THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, October 16, 2013 d
Page A-17
LETTERS TOT HE EDITOR
Make the Purple Line a bus lane Fake houses built in an attempt to disguise noisy electrical substations in residential neighborhoods would not be necessary if decision makers would switch to the less expensive, invasive and intrusive Purple Line option — a dedicated bus lane instead of light rail. My understanding is that long ago, before the financial collapse of 2008 changed the economy, the much less problematic dedicated bus line was rejected because, “people don’t like buses.” If that was ever true, it’s changed, especially with the advent of the very comfortable, clean and inexpensive buses that go from the Washington, D.C., area to New York City. I used to be a train-only person, but like everyone I know I’ve changed.
The cost of constructing a dedicated bus line alongside current roads is significantly less than the light rail option, and the result is more flexible and less of a neighborhood blight. Those unpopular electrical stations wouldn’t be needed, and if there was an emergency, or local event, or community building recreational activity (like a bikeathon or marathon) the extra traffic lanes could temporarily be put to good use — not so with train tracks. A dedicated bus lane would also mean less longterm expense and inconvenience. Bus lanes do not require the costly, disruptive kinds of maintenance that train tracks do, so fares could be kept lower, tax revenue could be put to other uses, and passengers would not be inconvenienced while the work on the
tracks and trains is being done. The Metro trains have become expensive to ride and on weekends the system is inconvenient to the point of almost being useless because of maintenance work — all this weekend five Red Line stations are closed. People are increasingly riding the bus lines we already have instead of the Metro trains. Well-planned and smoothly functioning public transportation is a laudable goal. A dedicated bus lane would serve this purpose, but the Purple Line light rail option is too costly and disruptive in both the short and long term to be good for our neighborhoods.
Jennifer Bellis, Silver Spring
Organizations: Council must help those on brink of poverty Our faith-based, legal advocacy and nonprofit organizations located in or serving Montgomery County applaud the County Council for its recent resolution, “Affirming the Council’s Commitment to Anti-Poverty and Safety Net Programs,” which recently was unanimously adopted. Our mission statements call on us to work with poor, marginalized and vulnerable adults and children living in our communities. We serve them by providing food, clothing, household goods, job training, housing opportunities, medical care and legal advocacy. In addition to our charitable actions, we demand just and fair laws that reflect our moral teachings and result in a more equitable standard of living for our less-fortunate brothers and sisters. We are pleased that the council: • Supports an expansion of the economic safety net for residents who are unemployed and underemployed. • Supports increasing the state match to the federal EITC to 30 percent. • Urges the General Assembly to increase the state minimum wage to at least $10 an hour by 2015. • Affirms its commitment to supporting the work of county agencies that provide services for Montgomery
1912941
WRITE TO US The Gazette welcomes letters on subjects of local interest. Please limit them to 200 words. All articles are subject to editing. No anonymous letters are printed. Letters are printed as space permits and are limited to one per person per month. Include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Send submissions to: The Gazette, attention Commentary Editor, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; fax to 301-670-7183; or email to opinions@gazette.net. County’s most economically vulnerable populations. • Reaffirms its support for positive youth development programs targeting youth from low-income families. • Reaffirms its support for health care programs targeting low-income children and families. • Reaffirms its support for maintaining full funding for existing early childhood services from birth through age five and expanding preschool for all children whose family income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level and communities with greatest need. • Reaffirms its support for the Working Parents Assistance Program to make quality child care more affordable by subsiding part of the cost of
child care of income-eligible families. • Reaffirms its commitment to progressive taxation and policies that mitigate the impact of regressive taxes. While the County Council supports a funding match of the state Earned Income Tax Credit through the county’s Working Families Income Supplement at the highest county match possible, our organizations support Councilman Hans Riemer’s bill 8-13, Working Families Income Supplement, which would restore the EITC to its previous level — 100 percent match of the state’s EITC for working families. Because of the high cost of living in Montgomery County, we believe the County Council has a responsibility to provide as much financial assis-
1912940
tance as feasible to those living on the brink of poverty. Reports have shown that the EITC is the best anti-poverty program in the country. This is one of the only anti-poverty programs that empowers its recipients to spend the money on what they need most at the time it is received — energy bills, education, child care and home repairs. Our organizations pledge to work with the Montgomery County Council to advance the health and well-being of all county residents. We look forward to working with the council to help eradicate poverty in our communities.
Gustavo Torres, executive director, Casa of Maryland; Walter Woods, chair, Community Action Board; Thomas E. Harr, CEO, Family Services Inc.; Mary Ellen Vanni, executive director, Fuel Fund of Maryland; James Mannarino, executive director, Interfaith Works; Lawrence Couch, chair,Justice and Advocacy Council of Montgomery County; Steven M. Galen, president and CEO, Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County; Kate Planco Waybright, executive director, Progressive Maryland Debra Gardner, legal director, Public Justice Center; Denise Fredericks, executive director, Stepping Stones Shelter; Gino Renne, president, UFCW Local 1994
Council already makes enough Ryan Marshall’s article about the unconscionable pay increases urged for our already-overpaid elected officials [“Pay hike urged for executive, council,” Sept. 25] highlighted the disconnect between the reality and perception among our so-called county government leaders. The words attributed to Councilwoman Valerie Ervin — the fact that public service is a high calling — and Council Vice President Craig Rice — one of the challenges of public service is sustaining a young family on a public official’s salary — speak to their perception that their positions should afford them a higher standard of living than the majority of residents they represent. I would correct Ervin that public service isn’t a “calling,” but rather a choice. You were not preordained nor anointed for this position. You decided to perform this job, and should not be overly rewarded for doing so. The same statement is made to Rice, with the additional caveat being that many in this county sustain their young families on much less than what you currently make, so it being a challenge for you brings into question your personal budgeting and fiscal skills as well as your ability to adequately handle the county finances that you are entrusted with. The reality is that both the residents and employees of this county have had to get by on less for several years and that should be no different for the members of the council. In fact, I feel that the executive and council’s salaries should be no more than the median income for either the residents or employees instead of increasing each year by the same percentage as the Consumer Price Index for the region. That way, the incentive to positively impact the earning ability of their constituents would be inherent, rather than presumed.
Chris Hester, Olney