a country we are. They have a vested interest.
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The Genetic Discrimination Act just passed is an atrocity. The correct law would provide jail time, large fines, and damages to the affected individual, for an insurance company’s possession of genetic information. The correct law would do the same for anyone providing that information to other than medical personnel or closely related family members. The correct law would allow law enforcement to possess genetic information only for DNA matching purposes, and not any analysis of disease proclivity.
Instead, the burden of proof of discrimination has been placed on the person denied coverage. The insurance industry can discriminate, merely using superficial excuses to deny coverage, and forcing the affected individual to engage in a long and costly court battle.
Carl Huber
Springettsbury Township
Your recent portrayal of the school property tax "relief" to be provided to local property owners from the state was both deceptive and misleading. You presented a very positive picture regarding the amount of tax relief homeowners will receive. What you failed to mention is that many homeowners will actually see increases in their school tax bills this year. This is the result of excessive spending increases imposed by our local school districts which more than offset the miniscule relief received from the state. Until the voters have override authority on school spending matters, this taxpayer abuse will continue. Or, citizens will continue to vote with their pocket books and move out of PA, "the land of taxes."
Steve Felton
North Hopewell Township
Normally, when reading an editorial that I necessarily don't agree with, I consider the source and move on. But, this one written by Mr. Tim Wise, who is one of the key note speakers for the York County Community Against Racism's annual meeting, really rubbed me the wrong way.
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I guess we're supposed to believe that the dwindling available farmland due to greedy "developers" with their steadily spreading sprawl have nothing to do with this? Look at all the land around us that is now covered wth lookalike houses and oversized grass lawns. All of that same land could be growing corn and other grain crops that would be keeping prices down and bringing profits into the area. Yes we need more housing for an increasing population but there are much better methods of urban planning.
Years of poor planning fueled by greedy people with deep pockets have now turned around to bite us.
Eric Lowe
York
To the current Dover School Board, apparantly you are not on top of the current situations that are happening around you. People all around you are struggling to keep what they have as it is. There are those of us that, come raise time at work, we may be lucky to even see a 3% pay raise and I do mean LUCKY. Even with that pay raise, take into consideration that health benefits rose 26% and other insurances have risen as much or more. Along those lines, even with the minimum raise, after taxes, take home pay is even less this year than the previous year, yet one must still be able to pay the bills. This taken into account and the current gas price gougeing that is happening, now you state that you are going to raise the local taxes to the maximum 5.9 % increasing a home owners property tax even higher.
Re: Troy Baney facing possible criminal charges just to get his dog back? Why is the district attorney pursing criminal charges when if anything, this is a civil matter, (not even a case) at best. Why should the taxpayers carry the burden of the $1000's of dollars this case would cost the state?
This should be on Dr. Phil, not wasting precious court time and resources. Settle this quickly. The two involved, one district justice and someone to keep the formal record. Bring the dog. Let the dog choose. No cheating, no dressing like a duck, no quacking like a duck, and no hiding in a duck blind. Whoever the dog goes to gets to take him home. For heavens sake, DA's office, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of crimes out there to prosecute. Let the man have his dog, and move on.
Barbara Murphy
York
I am writing to complain about an issue with our COMMUNITY Park. Recently, our children were told they could not play frisbee on the fields of our park ( which we pay taxes), because they were wet from the rain the night before. They were told the conditions were not acceptable for field use. They were also told playing on the fields would damage them for the Softball Leagues. I can't inderstand how playing frisbee, can damage the fields. To my knowledge, they rent the fields to softball and baseball,and they play in the rain! Seems to me, that any paying organization has prescedence over the residents. If the community tax dollars fund the fields, then the residents should have use of the Community Park.
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I was amused reading the letter from Rick Stitler calling to "Make the beer industry pay." I'd love to know where he got his information. All 50,000 deaths in America caused by beer? What about liquor? What about illegal drugs? What about prescription drugs? What about people just being plain mean?
I'd like to know what enticing ads you see on TV. You never ever see a person drinking a beer in a TV ad. And I feel the beer industry as well as the liquor industry does an adequate job of warning people to drink sensibly. In the end, it's you has to be responsible for your drinking!
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