The River Reporter Online - Letters to the Editor

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The River Reporter welcomes letters on all subjects from its readers. They must be signed and include the correspondent's phone number. The correspondent's name and town will appear at the bottom of each letter; titles and affiliations will not, unless the correspondent is writing on behalf of a group.

Letters are printed as they are received, or at the discretion of the editor, and without correction to grammar or spelling. It is requested they be limited to 500 words; correspondents may be asked to cut longer letters. Deadline is 1:00 p.m. on Monday.

The other day I saw a bumper sticker that stated, “Casinos Mean Jobs.” I agree. Here are the jobs: Addictions counselors, policemen, prostitutes, drug dealers, loan sharks, bodyguards, repossession agents and bail bondsmen.

I want to thank the following children who participated in the St. Jude bike-a-thon on June 9, 2001 in Narrowsburg: Austin, Ronnie, William, Shane, Shannen, Lauren, Kyle, Jenna M., Jenna G., Jackson, Kelsey, Kirsten, Amber, Katie, Thomas, Rebecca, Craig, Dawn and Gracie. You all did a wonderful job! Together you collected $888 for the children’s hospital. Shane and Jackson were the top money collectors with Shane collecting over $200 and Jackson almost $150. Austin was quite impressive, riding all 50 laps. Congratulations to all of you.

Along with Shop-Rite, Wal-Mart and Eckerd, area businesses donated gift certificates and items to use as prizes. Thank you to Tom’s Bait & Tackle, Peck’s Market, Peter’s Pharmacy, Steve’s Convenience Store, Nancy’s Ice Cream, Gavco and The Whistle Stop. Please remember your local businesses when shopping!

Of course, nothing happens without volunteers, so thanks again to all of you, with special thanks to Rev. Haynes, Rita, Lillian, Maureen, Buddy, Donna and Wanda.

I hope everyone had fun and will join in again next year to collect even more money for such a worthy cause!

The Times Herald Record editorial from June 26 clumsily and unjustifiably attempts to link gambling with the admirable Woodstock site plans (an independent and happy opportunity with no discernable down side) would ordinarily merit nothing more than a derisive snort. It was, however, written by a remarkably talented, prize winning editor—with a blind spot the size of a casino. He seems so smart that I have sometimes wondered if he knows something about casinos that I don’t know. If he does, he has

This editor controls Letters to the Editor as well as My View and has systematically—but not totally (he’s too smart for that)—limited anti-gambling comments and has seen to it that responses to pro-gambling editorials were limited as well. He even seems to have engaged in the not-so-quaint local custom of enclosing what he wished someone had said, rather than what was actually said, in quotation marks in order, speciously, to support his argument. (In the past, making a partial statement by Raymond Pomeroy look like a complete statement, thereby leaving out an important truth about gambling, a truth, incidently, which gives the lie to the noted editorial.) The inaccurate quote I refer to had Pomeroy stating something very like—“It (the Woodstock project) is something that we can control,”—whereas the actual quotation had the words “… not like a casino” appended to it, which made it a critically different remark. This remark appeared in other local newspapers and not in his editorial.

I urge him to examine the motives that detract from his otherwise excellent and well-deserved reputation.

We are writing to raise an issue that presents a significant threat to public health and the environment—the backyard burning of household waste. Backyard burning of household garbage is illegal in most communities in New York State. Unfortunately, it is still a legal practice in towns with fewer than 20,000 people. On Earth Day, the New York State Assembly again unanimously passed the Assembly bill A 7202, which would make open burning of household garbage illegal statewide. Once again, New York State Senate has failed to act and pass S 3772 this year.

· Burning household garbage typically produces hazardous air pollutants such as dioxins, benzene, formaldehyde, chromium, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and hydrogen cyanide.

· People located up to one-half mile away can be directly exposed to the toxic pollutants emitted from burn barrels.

· Children are particularly vulnerable because they eat, drink, breathe and absorb more toxins in proportion to their weight.

· Breathing air containing burn barrel pollution can cause immediate health effects such as respiratory distress and breathing difficulties.

· Long-term exposure to these pollutants can increase the risk of asthma, emphysema, and cancer.

The relatively low temperatures achieved in burn barrels and the lack of pollution control equipment on burn barrels result in unwanted pollution inundating entire neighborhoods. Dioxin, a toxic component produced during burning, is one of the most potent human carcinogens. Dioxin emissions from as few as two family burn barrels equal the air pollution from a garbage incinerator that serves thousands of people.

Burn barrels do not only affect people and the environment in direct proximity to this activity. Their use results in a wide variety of toxic pollutants that can be dispersed over very long distances. Furthermore, dairy cows and cattle that graze on pastures where burn barrel pollution has fallen produce milk and meat with higher concentrations of contaminants. These contaminants are passed on to consumers who drink the milk and eat the meat.

The NYS Association for Solid Waste Management asserts that their members have the capability to take care of any additional waste disposal needs. Enforcement can be done by any local law enforcement officials, and would be welcomed by people statewide who are unwillingly subjected to backyard burning.

The Senate needs to hear the voice of the people. Without your input, this measure may never become law. We urge you to call or write your state Senator and request that he/she support passage of S.3772.

Assemblyman David Koon, Vice Chairman
Legislative Commission on Toxic Substance and Hazardous Wastes
Assemblyman William Colton, Chair
Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management