Voices From The Readers

Voices From The Readers
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Against Expansion

Editor,

My question to the council, "How can you expand in this economy?" The employees were recently told the heating bill needs to be cut by $150,000 and any use of space heaters will be confiscated. You can’t keep the employees warm but you can add on space. When the economy was in better shape, the old adage, "spend money to make money," does make sense. However, how are you going to heat the new addition when you can’t keep your employee’s warm in the old one.

I’d say you should prove it to the taxpayers that it won’t cost them anything by collecting the money first. No loans, no financing just have the money in the bank. Speculating that the food tax will pay the expenditure is just another form of mismanagement that was displayed recently by the “Big Three.” I’m sure if the local taxpayer knew what the cost was to maintain the Winterfest of Lights, the displays and the man hours from start to finish, it would be history, especially when the taxpayer pays the expenses of this light show when it’s the town and the tourism trade that benefits … again.

Bradley Marshall

Ocean Pines

Thumbs Up To Council

Editor:

I congratulate the Ocean City Council members for their recent approach to discussion, debating, and questioning of topics that come before them. It is encouraging that, when needed, voting on issues is postponed until they are investigated and hearings are held.

Present day council members are more cautious and aware of the recession that we are facing as they plan for the city’s future. Expansion of the Convention Center is one such issue. In my opinion, as the recession worsens, we will be fortunate to be able to utilize the existing space.

I encourage Ocean City residents to attend council meetings held on Monday evenings or on Tuesday afternoons. Meeting times and agendas are posted on channel 4. If you have a compliment or concern, share it with your council members.

John McDermott
Ocean City

Thanks From Noel
Editor:

The Noel Community extends a thank you to places of worship, individuals, businesses, and civic groups for the overwhelming support for our 11th Annual Christmas Dinner. We are especially grateful to Father David Dingwall and St. Paul’s by-the Sea; to the many businesses and civic groups for supplying food, making generous monetary donations, and sponsoring toy and food drives; to the local media for publicizing our event; to all the individuals and churches for donating toys, food, desserts, toiletries and monetary gifts; and to everyone for volunteering their time.

The Noel Community served 1,500 free meals this year, including carry-outs and deliveries to individuals who otherwise would be lonely or hungry. We provided toys, toiletries, socks, hats, and clothing to those in need. We prepared hot meals for police officers, fire personnel and other public servants working on Christmas day. The Noel Community appreciates the generous support from Ocean City, Ocean Pines, Berlin, and surrounding neighborhoods allowing us to make the Christmas celebration special for many in our community. We will continue to expand our outreach beyond Christmas Day serving free lunches at a local food pantry with the leftover supplies and funds. Thank you again.

 The NOEL Committee

Leave Bus Alone

Editor:

As a frequent user of the Ocean City bus service, I am appalled at the notion that the Silly Council wants to discontinue the service for the overnight hours, thus hurting the riders who need the service the most. There may not be many of us, but the few that exist are not on the bus because it’s a fun ride nor do we enjoy standing out in the cold and dark waiting for our chariot to arrive. If we had any other choice, believe me we would take it. But, we don’t, so we have to make do with what is available.

Alas, the Silly Council wants to take it away from us entirely. And what do they offer for those of us who need the late night bus service. Um, would you believe, nothing.

Maybe we’re just supposed to walk to and from work and all of the other places we need to be. If it’s cold and/or raining (not an unusual occurrence, given that it’s the middle of winter in the city by the ocean), oh well, too bad, right?

How about this Mr. Mayor and the rest of the Silly Council. I’m issuing you a public challenge. If all of you can relinquish your warm and comfortable cars for a period of one month, starting today, and use only the bus to get to and from your jobs, the grocery store, doctors appointments, the pharmacy and the hundreds of other tasks that need to be completed daily, then maybe you can make a cognizant and realistic decision about whether to cut the service or not.

But, remember, the challenge starts now, and there’s no cheating. No "I had a meeting that I had to get to" or "I was taking my spouse out for dinner." Uh-uh. You have to live just as many of us do and take the bus everywhere for everything. If you miss one, too bad, you have to pony up cab fare or wait for the next.

Cheaters will have to buy bus tickets for one day’s worth of riders, and we get to pick the day.
Think you’re up for it Mr. Mayor, have the stamina Silly Council?
Let’s see you step up to the plate (or the bus stop, as it were).

If you can’t, or won’t accept the challenge, leave the bus service alone and find the money somewhere else.

Try the advertising budget, did we really need the ridiculous dino-soar commercials? The money wasted on those would have kept the busses running all winter.

So, what’s it going to be?
Paul Toulotte
Ocean City

Stick With Americans

Editor:

With the economy in the state that it is experiencing, I can’t help but write a letter. As a former educator, parent and just having a love for young people, we need to speak up on their behalf.

I know for a fact there are quite a few young Americans in our local area who look for employment not only during the bustling summer season, but as winter sets upon us. I, for one, am bothered by the fact that foreign students, not citizens of the U.S., hold many of the available jobs in our local area. I have no problem with these foreign students earning a living because I know they are good workers, but when our United States young citizens can’t get jobs because of the foreign contingency something is wrong. Foreign students should be laid off and young Americans should be put to work.

My great uncle who raised me was a Marine during WWII. His best buddy lost an arm during the war. They built a beach cottage in the late 1940s. I called it a rehabilitation build. We need a rehabilitation build supporting our young Americans.

Yes, I know their spoiled and their work habits need to be improved but their blood runs red, white and blue.

If your blood runs green and it’s all about the money and you don’t hire our young Americans you have forgotten why our military fights for our freedom as Americans.

Hire American citizens.

Sheila Rose

Protect Us Legislators

Editor:

There are many wolves out there from whom the Assembly needs to protect us. Here’s how:

1.Make BGE-Constellation Energy, before cutting off someone’s power, supply him a gasoline-fueled electricity generator, connect it to his electricity intake line, and hand him a $1,000 voucher for gasoline. To fund this, cut all BGE-CE bigwig’s pay $100,000.

2. Require Anne Arundel to allow begging on street corners for fuel and electric money.

3. Forbid BGE-CE to cut off power in summer as well as winter. Summer heat kills, too.

4. Tax the big corporations who pay no Maryland income tax at all! They’re like French nobility before 1789. And rich Marylanders pay a wimpy income tax. Boost it to 10% for $250.000; 20% for $500,000; 30% for $750,000; and 40% for $1,000,000 and above.

5. Let into slots dens only taxpayers who, on returns, claim no school-age dependents.

6. Divert state money from that frankenroad in Montgomery, the Inter-County Connector. Use the money to stay BGE cutoffs. put the project’s federal money into the Purple Line.

7. Grant “standing” to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other groups to testify in boards and courts. The lack of standing contributes greatly to the Bay becoming a sewer.

8. Implement non-carbon fuel: wind, solar, hydro, geo-thermal, etc. Try wave turbines, not oil rigs off the ocean coast. Non-carbon fuel is not visionary, it’s necessary! We’ll never have peace until we’re energy independent of nation who aid terrorists. We’ll never have a decent environment until we’re independent of carbon fuels.

9. Replace the Public Service Commission with a Committee of Public Safety. Next time BGE-CE raises rates, pack their bigwigs off to a cold, dark, damp, ratty cell in Jessup.

J.A. Hoage

Severna Park