Letters to the Editor 03-06-10

Published: March 6, 2010

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Wailing wall

EDITOR: It has been over two years, two months since I was a Towanda School Director, and have hesitated to put fingers to keyboard after reading about some of the goings on with "the board," but after some thought I decided to VENT!

Now to let those who don't know, out of the nine directors on the board, there is a majority group that literally get giddy about the thought of spending dollars of the taxpayer's taxes, and have no problem with finding ways to spend more! Such is the case with this "wall" that is planned for construction and the board/administration trying to find a way, either directly or indirectly, to get their hands on the dollars of gas well leases and/or gas well royalties being received by residents of the district.

First, the wall. Why? Is there an outcry from the district folks for this "wall?" Was there ever any heavy interest to spark such an endeavor? Does the "majority gang" on the board have a waiting list of district residents ready to step up and spend "big bucks" on the "wall," without, like Ms. Serbourne has stated, "this wall will pay for itself in years to come." Hello?! Years to come?! And if you district folks didn't know, the architectural design fees for this "wall" were $14,500! And the "wall" is costing the district approximately $10,000 to build! Again hello! If there were dollars left over from the new stadium construction project (of which it has been stated that supposedly this is where most of the "funding" came from) I can't believe that these funds couldn't be used somehow, somewhere directly to the education of our district children. Maybe this "wall" could be the taxpayers "wailing wall," and when built the residents of Towanda School District could go to the "wall" and place their prayers and petitions to God to help pay for this monstrosity!

Next, the personal income tax. We attacked this albatross when I was on the board. This was addressed with the district residents voting NO to an earned income tax...and for everybody's info...changing from an occupation tax to a personal income tax would definitely hit those who have received, receive, or will receive gas lease/royalty dollars but, it would also tax your retirement income, interest income from ANY savings plans, (such as IRA's, CD's, Annuities, Passbook Savings, Keoghs, 401k's, etc.) capital gains from selling property, stocks, bonds, etc. And remember Social Security is a personal income so there would not be anything to stop the school district from "being equitable." Again, hello?

I know that the vast majority of the property taxpayers of this school district, plus those who pay occupation taxes (this also is legalized extortion!) AND property taxes are hard working, conscientious folks. I hope that the people that we vote as our representatives on our local school boards have our best interests and the children's best interest in their actions and deeds while in office.

Elwyn Monahan

Monroeton

Burn barrel ban deja vu

EDITOR: So failure to even casually attempt to enforce existing borough ordinances is to result in one more deprivation for the house holding tax paying citizens of Towanda. With total sympathy with persons subjected to "neighborly" burn barrel obscenities does there have to be a rush to shove our burn barrels over the cliff? There exists an evidently un-enforced Towanda Borough ordinance specifically forbidding the incineration of noxious gas producing materials. In a city of a few thousand homes how is it that the smarminess of perhaps a half dozen polluters, the evidence of their deeds being clearly visible during the act, is not dealt with by ordinance enforcement? How many $150 fines have been levied?

Surely the proposed burn barrel ban will be enforced, one expects, by the simple detection method of observation. Why doesn't that technique work for current infraction enforcement? I wonder if the rightfully offended complainers ever take the trouble to report the dirty deed to anyone in authority during the act of commission. What has happened to peer pressure, that quintessential ingredient of a functional society? Let the government take care of it.

I expect there are zealous green folks who will claim that the general allowance of barrel burning creates a fouled unhealthy atmosphere over the whole town. Really? Why isn't it visible from that grand overview one gets in entering town from the bridge? Why isn't it present in my second ward neighborhood? Its not there?

Let's hold on to this one of our dwindling householder citizen rights by getting on with sorting out the few inconsiderate, smarmy burn barrelers, while meanwhile turning greater attention to dealing with the more critical societal breakdown problems on our plates. Like for instance, current 40 mph traffic speed tolerance on Main Street.

Art Spengler

Towanda

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9 posted comments

WE NEED NEW BLOOD ON THE SCHOOL BOARDS & FAST! NEX TIME AROUND, VOTE THEM OUT....BUT 1sT & FORMOST, ATTEND THE MEETINGS & THEN PLEASE RUN FOR A POSITION....COMMON SCENSE IS GONE HERE & WE ARE BROKE!
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Broke & taxed to death,  03/12/10 7:20
I find it very interesting reading the comments made by persons who are afraid to sign their names to articles that they write condemning a person's right to express their opinion. If you want to criticize a writer and call them names, why not be brave enough to sign your name too.
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J. Tomaszewicz,  03/10/10 8:43
To "tired of haters & "fair taxes" not "fare taxes",

Apparently both of you whoever you are are confusing taxes from the
STATE and LOCAL...Yes I know that the STATE currently does not tax retirement income, pensions, social security, etc., but like I said in the article the LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT wants to get at PERSONAL
INCOME because of their lack of being able to get at the gas company.
And trust me just like the camel getting his nose under the tent, if
a PERSONAL INCOME TAX were implemented, get ready to hang on to your wallet!! Again for those who are confused, I'm not talking about STATE, I'm talking LOCAL!! As for the name calling, it goes with the territory. Again I'm talking strictly LOCAL, not STATE!!

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E. Monahan,  03/07/10 3:20
Mr. Monahan..See below the definition of PA Earned Income Tax from "Offical" PA state web site. Seems Venting and Blowhard are two different things. You are apparently the latter! Ignorance is not "Bliss" in this matter.
Definition--The earned income tax is a kind of income tax levied only on residents' earned income (such as wages, salaries, or other reimbursements for work). Unearned income, such as interest, dividends, pensions, and social security are exempt from the tax. Unlike the federal or state income taxes, the earned income tax allows no exemptions or standard deductions. A jurisdiction can collect earned income tax from non-residents who work in the jurisdication but do not pay an earned income tax in their "home" jurisdiction.
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tired of haters,  03/07/10 11:11
Mr. Monahan once again you can't seperate facts from local fiction.
Check your facts first. The wall will make a significant amount of money for the district period ...guess you are against multiplying your money. Second you should know if you would pay attention that retirees, disabled ect would not be taxed. Come clean and tell the whole truth not just scare people.
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razor,  03/07/10 9:41
I and my coworkers at the Post office all signed and sent a letter to the police years ago complaining about the smell from the burning barrel on the property directly south of our building.We were ignored. Sometimes it seeps into the building and we smell it all day long!
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Lynda Williams,  03/07/10 7:18
Mr. Monahan, Personal income in Pa dose not include retirement income. You believe it is fare to only tax those who earn there money, and work for a living. What is fare about taxing on the basis of how you make your living. Personal income is the way the fed. gov.and most states tax, but you would like just the working person in Towanda to pa this tax. We need fare taxes for all.
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fare taxes,  03/07/10 6:44
Mr. Spengler; I asked when this article first appeared - to whom do you report violators, and will complaints be investigated. And I mean while the garbage is still smoldering. I bet it's never been done. Does the public have a right to know how many fines have been handed out? Come on, newspaper, push your freedom of information rights for something worthwhile for a change.
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know what burns my butt?,  03/06/10 7:43
Mr. Monahan, The 'wall' is probably the most ridiculous idea the school board has come up with in many years. The district's art student could have come up with the design, and done a better job, for no cost. You are spot-on that they are not good custodians of our money. The few voices of sanity or reason on the board are consistently outnumbered and outvoted by the ignorant majority.
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taxed out,  03/06/10 7:40