Winters Qualified Solutions For Ss Marietta Council Key ‘Rubbish Politics’ Sincere Or A Ploy? A Double Standard Rein In Lawmakers A Matter Of Style… [Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, PA)]

Winters Qualified Solutions For Ss Marietta Council Key 'Rubbish Politics' Sincere Or A Ploy? A Double Standard Rein In Lawmakers A Matter Of Style Myopic Lawmakers Gray's Cheap Shot Smart But Unwise

When seeking qualified candidates for local offices, the process is not an easy one. Some people do not have the time to devote to the office, others are just not interested or some are not qualified. However, when the candidate meets the criteria for consideration, positive action should be followed.

There is such candidate. His name is Thomas Winters. Thomas is the incumbent. He seeking re-election as a member of the Manheim Township School Board.

Qualification and interest are two reasons why voters might consider Dr. Winters for this position.

First of all, he has a Ph.D. in industrial education from the University of Maryland. He retired in 2005 after 39.5 years service in public education and, of those years, 24.5 years he served at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. During his tenure at the department he served as acting secretary of education.

As a candidate who is retired, he has the time, the knowledge base and understanding of the opportunities and challenges public education will face in the next decade and how these challenges will affect the taxpayers of Manheim Township.

Thomas' priority as a school director is to further the reputation of the Manheim Township schools as a leader in quality and student performance.

A. Richard Bard

Manheim Township

There is a lot of nonsense going around about Social Security being an entitlement and going broke.

First of all, it is an insurance program with contributions being made by its participants and being paid into a safe cache of U.S. government bonds. It is not an entitlement program.

On the other hand, it is unfairly set up and needs change.

Do most citizens realize that domestic workers and agriculture workers were shut out of it? Now that couldn't be, because most African-Americans were domestic workers or farm hands, would it? That needs to be corrected.

Secondly, there is unfairness in the system that needs to be corrected. When I was an engineer working at RCA, I noted one day that my pay was noticeably larger.

I asked the boss if I had gotten a raise that he forgot to tell me about. He looked at my pay stub and said that they stopped taking Social Security out of my paycheck.

I realized that the workers in the factory, who were making less than me, were paying a much larger part of their pay into the Social Security fund than I. At the time, I thought that this was unfair and I still thing that it is unfair!

Also, I found out that people who make their living where they do not get a salary from an employer were not part of the system.

With these problems in the system, I'd suggest that Social Security contributions be paid on all salaries with no upper limit, and that all income be subject to the Social Security tax.

Robert G. Neuhauser

East Lampeter Township

Those of us who encouraged Ray Vegso to run against the current mayor of Marietta have been greatly heartened by the community support for Ray's thoughtful analysis of long-standing town issues and willingness to work hard to help the residents as he and they contribute to the town's well-being.

What may not be generally known is that Marietta has what is known as a Weak Mayor System. That simply means that the mayor has little say in the actual decision-making. It is the borough council which wields the power of the vote on town issues. My understanding is that the mayor only votes if a tie needs to be broken.

With that said, it will then be important to elect council members who can work with someone who is a voice for change.

Marietta voters, please take note that there are candidates for borough council on the Democrat and independent tickets who are looking to form a council that is smart, communicative and able to respond with thought to community issues. Some of them are write- ins, as is Vegso.

Please bring out the vote on Tuesday.

Lillian Hill

East Donegal Township

The National Motto Display Act, which passed the state House Education Committee last week, is a foolish attempt by state legislators to promote their values and constitutes a violation of the First Amendment's establishment clause. It is unfortunate that the legislators supporting this bill fail to respect a citizen's right to both freedom of religion and to freedom from religion.

This bill will fail. However, the author and supporters of this bill have achieved their goal: They made national headlines by demanding "In God We Trust" be posted in public schools. Sadly, by pushing forward rubbish politics and pandering to their religious constituents, Rep. Rick Saccone and others mock legislators who are actively working on practical endeavors to improve Pennsylvania.

I find curious Saccone's statement that the bill "isn't about evangelizing" but "celebrating our national motto." If our students need a motto displayed in every state school, why not Pennsylvania's state motto: "Virtue, Liberty and Independence"?

We should reinforce the virtues of honesty and hard work, celebrate individual liberty, and encourage independent thought. Our students and our state would be better served if we put our trust in logic, in science and in humanity.

Bryan Hynes

East Hempfield Township

I read recently of Gov. Tom Corbett's decision to expand Medicaid to residents of Pennsylvania. This seems to be a turnaround from when he first took office, and he refused to fund the AdultBasic program that impacted 41,000 Pennsylvania residents.

I wonder, is the governor going to re-offer this program to the 41,000 people he cut off in 2011, or is this a ploy in an attempt to try and appease the voters with elections coming up?

David C. Pfeiffer

Pequea Township

Sunday columnist Leonard Pitts' disdain for Ben Carson ("Carson sinks to a new low," Oct. 20) goes on a historical rant, including such notable atrocities as the resignation of a Republican president. But he somehow omits the impeachment of another, a Democrat. I have won a few free lunches from lefties who also denied this historical fact. Either Pitts is unaware or impeachment is less than resignation. Yes, neither is acceptable, like his column.

Michael J. Rublesky III

Drumore Township

I don't know if it bothers anyone else, but when I see Congress give each other "high fives" because they submitted a bill at the 11th hour that should have been worked out months ago, it makes me sick.

It also makes me sick to know that some of our own local congressmen voted against the extension of the debt ceiling when the results of not passing it would have been catastrophic to our economy.

I am not happy with our government's spending policies, but there is a time and place for everything, and it was not at the expense of our tenuous economy.

The waste in government is appalling and needs to be corrected immediately. If we don't stop "pork barreling" and institute a line- item veto, our debt ceiling will need continually to be raised.

It is up to us, as individuals, to vote those men and women into office who are not afraid of the political ramifications of their party in not voting along party lines.

There also needs to be term limits so power does not end up in the hands of a few.

Only then will we be able to return the United States to the great country that it once was.

Larry Harsh

West Lampeter Township

I attended the Oct. 17 forum of six candidates running for three Manheim Township commissioners' seats.

If it is true that MT is a desirable place to live and raise a family, it also is true that the township is not isolated from the socioeconomic reality of the region and the nation. With that in mind, I expected to hear the candidates express their understanding of some of the following issues:

nPromoting affordable housing according to a sensible and environmentally friendly use of space, to reduce the loss of the community green areas.

nPromoting environmentally friendly business and industrial activity that will create stable, well-paid jobs and increase the strength of the tax base.

Promoting farm and natural land preservation as an alternative to development.

nMaintaining the current amenities that make MT a desirable community.

The Republican candidates responded from a script of buzzwords, seemingly a continuation of the rhetoric of their recent primary. I felt that their presentation was an insult to the intelligence of those present. If that is what it means to be "on track and to keep the ball rolling," I doubt their capacity to address the township's challenges.

The Democratic candidates represented what the township needs: open-minded, creative and critical-thinking people from diverse backgrounds. Sam Mecum, Brenda Kauffman and Steve Elliot answered the questions without a script. They think for themselves and are able to analyze situations and find solutions. That will benefit the citizens of Manheim Township today and into the future.

Jose E. Diaz

Manheim Township

So, Sen. Ted Cruz and those who support his views think they can shoot themselves (and others) in the head and no harm will come of it. We learn that there are $24 billion reasons to doubt their logic - not to mention the $200 billion other contradictions they've inflicted on the nation with their delusional tactics ineptly disguised as politics.

It is so comforting to those they "represent" that Rep. Joe Pitts and Sen. Pat Toomey decided to join in with the stupidity rather than to earn converts to their views the old-fashioned way through serious negotiation.

They should let Cruz and his close buddies go off on their narcissistic chase and give them what they have earned - no attention whatsoever except in their own mirrors.

Terry W. Blue

Washington Boro

What if there were a hostage standoff up or down the Queen Street corridor?

Suppose an innocent bystander - minding his own business - was taken hostage somewhere in the city of Lancaster or one of its outlying areas.

Who would come to his or her rescue, if no persons were properly trained to step in a manage a situation?

It pays us all to be a crack shot, and Charlie Smithgall seems to want to provide this service - free of charge on his preserved farm in Drumore Township.

It is a gift to us that our government actually allows the county's Special Emergency Response Team, or SERT, to safely practice their shooting expertise on the targets of Smithgall's firing range, which is near the Fishing Creek Valley, owned by the Lancaster County Conservancy.

By Smithgall having his land preserved, he discourages profiteering rogue developers, looking to lure unsuspecting citizens out of our cities and towns with their own hidden agenda.

Let there be no mistake about it folks. On the night of Oct. 23, attorney Rick Gray stabbed our Charlie in the back down at Southern Market debate without his being able to properly defend himself.

Elizabeth Miller

Lancaster Township

In Ted Cruz, we have the poster boy of a man who is smart but not wise. That is what makes him so dangerous.

Edgar Stoesz

Akron