Effort To Combat Human Trafficking Nutrient Reductions Snowy Owl Photos God Creates Gays, Too Vigorous Press Needed Heritage Path Touted Retirees Not…

Effort To Combat Human Trafficking Nutrient Reductions Snowy Owl Photos God Creates Gays, Too Vigorous Press Needed Heritage Path Touted Retirees Not Covered Pause In Global Warming A Woman's Choice

With all the country's attention on the Super Bowl, I'm very glad to see coverage of the brutal crime of human trafficking accompanying the festivities.

Human trafficking is an issue I know Pennsylvanians are committed to combating, locally and worldwide, and I believe it is time our elected leaders prioritize this global, borderless crime.

Sens. Casey and Toomey have the ability to support and advance a small bill that would be a big deal for people living in slavery today.

Senate Bill 1249 would elevate the authority of the State Department's Trafficking in Persons Office - the nerve center of U.S. anti-trafficking efforts worldwide.

This legislation would make the TIP Office a full-fledged State Department Bureau in order to best represent the interests of the most vulnerable people in the world - slaves and trafficking victims.

This is a cost-free change that I and thousands of Pennsylvanians are rooting for - not just on Super Bowl Sunday, but until Congress passes this bill.

Let's go, senators! It's time to co-sponsor SB 1249 and have Pennsylvania's leadership prioritizing human trafficking and modern slavery with Super Bowl-level attention.

Bethany Woodcock

Paradise Township

In January 2013, the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget & Finance Committee issued a report concluding that Pennsylvania's annual cost to meet federally mandated Chesapeake Bay nutrient reductions could be reduced from the projected $1.8 billion annually by 2025 to less than $300 million if Pennsylvania adopted a competitive-bidding program for verified reductions from all sources.

The LBFC report focused on verified reductions from non-point agricultural sources as the low-cost solution. Legislation in support of a competitive-bidding approach was sponsored in the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee by Sen. Elder Vogel. Senate Bill 994 was passed by the committee in June 2013 and awaits action by the full Senate and subsequently that by the House.

Competitive bidding is a simple, obvious and proven way to reduce CB compliance costs and is the very same process used by Pennsylvania to procure the majority of its goods and services.

CB compliance costs have fallen predominately on the residents in the Susquehanna watershed with increases in public utility water and sewer bills by as much as 300 percent while only a small portion of Pennsylvania's total CB-mandated nutrient reductions have been achieved.

Recently, EPA published a technical assessment that the best management practices deployed for decades at a cost of tens of millions in taxpayer funds have resulted in only half of the projected nutrient. Clearly, the existing system needs to be made more accountable and cost effective.

Pennsylvania state law requires that public authorities utilize low-cost solutions. SB 994 would create a competitive-bidding program to procure nutrient reductions at the lowest cost to the taxpayers. LBFC projected that this approach could reduce CB compliance costs by up to 80 percent or up to $1.5 billion annually.

The existing decades-old approach to meet CB nutrient-reduction mandates no longer serves the environmental or economic interests Pennsylvania taxpayers and rate payers.

And under a new competitive-bidding program, projects would be paid in arrears for the nutrient reductions verified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, thereby transferring the performance risk from the taxpayer to the private sector, creating real and tangible accountability.

Ed Schafer

Vice Chair

Bion Technologies

Oldbethpage, N.Y.

(Editors' note: The writer is a former U.S. secretary of agriculture under President George H.W. Bush.)

In our area of Lancaster County, we have had the most wonderful opportunity to see several snowy owls enjoy our farmlands. Many folks have come to photograph them, both professional and amateur, like myself.

Our family has had the wonderful opportunity to meet Alan Richard, a local wildlife photographer, who was kind enough to ask permission to photograph from our property. He promised a photo of Mr. Snowy Owl and he followed through with that promise.

Recently, he brought to our home a beautiful photo, matted and signed. What a gentleman.

I encourage anyone interested to go to his website at wildlifephotoaddict.com and click on "Collections" to see his collection of snowy owl photos. You will be amazed.

Ray and Mim Martin

Earl Township

I see my old friend, C.L. Frackman, is at it again, defining what is and is not Christianity. The most disturbing comment was, "It's either black or white."

In other words you must believe what he believes. Although I am not homosexual, I find it offensive that he labels people created by God, the way they are, as immoral.

In his brand of Christianity, Jesus loves you all the way to hell. Homosexual, Muslim, Jew, atheist or those who do not share his view of God's word are all doomed.

I'm not saying he is wrong. I'm saying it is not right for everybody. There are many followers of Jesus who know love is love.

Mr. Frackman should not marry another man; that would be wrong for him. It would be just as wrong for someone to marry a person of the opposite sex if they are homosexual.

He is free to interpret ancient writings any way he likes. He doesn't have the right to condemn Frank Schaefer for disagreeing with him.

There are a number of Christian churches here that preach homosexuality is not immoral but natural and good in the eyes of God.

Look for open and affirming churches.

Christine Macready

West Hempfield Township

Our Founding Fathers thought it was so important to have a free press to keep an eye on our politicians, they included freedom of the press in the Bill of Rights. How refreshing it was to once again seeing investigative journalists spring into action after revelations of an intentional traffic jam going from Fort Lee, N.J., to the George Washington Bridge.

After being in a six-year coma, it was gratifying to see journalists actually fulfilling their Constitutional expectations. If Gov. Christie did know beforehand of this or had anything to do with it, he should be removed from office. Period.

What a shame the same zeal to uncover the truth about Benghazi or the IRS scandals have not even come close to the furor over a traffic jam. No answers about gun transfers to Mexican drug lords and what part the "Justice" Department played.

I find it incredible nobody has asked what our president did the night four Americans were under attack in Benghazi or who was responsible for denying Ambassador Steven's requests for beefed-up security before the attacks. Or who made up the story of a video being the cause of a demonstration gone wild, even after the recent Senate Intelligence Committee report saying Leon Panetta knew within minutes it was a terrorist attack.

Are the American people ever going to get answers or will the press just say, "At this point in time, what difference does it make?"

Ted Fabianski

Manor Township

I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for the proposed Greater Lancaster Heritage Path, a non-motorized roadway that would yield significant dividends to this community in the coming years.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control issued another research report, indicating that only one in four youths in our country engages in sufficient physical exercise. Children need at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Lack of safe, traffic-free areas for play are one contributing factor that influences children to remain sedentary.

By creating the Greater Heritage Path, our community provides not only a safe place for our children and adults to exercise, but also viable links for commuters who balk at traversing the main roads to reach their destination. These linear parks encourage residents to incorporate exercise into their daily habits and routines, which helps to combat obesity and many other diseases that result from sedentary lifestyles.

In addition to the health benefits, other communities have seen monetary dividends from these non-motorized pathways.

Shipshewana, Ind., for example, has an established Amish community much like Lancaster. They recently opened, and continue to develop, the Pumpkin Vine Trail, a non-motorized bike and pedestrian path that links several communities in northern Indiana. This trail has attracted attention regionally, and has increased tourists who patronize local restaurants and spend money in that community.

In this same way, the Heritage Trail will link Lancaster city with areas in the county where large communities of plain sect residents live. If these pathways also include horse and buggy traffic, tourists will certainly appreciate the unique appeal of the landscapes and opportunities to see a different lifestyle close-up.

In short, this proposed trail makes sense.

I hope that the county can quickly shore up funding, so that this trail and many other links that improve bicycle safety and mobility in our community can begin to take shape.

Nate Milton

Manheim Township

What is happening to our world? My elderly mother received a call from a Teamsters representative the other day notifying her that after the end of February she would have no insurance.

Apparently, the place she worked and retired from, formerly Skyline Industries, now Acme Markets/SuperValue in Denver, Pa., is renegotiating a new contract. There are three retirees, all ladies, whose insurance is being dropped due to them no longer wishing to cover retirees on their plan.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Is this discriminating against these three women? I think so. These women all have some health issues and pay for their own insurance.

So, beware if you work at SuperValue. They aren't looking out for you, that is for sure.

Karin Roland

Mount Joy Township

Almost weekly, readers are bombarded with "climate change messaging" in letters to the editor. I find it amusing that, no matter what the weather, including our current record cold, they blame our use of carbon energy.

The reality is that global warming has paused and no one is sure why. This fact should cause all of us to pause before we spend limited resources to increase our energy costs vis-a-vis China and others.

As 2016 nears, I hope America again chooses the path of jobs and economic growth by adopting policies aimed at keeping us a low-cost energy producer, using all of our abundant resources.

Only then will we be prepared to manage the inevitable change that weather naturally brings.

Bruno S. Schmalhofer

East Hempfield Township

I have to agree with Intelligencer Journal syndicated columnist Clarence Page that men should not vote on abortion. The first time I heard about abortion laws was from an older lawmaker on television.

Not knowing under what circumstances a girl or woman is seeking an abortion, I don't feel it is my right to oppose her. It will be on her conscience.

However, with all the methods of birth control available today, I can't understand why she would get pregnant if she didn't want a child.

I also feel that instead of having an abortion, have the child and allow someone to adopt it.

Barbara J. Germer

Manor Township