Back in April, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham proposed the American Heroes Grant, a visionary property tax relief initiative for members of the armed forces on active duty. It has since been adopted, and provides a county tax refund to soldiers and sailors on active duty for four months or more in 2007 or 2008.
Northampton County Council will finally introduce a similar ordinance, possibly this Thursday. Although this needs the same scrutiny as any other ordinance, it's the least we can do. Men and woman are being hurled like mannequins into combat zones with inadequate training, never-ending deployments and disintegrating equipment. Cunningham considers this small grant a "shared sacrifice" for troops in harm's way.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Wednesday, August 01, 2007
4 comments:
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I think it's about time County Council gives back to the 'active military' citizens of this county. They have to give up months and years of their lives to defend this country, and if you think that's easy, I have a support group that I'd like you to visit, so you can see first hand how difficult it is for the troops and the families they leave behind.
ReplyDeleteNow I know someone will answer by saying - they didn't have to join - which is right. But what if nobody joined? Who would defend us? Who would give up their day-to-day lives and rush to help in a disaster, such as New Orleans? The regular military does not have the man power to respond.
Of course, I have a son and granddaughter in the Pa. National Guard. My 19 year old granddaughter is now with the 213th Area Support Group in Iraq for the next year. She joined because she could see how much her dad loved the 'Guard', and she wanted to pay for college without having years of debt when she finished. She knew a deployment could happen and she always said that if she was deployed she wouldn't be happy about it, but she would go and do her job! That takes a lot of guts for a young girl to be able to do that for her country as well as herself. Once she joined the 'Guard' she found a strength of character that she and most of us didn't know she had.
Back to the ordinance article, which I mostly agree with, except the "inadequate training" mentioned. The training received by our Pa. National Guard is outstanding. Our troops start their training, in most instances, before they even go to basic training. Our troops are commended for their skills whenever deployed. We can be very proud to have such a fine group of men and women serving our state and country.
It's a good idea.
ReplyDeleteHeard along the way that Stoffa is against this, because he won't use county money to subsidize it.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I know about Stoffa's feeling is what I read in the MC at the time Cunningham made this proposal. He publicly stated he thought it was a good idea.
ReplyDelete