Topics of issue
I may not make many friends with my letter, but we have a few topics I feel strongly about.
1. I understand living in the path of an airport can be noisy. The absence of flights on 9-11 showed us that. However, you either bought or built in the established flight path area. The airports, be it the small one in Rock Hill or Charlotte, bring in revenue and jobs. I’m not saying don’t advocate for flight pattern changes, but look at other things as well. Improve the forest canopy over your neighborhoods, improve your homes with soundproofing panels and better windows and insulation that help reduce outside noise. The flight patterns have been established for proper control and safety of the airplanes and the surrounding area.Please see if you can spend a day with someone whose responsibility is getting the planes up and down safely and then reassess the noise issue.
2. Feral cat issue: Obviously someone is threatening fines or it’s one big rumor. The recent decision that the feral cats can’t be cared for by community members evades my comprehension. The numbers at animal control are already reflecting the negative impact. Obviously, this needs to be challenged and changed. A mandatory spay-neuter law for the county (and all cities included in it), unless you have a breeding permit, makes more sense. No, I don’t think there should be a limit to how many pets you can have; that is for homeowners associations who desire a particular standard in their communities, not for individuals who can/do provide for more critters.
3. Please stop the dueling ambulances. It impacts patient care. It impacts the safety of the public, and how all the branches of EMS do their jobs as well.
4. No, I don’t agree with outsourcing our DMV driving tests to driving schools.
I want my teen to sit near a trooper. I want my teen to know what the DMV is really like. I want my teen to know driving can be stressful and if they are not prepared then they are not ready to drive, not make it easier for them to get a license only to make more mistakes in the real world. It reminds me of a banner posted in Rock Hill near the post office nearly 20 years ago: “Drive carefully, Death is so Permanent.”
I hope I may have provided a few thoughts for others to ponder.
PATRICIA A. STAFFORD
Clover
Drivers, stay vigilant
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the citizens of York County for enjoying our nation’s Independence Day celebrations without experiencing a highway fatality within our county. It is very rewarding to see your cooperation through utilizing the safe driving practices which can save your life and mine.
Unfortunately, not all our friends and neighbors practice safe driving habits. Speeding, seat belt violations, and DUI are all things that troopers dealt with over the holiday period. Please remain vigilant in your driving as we are still within the 100 deadly days of summer. As of July 8, 416 people have died on South Carolina highways, compared to 417 highway deaths in this same time period in 2011.
Of the 279 motor vehicle occupants who have died in 2012, 176 were not wearing seat belts. Through midnight July 8, 52 pedestrians, 58 motorcyclists and 11 bicyclists have died on our state roads and highways.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol appreciates your cooperation and requests your help in making York County a better place to live.
Sgt D.R. BRADSHAW
Troop 4 Post B, S.C. Highway Patrol
Unjustified opinions
Efforts by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to block all nominees to U.S. Courts of Appeals are even more unprecedented and unjustifiable than explained in Opinions: “Reject the ’Thurmond Rule’” ( Los Angeles Times Editorial, July 13).
The so-called “Thurmond Rule” Sen. McConnell is claiming to invoke has never prevented Floor votes on Committee-approved consensus, noncontroversial nominations. Those at issue include an unopposed Federal Circuit nominee and two others who are strongly supported by their Oklahoma and Maine Republican senators.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) said McConnell’s action was “stupid,” and that Robert Bacharach would make a great Tenth Circuit nominee for a Republican president. Maine GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins stated that they would support a cloture motion to end any filibuster of First Circuit nominee William Kayatta, Jr.
Previously, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and others in the bi-partisan “Gang of 14” defused filibusters and approved President George W. Bush’s controversial Circuit Court nominees. Now, Sen. Graham could help confirm consensus nominees by joining with GOP senators who voted for South Carolina-based trial and appellate court judges whom President Obama nominated with Sen. Graham’s strong support.
GLENN SUGAMELI
Judging the Environment, Defenders of Wildlife
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