This is in response to the letters in the last two issues regarding a logging permit in the Village of Ellenville. Log trucks, like all trucks, naturally have a weight. Municipalities should not discriminate against a business or land-use, but instead by weight that can be measured and is easily applied to all users of the roads. Requiring a million dollar bond is unduly burdensome and again, discriminates against a specific use. The oil man who brings energy from thousands of miles away as well as trucks bringing housing equipment, milk, or school-children, also uses the roads that are maintained by tax-payers.

Furthermore, cutting trees does not necessarily significantly impact water quality, especially when compared to other land-uses such as agriculture, land development, road-building, housing, etc. where impervious surfaces are longer lasting and more severe. Please refer to the Watershed Agricultural Council's recommended reading: Riparian Management in Forests of the Continental United States, used to manage forest lands within New York City's watershed as well as their view and other professionals-in-the-field on timber harvesting and its impacts.

In addition, local communities and their representative bodies, once given ample science, should realize that forestry and one of its tools (logging), provides local, renewable wood products, energy sources (fuel-wood), local jobs and a means for the town's tax-payers to pay their taxes. If the perceived impact from neighbors is more about aesthetics, then we need to re-visit the word tolerance and the topic of private property rights.

In the agricultural sector, state Right to Farm laws were passed in order to ensure that neighbors tolerated foul odors (I happen to appreciate manure), sounds, truck traffic and other rural happenings. The same should apply to the less familiar (traditionally introverted) forestry sector, which also helps to regenerate our communities that are desperately in need of regenerating both forests and people. I admit that I have not seen the harvest first-hand, or any of its associated silviculture (cutting techniques), but am merely commenting on an issue of discrimination that is unfortunately not exclusive to Ellenville.

Ryan Trapani
Samsonville

In an extraordinary example of newspeak, the governor gave a speech that claimed credit for accomplishments that hadn't been accomplished, proposed spending taxpayer money on projects that were of dubious value and ignored middle-class distress, while claiming that he had united everyone including "millionaires and the middle class."

What wealth gap? The Governor doesn't see one in New York State, which happens to be one of the "gappiest" among all the states. Who needs a reality check when we can have Albany-style bread and circuses, which means without the bread? Cuomo crowed about property tax relief. How does he square that claim with your new and much higher property tax bills? He doesn't.

How can that 40 bucks a year income tax reduction be touted as a real break for the middle class? Are we supposed to be really thrilled about the gambling stunt and a new and useless — except to the real estate industry — convention center? We also wonder how a guy whose policies caused so many people to be fired can talk about job creation. There's a big disconnect here, fellow citizens.

And did the Governor mumble something, anything, about the important fracking menace facing us? Not so you'd notice. Maybe sotto voce?

He did propose another commission, this one on school reform.

That's what we really need Governor, another "show trial" type expensive commission to justify less money for schools cloaked in the mantle of reform so the property tax bills — which really weren't capped — can escalate to make up the shortfall left by the state stiffing education in order to give the corporations more tax breaks even though they outsource and don't create jobs. Follow the political trail to the Albany hot air factory. Pick a shell, sucker-the pea's got to be under one of them. No?

And let us not forget to be grateful to the Emperor of Ego for gifting those making a million and more a year with a big tax break amounting to about $22,000 per annum. And who else but this brazen politico could say he had raised taxes on the super wealthy when they have actually been lowered from the previous year?

In the spirit of "let's just declare victory and go home"...Cuomo has painted a glorious picture of his magnificent — if he does say so himself — first year in office. The only problem is that except for marriage equality, none of the other stuff really went down the way the state politicos are saying. We know there isn't a pea under any of the shells. I'm insulted that Albany thought reformers — especially battle hardened property tax reformers — would fall for that old con game. Again.

Gioia Shebar
Gardiner