| Montgomery County, PA | May 19, 2009 Election |
 |
Being a Township SupervisorBy Doug ScottCandidate for Supervisor; Township of Upper Merion |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Being a Township Supervisor GREEN ECONOMICS As many others have enjoyed life in Upper Merion Township over the years. I, too, have had a wonderful life in my community with my wife and children. The services that the township provides are the best. From snow removal, recycling and overall township services are first rate. But last year's budget and even more so, this year's budget, has sent up a very big red flag for all to see. The economic downturn that our country is going through at this point in time appears to have been misinterpreted by the leadership of the Upper Merion Township government. All across this country businesses and governments are cutting back; in fact, some workers are taking half and sometimes less than half of their take home pay. Yet, the Upper Merion 2009 budget includes an across the board 5.5% salary increase for more than 200 township workers. This rate appears to be high in the face of the "belt-tightening" posture of the nation, the state, and the county. This is especially true if to pay for this increase means that money will have to be taken from the township reserves. The economic out look for the township, our country and in fact, the world, tells us to honker-down and look forward to four to five years of a down economy. Thanks to our 365 retail stores and the 40 restaurants in one of the world largest shopping malls, located in King of Prussia, the homeowners of Upper Merion pay one of the lowest tax rates in Montgomery County. We must now plan to deal with replacing the LOST revenue from the reduced mall business that will affect us until the retailers in the Mall and other businesses through-out the township get back to enjoying a better economic environment. We have had to, in the past, find ways to stay ahead of the curve. With the lead from General Electric, Upper Merion was a National leader in the Cold War industrial fight. GE was located in Philadelphia and King of Prussia. GE bought along with them many high paying jobs to our area. I would like to be a part of a team that can see the need of the short and long term future of our community. GREEN is what we can see. Unlike the mission of the participants on all sides of the Cold War, GOING GREEN is about that good future. Our national security depends on how we deal with our crude addiction. Fossil fuels will be replaced with sustainable energies. Plans can be put in place NOW to have King of Prussia/ Upper Merion Township become the headquarters for sustainable and renewable energies; have an area designated for Research & Development, Manufacturing, and Constructing and Assembling Green Products. Ohhhh Yes we can!!!! We can start right away by reviewing our zoning, building, and land use laws. We don't need bigger government in our township, but we must be able to guide our future with a genuine proactive approach. For example, all developers doing business here MUST have a plan that allows the township to become GREEN by year 2030. Going Green is to offer us a way to use less fossil fuel in the short term, and little to none by year 2030. This is why we must begin Now! The Plan Will Be, To Move the use of RENEWABLE ENERGY From 7% To 69% By The Year 2030 Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels Chart data. The renewable market will boom when cost efficiency attains parity with other competing energy sources. The following trends are a few examples by which the renewables market is being helped to attain critical mass so that it becomes competitive enough vs fossil fuels: Other than market forces, renewable industry often needs government sponsorship to help generate enough momentum in the market. Many countries and states have implemented incentives -- like government tax subsidies, partial copayment schemes and various rebates over purchase of renewables -- to encourage consumers to shift to renewable energy sources. Government grants fund for research in renewable technology to make the production cheaper and generation more efficient. There is no shortage of solar-derived energy on Earth. Indeed the storages and flows of energy on the planet are very large relative to human needs. Annual photosynthesis by the vegetation in the United States is 50 billion GJ, equivalent to nearly 60% of the nation's annual fossil fuel use. The amount of solar energy intercepted by the Earth every minute is greater than the amount of energy the world uses in fossil fuels each year. The energy in the winds that blow across the United States each year could produce more than 16 billion GJ of more than one and one-half times the electricity consumed in the United States in 2000. Tropical oceans absorb 560 trillion gigajoules(GJ) of solar energy each year, equivalent to 1,600 times the world's annual energy use. The unreliability of renewable energy is a myth, while the unreliability of nuclear energy is real. Of all U.S. nuclear plants built, 21 percent were abandoned and 27 percent have failed at least once. Successful reactors must close for refueling every 17 months for 39 days. And when shut in response to grid failure, they can't quickly restart. This is simply not the case for wind farms, for example. |
Candidate Page
|| Feedback to Candidate
|| This Contest
May 2009 Home (Ballot Lookup)
|| About Smart Voter
pa/mny Created from information supplied by the candidate: April 29, 2009 14:37
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.