Fracking won't help most New Yorkers
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed plan to allow drilling for natural gas in selected towns and communities across New York state is shortsighted and irresponsible. This decision acknowledges the many dangers behind this method of drilling known as hydrofracking, and decrees that certain areas of our state (as well as citizens) are not worthy of protecting.
A recent Environmental Protection Agency report, along with testimony from residents in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wyoming, has shown that hydrofracking can lead to groundwater contamination and a variety of other environmental problems. Furthermore, there is little tangible evidence that drilling will create the "thousands of good-paying jobs" the oil and gas industry lobbyists are promising. In fact, most of these jobs will be filled by experienced drillers from out of state.
While landowners and the local businesses may see an increase in revenue, the majority of New Yorkers will not see any benefit. Instead, we will see our quality of life disrupted, our towns and villages upended, and our local property values diminished.
Terry Hamblin
Unadilla
Obama's first term was disappointing
Dear Barry: This is why I'm not voting for you in November
When I helped vote you into office four years ago, I expected you'd take action against the shredding of our Constitution that took place under your predecessor. You have not; you've done some shredding of it yourself. Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and the high-rolling architects of the economy's crash should be doing time, but nobody's in the slammer _ they're all running around loose, and the Wall Street thieves are back to their tricks.
Cheney/Bush/Rumsfeld are guilty of treasonous acts, including, but not limited to, kidnapping and torturing American citizens, and starting a war with Iraq in case Iraq attacked us, which cost hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in blood and treasure. We now hear regularly that you have pushed the button on yet another suspected al-Qaida operative, and killed somebody in a country with which we have no declared war.
Your government agencies are hand in glove with the corporations, like Monsanto uber alles, who'd like nothing better than to continue feeding us the poisons they're able to sell you on.
I'd like to remind you that "absolute power corrupts absolutely." Now that you can push a button in Florida and kill somebody in Pakistan, or Yemen, you have too much power. And because your signing of the bill that allowed indefinite detention of American citizens was a treasonous act, it's time you got booted out of office.
I wouldn't vote for any of the Republican (Party of Stop) candidates for dogcatcher; I think they like killing the Constitution even more than you do. Is this too vague?
John Randolph Jones
Delhi
