Letter to the Editor

Published: February 7, 2010

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Forced compensation

EDITOR: I disagree with your editorial published Feb. 3, 2010, in which you advocate the imposition of a gas severance tax by the state. There seems to be an attitude among proponents of such a tax that the government is somehow entitled to a portion of the profits held by the private sector. The attitude is that the gas companies "can afford it." Your editorial proclaimed that this tax would help "share the wealth."

Whose wealth is it? Who has earned it? Certainly not the government. The government does not create wealth; it only confiscates and redistributes it.

Citizens in our area have been blessed with newfound resources because private citizens in other parts of the country developed a way to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale using new technology. Those private citizens then took the risk to invest millions of dollars to develop this resource. If their investment pays off, not only will they profit, but the citizens of Bradford County will as well.

Now some are coming forward and saying that those investors and private citizens should share some of that wealth with the government. The government has done nothing to earn it. The government simply wants more money to spend.

I understand the point that municipal roads need to be maintained if they are used and damaged by gas companies. That is why most municipalities signed road maintenance agreements with the gas companies or the municipalities bonded their roads. I am more likely to believe that gas companies will directly pay municipalities to repair and maintain roads because it is in their self-interest to do so. If a road becomes impassable, the company can't do business. I am more skeptical of the idea that municipalities will receive money back from Harrisburg if Harrisburg collects a severance tax. The state has a history of promising funds to counties and municipalities and then breaking that promise. A severance tax will simply transfer wealth out of the private sector to the government, and the government will waste it. History is our guide.

Finally, I found it interesting that your editorial commented that a severance tax is "widely regarded within the industry as part of the cost of doing business." It reminds me of the shopkeeper in 1920s Chicago who had to set aside a portion of his profits each week to pay the Mafia when they came calling. It was just "the cost of doing business." Forced confiscation is forced confiscation whether the confiscators are thugs or elected officials.

I applaud those legislators who have fought against the expansion of government taxation and spending. Keep the wealth in the private sector with those who have earned.

Chad Salsman

Wyalusing

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34 posted comments

With a 9.9% corporate tax and 3.07 income taxes on the landowners, Pennsylvania can expect a windfall of billions without a severance tax. to much waste in Harrisburg, they need to cut spending instead of looking for new sources of revenue.
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BB,  02/13/10 8:46
I agree with 'tax them'.
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Goober,  02/11/10 8:04
Don't get off the point with long winded political statements. The point of the original article is to tax or not and who will benefit if we do. I think we should tax the gas companies hard and give it directly to the municipalities, the counties, and environmental agencies such as the DEP and conservation districts. While taxing may seem like taking money to some, it is fair in this case because of the great damages being done by this industry. They are after 100 foot wide pipeline ROWs when 60 feet would do. Why the extra width? Watch for future pipeline projects coming your way.
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Tax Them,  02/11/10 4:33
Joe, I had to go search 'secular humanism' because I honestly didn't know what it meant. You are correct, as the definitions given accurately reflect my beliefs. I believe our early presidents and founding fathers were dead on in their beliefs, and for this reason separated church and state. Some were Deists, most were Unitarians, but as far as I know, none were Christians and all rejected the divinity of Jesus. John Adams believed, as I believe, that the best of all possible worlds would be one without religion in it. Washington believed strongly in the freedom from religious compulsion. I believe Jefferson was a Unitarian, and James Madison was not religious at all. Ethan Allen was called a deist, but believed only in what he called "the god of nature". One of the few times our Senate has voted unanimously was when in 1797 they affirmed that the government of the United States is NOT in any sense founded on the Christian religion. So they were not wrongheaded; they were all over the chart. I believe we will meet, as I will introduce myself to you at some point. As I have said before, my employer frowns on its employees putting their opinions in the newspaper, especially when expressing opinions that the general public might deem radical, or boneheaded. You may well someday change my mind. I have undergone paradigm shifts before and don't discount the possibility that it will happen again. I also wish you well.
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silly Steven no last name,  02/10/10 1:07
Dan West, did you just wake up from a years-long slumber? This is not your Daddy's Daily Review anymore. Its been advocating the left wing line for several years now.
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Nino,  02/10/10 10:15
Dear Mr. or Ms. Not that silly: Do you have a real name? Well, never mind, I guess it is not all that important for you to broadcast your identity; you and I will never meet it any physical or ideological manner anyway. I must say you are glib and fast on your feet with your secular humanistic approach to life. To me you are totally incorrect but only time will tell for both of us. I imagine Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Washington, Franklin and all of our other noted luminaries were all wrongheaded in their approach toward life as well. I wish you the best the world can offer you or you can grab from it, I see no point on continuing our dialogue. I cannot change you and you will not change me. Be well.
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Joe Doherty,  02/10/10 7:55
Joe D. There is a fundamental tenet that has guided human behavior across all societies, cultures, religions, and ethnic groups, around the world, and probably across the universe since man's time on earth began, and probably before that time in other places. It existed before man conceived the idea of a deity, and is found in the oldest writings that archaeologists have to date discovered in ancient civilizations. It remains fairly uniform regardless of what piece of what continent revealed it. Christians named it their 'golden rule', and worded it in modern language to say "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", but it predates Christianity by thousands of years and can be found in some form in every current and ancient religion and culture. If we could decipher the drawings on cave walls, it is probably the idea they were trying to convey. It is the basis for all our modern day laws, and was the guiding precept when our founding fathers formed our nation. But it does not come from your God or any other religion's God. It comes from within the human mind and heart. The Holy Christian Bible had little to do with the founding of our nation, because the founders understood the dangers of endorsing any one religion. But the fundamental idea on which the Bible is based had everything to do with the mission our founders imposed upon us. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Do it, not because the devil will git 'ya and you'll burn in hell for eternity if'n you don't, but do it because it's the right thing to do. It is a concept more powerful than any God, and the guiding principle for my life. If it guides you on a similar path, I commend you. But too many of the avowed Christians I know would burn in hell, if there was such a place, if they were judged by my simple rule. Guide your life on that one simple rule, and you will not have to fear for your soul, whether or not such a thing exists. I have faith, but it is faith in man and in this simple principle that should guide him. Your God would agree with me.
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not that silly,  02/09/10 8:31
Never EVER thought I would see the day when this paper would be advocating for a tax. Just how many times will the government try to tax this gas anyway? At the well, again in our gas bill, oh yes, let's not forget the income tax on the royalties and the corporate tax on the gas company, etc, etc, etc.
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Dan West,  02/09/10 2:36
To you, “organized religion” is a millstone around the neck of mankind. I expected a better thought out response than that sir. “Religion,” as you put it, is and has always been the basic foundation of our rule of law. Faith and belief in a higher power of whatever religion is the bottom line of jurisprudence in every country except maybe Russia. In America, in its early beginnings it was faith in the Almighty Creator and the Holy Christian Bible which was the foundation of our way of life. Although our founding fathers formed our Constitution and Bill of Rights on the tenets of the Bible, they made special assurances not to impose any particular form of religion on anybody. In my view, mankind without a supreme overview will degenerate to the lowest possible form. When this occurs, only the strong will survive; read that, ethnic cleansing. I will not denigrate any other religion; I will not say “my way or the highway” but I will say to you, mankind without faith is mankind without hope. Be well, God bless you. No, you didn’t sneeze, I'm more sure you puked lol.
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Joe Doherty,  02/09/10 2:16
Thank you Sue; you said it better than I did.
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feeling sillier,  02/09/10 11:01
You make some valid points, but why on earth would you want to ship the money from a severance tax to the state and rely on it to return some to your township? You know that the state will never return your fair share, and that Philadelphia and Pittsburgh which will produce none of this gas will get the bulk of it.
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Township Resident,  02/09/10 9:47
Joe D., I have no shortage of faith, although it is sorely tested at times. My faith is in the human race, and my hope is that it can survive and persevere despite the millstone around its neck that is organized religion. The Bible is just a story written by man. It's not based in fact. Show me the chapter on dinosaurs. If it is difficult to disprove the Bible by scientific method, think how hard it would be to prove it by the same method. Man created God in his own image, not the other way around. And did you hear the one about the agnostic, dyslexic, insomniac? He laid awake all night questioning whether there really was a dog. I respect your right to believe as you do, and I hope you will afford me the same courtesy. I am constantly amazed at the number of people, like you and Sue, who seem so intelligent and thoughtful, who believe in a God who created them. My faith is of a different sort. I believe in the human mind and in its power to do fantastic things. But I will continue to believe that one of its failings is to have invented Gods, across all cultures and throughout time. Do you believe that the Gods of other world religions do not exist, and that yours does? That is called egocentrism, the belief that ones own views are correct and the views of others are false. I respect everyone's right to form their own beliefs.
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still abounding,  02/09/10 8:47
Faith is not something to be defined by politics. It is personal.
The voice of God, may often be the sounding of one's conscience.
I believe not from what I see, or what others tell me. It isn't magic, altho miracles can happen. It is a quiet, calm, and reassuring force within. I don't justify my faith to others. It just is. However, if you do not feel it, or seek it, and even deny it, that is your right. If you God, is called another name from mine, that is fine. Being God, he does not need my help to do his job. Being just me, I do need his help and guidance. Altho, I serve him, I am not a slave. You are entitled to your faith, or lack of faith, I won't try to change you. I won't mock you, or call you names. I ask that you respect mine as well. As,I will accept yours. For you are you, and I am, I\me. Each different, but equally the same. Human.
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SueA,  02/09/10 8:33
To silliness abounds: Amen.
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Been There,  02/08/10 10:54
Dear Silliness: If God hasn’t “said” anything to you, I guess you aren’t listening. I think in your “alone-time” you should try to relax, focus and ask God to come into your heart. He will; this I know. The caveat is that if you ask in truth, honesty and a willingness to admit your errors [sins – repentance] THEN great things lay in store for you. I am not Billy Graham so I had better not go further or the Review may not post my response to you. However, if you want to know more, call me; 570-596-3224 – please do, I mean that. That is called faith my man and I even have a little faith or trust in you – and all the zillions of other readers out there.
Trust me when I tell you that it would be foolhardy for you to try to scientifically disprove the Bible, many have tried; all come up empty handed, carbon dating included. Read Josh McDowell’s book called Evidence which demands a verdict; fascinating reading.
A couple of points I think you should know. Our country was founded upon the things you say do not exist. In a word, it is faith, sadly you lack that gift. I can't fault you if you do not have faith in God so why fault Sue or me if we do? You can go on with your life as an agnostic or atheist, that's ok with me but it does not change the fact that even YOU were created in Gods image; just like Ripley says; "believe it or not!" Oh well, I may as well give you the clincher; “the truth shall set you free.”
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Joe Doherty,  02/08/10 9:08
Silliness abounds, you have the right to your views. I do not see science and faith as inconsistent. As I tell my friend the avowed athiest, if you are right and I am wrong, what have I lost. But if I am right, and you are wrong...well, just think about that.
Joe, I didn't cite the verse the first time, because I just wanted to explain my position concisely. However, I felt I needed to point out that, the Apostles never did declare a political affiliation. You are right, all things do work together..Romans 8:28 (I didn't finish, because maybe someone will be forced to open their Bible)
Even when we don't always agree. Freedom of, and from, religion is a sound concept.
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SueA,  02/08/10 9:03
Joe D.; God hasn't 'said' anything, at least not to me. Man has written down what his ancestors told him that their ancestors said that their ancestors said, back to the point where people first started to be able to write things down. And since it was written down, as told from somebody's memory, it has been tweaked by the rewriters to make it more interesting. Some passage in the Bible can be found to suit almost anybody's beliefs about what is meant by it all. When I look at the 'pie chart' that shows how many believers there are for each of the world's religions, I can only hope that that pie slice that represents atheists, agnostics and skeptics grows larger with each subsequent generation until the slices of the pie representing organized religion can be eaten with one bite. Nothing in the recorded history of our world has done more to stifle man's progress than the belief that some supernatural cosmic force, other than man himself, can be held responsible for our destiny. We expect that our children will at some age understand that the tooth fairy and Easter bunny do not really exist. But educated adults continue to believe, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, that there is a god who sees all, knows all, and controls all. Sue's assertion that to whom much is given, much will be expected, doesn't need to come from any religious writing. That's the problem with the whole religion bit. We shouldn't need some religious text to tell us what we should know in our hearts. Do what is right, because it is inherently right, not because your god tells you it is right.
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silliness abounds,  02/08/10 7:43
If a severance tax is so wrong, why are we the only state that does not have one? Neither the landowner or the gas company are responsible for the gas being there. It has been there since before man walked the earth. If we are truly a commonwealth, that word would imply that it is owned commonly by all.
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silver haired devil,  02/08/10 2:49
Dear Sue; I agree with you in your reference to our personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Never would I have the temerity to misinterpret anything God said. However, if we take the Bible and use it out of context to fit any and all social or economical situations we end up with mass confusion. Jesus wasn't an oil driller, he was a carpenter. Yes, I am having gratuitous fun here but I hope my point is well taken. Not to worry though, solace can be found in Romans 8 v 28; go for it.
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Joe Doherty,  02/08/10 10:21
Actually, this reference comes from the Gospel of Luke 12:48.
I don't know if Christ and the Apostles were socialists.
This has been one of the tenets of faith, taught to me for almost 60 years..to whom much is given, much will be expected.
It is what Jesus preached, and it is what I believe.
It applies personally, professionally, and to institutions.
I use it as a measure of responsibility.
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SueA,  02/08/10 8:28
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