Tax Marcellus shale
Letters to the Editor Every day we pick up the paper and there’s another article about gas drilling in Fayette County. Now it’s Marcellus shale.
On our highways are tanker trucks hauling water or waste-water and gas drilling equipment. Ever want to follow one of those trucks with wastewater and see where they go? Fayette County is one of the richest water and gas counties, but we as taxpayers get no benefits. If you tax them they will stop drilling, or so we are told.
Now let’s talk about natural resources. Alaska has a “Permanent Fund.” That fund was set up at the time the Alaska Pipeline System was created by an amendment to the Alaska Constitution to be an investment for at least 25 percent of proceeds from oil.
Since 1982 each and every Alaska resident (man, woman and child) received a dividend that usually is paid in October. Since 1982 that amount for each resident totals $32,097.00. A family of four would have received $128,388.001. Not bad for their natural resource, oil. Whatever gas they get from pumping that oil, is pumped back into the ground to be sold later.
Wake up Pennsylvanians. It is time to get some benefits from our natural resources, either by reducing taxes or giving property tax rebates. Some additional funding for our schools would also be welcome.
They will have all the wells drilled and by the time the legislature has a “plan,” the old wells will be grandfathered in with no taxes due. Could there be a reason why our lawmakers are not doing anything? Are they getting a “benefit”? Stand up and be counted. Tax the wells by what they put out now and use the money to benefit the taxpayers.
Linda L. Smith
Perryopolis
Where’s the service?
Some may remember the commercial, “Where’s the beef?” But my question is to businesses who must be making so much money they couldn’t care less how they treat their customers.
I was always told that the customer is always right, but right now that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.
Recently my wife bought a cup of coffee, but it looked more like tea because it was watered down. My wife called and told the manager of the problem. The manager said they would check out the problem.
The next morning she bought another coffee and again it looked like tea. My wife took the coffee in to show the manger. He told my wife he checked the coffee and there was nothing wrong with it. He would not even take the lid off the coffee. When she asked for her money back, he finally checked out the coffee.
The solution should always be a free coffee or sandwich. But I have a better idea. Businesses should send their employees and managers to courtesy and common sense school. Or try a church. I hear they teach a thing called the golden rule.
Jerry Dean
Uniontown