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Letters to the editor for Dec. 18

December 18, 2009

Colorless stories produce no letters

Editor:

I decided to accept your request for letters to the editor after reading recent stories in your paper.

One story dealt with the WMU plan to double water rates, partly in order to supply increased demand from a company that might expand. Nowhere in that story could I find who generated the figures, which is critical to understanding the article. Did the city or water commissioners or WMU, or the company come up with the doubled amount needed? How would the taxpayers, represented by the elected and selected officials, verify such a need?

Your story presents as uncontested fact what may actually be fictitious. I also think such an article would not help attract a new business when they see how the city does business.

In another story, there is an annual limit on how the amount of taxes on property within the city limits can be raised. It does not mention limits in the county, where I live, and my curiosity was aroused, since my taxes went up from $740 in 2008 to $963 in 2009, an increase of slightly more than 30 percent. The only change I've seen in services from the county is that instead of fixing the pothole in the blacktop at the junction of Calmes Boulevard and the other street by me (I can't recall the name because the street sign was stolen more than a year ago and not replaced), the county threw dry gravel in it and left. The pothole remains, the gravel is scattered around it, and it is now a hazard to front end alignment and turning motorcycles.

These two stories combined to lead me to wonder why we don't turn over management of the county to WMU in the same way the city has done and eliminate two dysfunctional levels of government.

Last, I enjoyed your story on the old Indian fighter who contended Sitting Bull was not a chief of the Lakotas. His contention was in fact true. Sitting Bull was a holy man, not a chief, who had an important vision prior to the Custer battle. I believe any serious student of western U.S. history or of the Lakota people could have supplied that information for the story. That it was lacking is more evidence of single-source reporting without checking on the facts or gathering information to illuminate the story. These colorless stories may be why nobody bothers to write letters to the editor.

Larry D. Martoglio, (no address given)

PSC should revoke Smith Station permit

To the Sun:

I applaud Billy Edwards for his thorough column in last Friday's Sun and stand with him in his opposition to the construction of the coal-burning power plant near Trapp.

The Public Service Commission should revoke its certificate allowing the Smith plant to be built, since this plant is obviously no longer necessary or affordable for the ratepayers of the Eastern Kentucky Power Cooperative. Clark Energy itself recently asked the PSC for approval of a new rate increase.

If EKPC doesn't even need to produce more energy, there is no justification for a plant that would further pollute our air and jeopardize the health of our water supply.

As a Clark County resident, I believe those risks are our priority. And the fact that EKPC customers should have to pay higher electricity rates to accompany those risks is inescapably unfair — especially when energy efficiency and home weatherization programs could save as much energy as a new coal plant would produce.

EKPC is already in a precarious financial situation, and the PSC needs to consider the increased costs of building the new Smith plant. Is a debt in excess of $800 million what EKPC or its customers needs right now?

Sincerely, Miranda Brown, Winchester

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