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Budget impasse a basis to vote out legislators
Because they did not pass the state budget on time, Pennsylvania’s legislators should all be voted out of office when their terms expire.
It shouldn’t matter if they belong to the Republican, Democrat, Independent or any other party.
Also, Pennsylvania taxpayers should be given amnesty on paying their taxes on time. Extend the time for 57-plus days, due to the state budget holdup!
Products lacking nutrition should see higher taxes
I’m not a government employee. But how hard is it to just create a rating system, like they do for movies, where every box of every item eaten, drunk or smoked has a rating based on its nutritional value, then taxing those foods with the higher ratings to fund a national health care system?
Go after the sources of our illnesses, such as junk foods, pollution, etc. Make it right by putting the squeeze on those who aim to hurt us through profit. I say payback time; we profit from them now.
Health-coverage needs outweigh partisan sniping
Unlike any other time in my life, the past year demonstrated to me just how vital it is for our nation to address the health care and insurance issue.
I took a sabbatical year from my position and was no longer eligible to receive health coverage from my employer. As a result, I had to make some decisions about medical care. Because I was living in Massachusetts at the time, I was required to have health insurance, and there were a number of options available. As a person with no income, none of the options were that “affordable.”
I had a savings account to fall back on, which enabled me to enroll in a plan. But by the end of the year that savings was nearly wiped out. I was fortunate; I was living in a place where room and board were provided. If I would have had to pay rent and buy groceries, while continuing to pay for car insurance and fuel, the commonwealth would have found me out of compliance, because I would not have had the funds to cover all my expenses and health insurance would not have been on my to-do list.
During that time I thought of all the people in our country who do not have any options for obtaining health coverage for themselves or their families. I continue to meet people who are working and still do not have enough to cover basic needs and health coverage. The choice then is to forgo any type of health coverage and hope for the best.
Something needs to be done, and we should have run out of patience waiting around while politicians continue petty and partisan squabbling on this issue. We deserve to have access to adequate, accessible and affordable health care.
We do not need a Democratic solution; we do not need a Republican solution. We need a solution that takes into consideration the needs of families and the needs of the most vulnerable in our nation – the children – and finally goes beyond politics and words into action.
Reader makes suggestions to curb red light runs
I would like to respond to the letter to the editor (Aug. 7) concerning the installation of traffic cameras at intersections. Very few people run red lights. There is no epidemic.
When it does occur, it is typically unintentional, as it would be suicidal to try it. If there truly are problematic intersections, making engineering enhancements would be one fantastic solution. Passing and enforcing better distracted driving laws also would help. Drive your car; put the phone and GPS away!
Simple steps, such as lengthening the yellow interval, making an all-red interval, synchronizing light timings on long boulevards, installing sensors to see if cars are present, making the yellow length the same duration everywhere, using larger lights, etc., can all significantly improve safety, but get no press.
Drive up to Dupont and look at the tiny stoplights on the side of the road. I have seen people go through them, because they didn’t see them. These were elderly drivers, not kids in a hurry. And it was unintentional.
Contrast that to the high-quality lights, in which there are traffic sensors, that are suspended on cantilevers and overheads near the arena, and you can clearly see the disparity in technology.
Speaking of traffic light synchronization, wasn’t that supposed to have occurred in Wilkes-Barre a decade ago, so people do not get red lights each block? I believe that got scrapped. By having repeated red lights, it does cause frustration, which is an engineering issue. People do not have the time to sit at lights, so once in awhile, someone might push it a bit and go when he shouldn’t. Easy fix: Install sensors and radio links.
The National Motorists Association made a red light challenge a few years ago. It asked cities to allow it to suggest improvements. If these were implemented but did not help, the association would give the city $10,000. Well, there were no takers that I am aware of, which makes it seem as if safety is not the primary motivation here.
In looking at the cameras, we already have them in Philadelphia but only in limited numbers. They are far from a resounding success. Any time you put cameras in, common sense will dictate that they will cause crashes. This is due to people being terrified and slamming on the brakes when the light immediately turns yellow. This will cause them to get hit severely from behind and might lead to a pileup.
The cameras are basically illegal anyway, since I have a right to confront my accuser in court. How can I ask computer circuit boards a question? All these tickets should get tossed.
The concept that these cameras represent a huge cash cow was the most incendiary part of what I read. Traffic law enforcement is supposed to be about safety, not money. If the government wants more money, it can try something new called cutting expenditures.
Reader alerts drivers to damage done to vehicle
I am writing to inform motorists who drive between the areas of Packer Avenue and Troyback Drive in Exeter to be aware of teenagers throwing baseballs at passing cars.
On Aug. 22 at 9:35 p.m. we were traveling on Slocum Avenue between the streets that I listed above and we heard a loud noise.
We stopped at the car wash to look at our Jeep, because there was more light there. There on the passenger side door was the perfect outline of a hardball, plus scratches. We went back and, to our surprise, found three teenagers by the road. As my husband said something to them, they took off running. My husband rode around the area and spotted them once again but in a group of seven. They took off running in different directions.
We could have been sitting on the side of the road seriously injured by the actions of these irresponsible teenagers.
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