Lawmakers Need To Hike Dui Penalties Worthwhile Events For A Severance Tax Endorsing Alice Yoder Machine Guns Allowed

I saw the front-page article about the father of Meredith Demko (the young woman killed in a recent accident allegedly caused by a drunk, drugged-up driver). The grieving father met with some elected officials about Pennsylvania's need for tougher punishment for intoxicated drivers.

I don't know how many people have died in incidents caused by intoxicated drivers in Lancaster County over the past 50 years, but something should have been done decades ago to prevent the carnage.

If so-called "leaders" in this county and in Harrisburg had done their jobs many years back, perhaps professor Geoffrey Pywell, his wife and son would be alive today. (They were killed in an accident in 1995.)

Remember the three men from York (Martin Banks Sr. and brothers Inocente and Luis Sanchez) killed by Sarah Timblin, who was driving under the influence in 2008? They had taken a temp job to make some money so that their families might have a decent Christmas. Instead, their families had to plan their funerals.

When God set down the Ten Commandments, they were for all of the human race, not just those to whom he spoke. One of the commandments is "Love thy neighbor as thyself." When people indulge in abuse of alcohol and/or narcotics, they give only the impression that they could not care less for their own well-being and surely prove that they do not care about their fellow human beings.

Most business operators run their enterprises responsibly and with a sense of pride. However, when it comes to establishments that serve alcohol, proprietors too often carry on as though they bear no responsibility for their customers and the general public.

They are wrong.

Alcohol may be legal, but that does not give any liquor store, bar or restaurant the right or excuse to serve a clearly drunken customer. Nor should an establishment allow a clearly "wasted" individual to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

It is time for our laws to hold both the consumers and the sellers/suppliers accountable for whatever happens as a result of the use or misuse of these dangerous products.

A great number of people lose friends and family members, all because someone operated a vehicle while intoxicated and someone else served that drink/drug to that person.

There are always consequences for whatever we do in life. If you cannot pay the price, do not commit the act. Use the mind God gave you.

William G. Smith

East Hempfield Township

Sept. 19 is POW/MIA Day across the country. It's a very special day to me and, I would hope, to others who value the freedom that we have.

Various organizations are observing this day, not only to remember prisoners of war and those missing in action but to honor all of our veterans.

Please call your local AMVETS, Veteran of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts and ask what they have planned. And then attend.

Folks work long and hard on these events, and it can be very frustrating if they have a poor attendance. Generally, the events last about an hour. Can't you give an hour of your time to show respect?

Personally, I know that the AMVETS Post 19 observation is at 1 p.m.Sept. 20 at the post home at 715 Fairview Ave. in Lancaster. VFW Post 1463's observation is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in Lititz Springs Park. Call them for more details.

Karen Davis

Lancaster Township

(The writer is the widow of U.S. Navy Capt. Ed Davis, a prisoner of war in Vietnam for 7 1/2 years. She will speak at both the AMVETS and VFW events.)

Still undecided about which candidates will get your vote this November?

One very important issue should help you choose. According to a briefing paper published by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, virtually every state in the nation with mineral resources - including natural gas, oil, coal and even sand - collects revenue from the companies that extract these finite resources. Severance taxes provide these states with an important source of funding for investments in education, transportation and other infrastructure that help to build a strong economy.

In 2012, Pennsylvania enacted an "impact fee" on natural gas wells drilled into Pennsylvania'sMarcellus Shale that generates a relatively small amount of revenue from the expanding gas industry. Replacing Pennsylvania's impact fee with a modest 4 percent severance tax could generate $1.2 billion annually by 2019-20, three times that of the current fee. (pennbpc.org/look-other-states-shows- marcellus-impact-fee-shortchanges-pennsylvanians).

Democratic candidates Tom Wolf (governor), Tom Houghton (U.S. Congress), Gary Schreckengost (state Senate) and Charlie Hample, Brian Kresge, Mike Sturla, Tony Crocamo and Bryan Sanguinito (state House) all favor a severance tax.

Help all Pennsylvanians. Vote for these candidates this November.

Judy Colton

Lititz

Incredibly, our local right-wing Republican state representatives are still opposing Medicaid expansion, even though Gov. Tom Corbett belatedly recognized its moral and financial necessity.

You can bet that 41st District candidate Brett Miller would follow in lock step with his fellow Republican legislators who are guided by ideology, not reality.

Contrast this rigid mentality with that of Miller's opponent, Alice Yoder. With much of her career spent in the public health field, she has seen firsthand the effects of an unhealthy child unable to learn, or a sick adult unable to be productive at work due to untreated illness. Alice understands that affordable health care is vital to achieve our economic goals as a community.

Pennsylvania has needlessly lost money and lives because of political grandstanding by Republicans who have wasted time rejecting Medicaid funds.

The failure to expand Medicaid not only means fewer insured patients, it also eliminates payments to hospitals to cover the cost of the uninsured people they treat for free. We all end up paying for it in the long run, in increased insurance premiums and fees for services.

If those residing in the 41st District are tired of the nonsense and desire a rational, fiscally responsible and moral voice on the issue of health care, the choice is clear: Vote for Alice Yoder on Nov. 4.

Doug Pryer

Mountville

In the Sept. 11 paper, an article about a local man who was arrested and possessed an automatic weapon erroneously stated it "is illegal to possess a fully automatic machine gun."

The National Firearms Act of June 1934 allows any law-abiding citizen to own a Class 3 weapon (machine gun, destructive device, suppressor, etc.) in Pennsylvania and 34 other states.

Although ownership by the person mentioned in the article might not be lawful, others who pass an adequate background check and pay a $200 transfer tax can purchase and own a Class 3 weapon in Pennsylvania.

Bruce Leese

Lancaster