Published: November 18, 2008 03:33 pm            

READERS' FORUM 11/19 | ‘Blunder’ in the valley

Recently I visited my mom, who lives in Johnstown. Mom and I reviewed her household expenses, including taxes being paid to the county, school district and city.

The city taxes were almost twice as much as the county and school district combined. This surprised me because the city streets are not well maintained and I saw that Mom paid extra money for garbage, sewage and water. I wondered where the city tax money was going.

I discovered that City Council borrowed $6 million in 2006, and my mom and other taxpayers would pay $276,00 a year toward repayment of this. Two million dollars of this $6 million was used to pay 2005 bills and $4 million was hidden somewhere in a “lock box.”

I learned council sold the sewage plant for $11 million and spent much of that to “rebuild” Point Stadium. But, council did take $800,000 of that to tear down the Swank building.

Council then taxed my mother six more mills in 2006 and 2007.

In 2008, council borrowed $3 million to pay for 2007 debts. Council borrowed to pay $600,000 for past Blue Cross payments and $600,000 for past due pension fund payments.

Then council considered borrowing $5 million more for 10 years and my mom and others would have had to help pay back $674,000 a year for 30 years.

Will I move back to Johnstown? I don’t think so because Curt Davis and his merry band of council members have created a real Blunder in the Valley.

Ann Rozsi

Marshall, Mich.



Some supervisors get confidential info

This letter is in regard to Susquehanna Township. At the last meeting, after accepting Supervisor Jodi Stanick’s resignation, Supervisor Kevin Stanek made a motion to appoint Mike Schettinni as township supervisor, and Supervisor Nancy Davis said no.

Davis then made a motion to appoint Shirley Craver as supervisor, which also died. But it was questioned how Craver could be appointed when she was an auditor for the township. Craver stated she submitted her letter of interest to the township that morning, but had her resignation in her pocket.

So was Craver resigning as auditor in hopes of getting the supervisor position, or waiting to see first before she resigned?

Craver is a Constitutional Patriot, along with Davis. Of the two proposed candidates, Schettinni is more qualified to be supervisor.

On three separate occasions, Craver had to be told by supervisors that a special account could only be used for the water and that when that bill was paid the account had to be closed. She wants the township to leave it open for parks and recreation.

It just seems odd how confidential township information is given to the Patriots before being discussed at a meeting. I know of a written complaint that was submitted to the township and the complainant was never notified about it, which was more than six months ago. But the Patriots knew about that complaint and have verbally talked about it to others.

Davis should resign and just stick with being a Patriot.

Edie Hannigan

Northern Cambria



This time, change is for the worse

President Obama is going to battle the National Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding unborn babies.

The bishops have decided it’s time to get serious and declare war on the Democratic Party and its dedication to the killing of 50 million babies.

The Christian churches will lose money fighting Obama, but that is blood money anyway.

Obama is fighting for women’s rights, and the bishops are fighting for innocent killing of unborn babies.

Obama is the bad man now. He was 100 percent against President Bush, who was against Roe v. Wade. Bush fought the good fight against this holocaust, by reversing President Clinton’s “partial-birth abortion” veto on this bill.

Pope Benedict XVI was in the United States in April and said abortion is a sin against God, and homosexual marriage also is against Christian man-and-woman marriages.

Somehow Catholics don’t listen to their pope or bishops. Their religion is the Democratic Party. Obama said he needed the Catholic vote, and he got it.

The Catholics went along for a change and now it’s going to be dark times again.

(Retired Tribune-Democrat writer) Bill Jones said in his last column that sometimes change is good and sometimes bad.

This time it was a bad change.

Stephen Sakmar

Johnstown



Cancer-awareness efforts heartwarming

As a nine-year breast cancer survivor, I am humbled and grateful for all those who have propelled breast cancer awareness during October.

Kudos to the breast cancer advocates, The Tribune-Democrat, the local media and Conemaugh and Windber hospitals.

I want to particularly express thanks to all the media professionals who have dedicated their careers in helping those who have been affected with breast cancer. For those who have been caregivers, supporters and those who have donated their time and money – a great big thanks for all you have done.

I look forward to the day when we can all stand together and claim a cure for breast cancer.

Sherry L. Hoffman

Boswell



Questions arise from latest election

With the latest election setting records and making history as well, I wonder now that a black man has made it to the White House, will we finally see the end to the fraudulent activities of the self-appointed poverty pimps such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton?

For decades, these men, and others, have led the black and minority communities to believe that they can’t possibly succeed because of the oppression by the white man. It looks as if they may have to find other jobs, doesn’t it? And with this success of the first black president, can we finally put all that “white guilt” to rest and realize that we’re all in this together as Americans?

Another troubling thing happened with this election. President Bush’s approval rating was hovering around 27 percent prior to the election while Congress’ approval rating was a staggering 10 percent. With all the efforts to move past the Bush years and make a “change,” one would have thought that another history-making event would have happened with the removal of the incumbents running for another term in Congress, since they really got things messed up.

But what did the voters do? They sent them right back to Washington to do more of what they were doing to earn such a low approval rating in the first place.

Is this odd, or what?

Marvin R. Gindlesperger

Davidsville

        

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