If 100 Senators, 435 Congressmen/Women, and 1 President in Washington D.C. are serious enough to get the economy in this Country of ours going in the right direction, and really creating more jobs for the 300 million or so American citizens in this Country, then why is it that more of these 536 people aren't having the courage to recommend or suggest to all of us American citizens that we should stop buying products that are exported to the USA from Foreign countries, and start buying more products that are made here in the US? Can anyone of us begin to imagine how many more jobs that would create for Americans, and how much that would help the economy of the US? No doubt it would cost Americans a little more for products that are made in the US, but hopefully the products would be of better quality if the Companies in the US make it a priority to make sure they are. If the companies in the US were to do just that, then that would probably help us to have a good and successful economy for our citizens. It would definitely have a huge impact on foreign countries making a lot of money from Americans from exporting their products to the USA. Who knows, it may even cause the majority of those foreign countries’ workers to earn a higher or lower wage than what they're being paid now in their countries for making those products they're exporting to the USA! What sweet revenge that would be for all Americans for all the US companies that have exported so many of their jobs and products that used to be made here in the US to those foreign countries because of cheaper wages, more profits, and less taxes!!

I just gave my opinion of what I think our 536 Representatives should consider doing to start creating more jobs for us other 300 million or so citizens here in the US. If they choose not to consider doing it, then maybe all of us Americans should start thinking about replacing all of those 536 elected people starting in November 2012 and future election years, and electing 536 new people over the course of time it will take to replace all of them, that may do a better job of representing the rest of us American citizens in Washington in future years. It's time to start taking back America, and re-making it into the way it once was! Let’s do it America!

Sincerely,

John Hollenback

Greenfield Twp., PA

I Need Help. My son (8 years old) has contracted MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). This disease is uncurable, only treatable, and communicable/highly contagious without proper precautions. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrsa, but truly all you need to do is GOOGLE it). I do believe that he has contracted the disease from school. He has been cultured and the culture is positive. These people are nuts - school policy is to send my kid to school with an active infection with a band aid over it! Are they kidding? I do believe (this not a fact) that (due to this school policy) this is how my child contracted this disease.

I have contacted the state department of health; I have contacted the CDC; I have contacted the Pennsylvania State Board of Education; I have contacted my home school (Susquehanna Community School); I have contacted the school superintendent of Elk Lake K-12 school (Doctor William Bush) that my child attends. I am so frightened by the fact the school demands children who are MRSA positive, and having an active outbreak, to attend school with a band aid on!? Apparently a band aid is not preventing the spread of the disease - as now my son has acquired it!

The school he attends again is a K-12 school - all in one very huge building! The school also houses children with special educational needs from surrounding areas at least in an hour and a half radius. The potential for spreading it is so ridiculous, especially because they cover such a wide area! I expressed my disgust of the band aid policy, as the band aid they placed on my son ripped off his healing skin with the adhesive when they removed it (but before they even removed it I told the nurse at the school I thought it was a terrible idea to cover it with the band aid for fear of it damaging his healing and or already impaired skin, and low and behold that’s exactly what it did when the nurse removed it right in front of me). I also informed the school nurse, since they demand him to be in school, that she will need to drain his wound and she said she would not do that! Then why on God’s green earth would the school demand my child be in school - and why won’t the school provide proper medical treatment for the child they are demanding to attend school?

The school officials are acting like I am crazy because I refused to send my child to school before I got the results of his culture. But I was 80-90% sure the culture was going to be positive due to the necrosis, (necrosis - premature death of cells and living tissue; necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, toxins, or trauma; this, is in contrast to apoptosis, which is a naturally occurring cause of cellular death), located in the center of his wound. It was only as large as a pencil dot on a piece of paper on Saturday when I took him to the hospital after he showed me his boo boo - the wound necrosis was dime size by Monday and quarter size by Tuesday and I got the results on Wednesday... that he is positive - duh!

Who can I contact to help prevent other peoples’ babies from contracting this, because the school thinks I am crazy. But apparently their plan of action for prevention is not working? Do you have any ideas - anybody to contact? The CDC agrees that children are not capable, and should not be expected to be able to perform the proper hygiene to prevent the transmission. But they can’t help. The Pennsylvania State Department of Health also agrees! But there is nothing they can do because my concern is at the “school level." I am so angry that my child has been exposed to this disease and that schools will demand children be sent home for curable communicable disease - i.e. pink eye, head lice, chicken pox, scabies, bronchitis, fever, emesis, diarrhea, pneumonia... so on and so forth. And if we can’t send children with head lice to school with a hat on that completely covers their head and hair (band aid ) then why on God’s green earth would we send our children with active MRSA out breaks to school with a stinking band aid?

My goal is to raise awareness and hopefully change the school’s "band aid" policy to the "can not attend policy" they implement with other less serious and completely curable communicable diseases. Please let me know if there is anything you can think of.

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Bishop

Susquehanna, PA

“Your property sits atop 410 trillion cubic feet of gas. That's enough to power America for 100 years, maybe more,” gushed the gas rep. “We would like you to sign this lease giving us the right to extract some of this wealth. It will be highly profitable for you, a life changing event.”

The lessor glanced over the lease while the gas rep continued his practiced pitch.

“It's a standard lease, the same as many of your neighbors have already signed. You will get an immediate signing bonus, a right to future royalties of the legally specified 12.5 percent. And your gas and future income will be protected from other gas companies siphoning off your gas.”

Unfortunately, the lessor didn't know that the sales spiel was riddled with half truths, lies, and crucial omissions. He could have known if he had consulted with an attorney who had expertise in gas leases, but he didn't. He signed. Here's what he didn't know.

The 410 trillion cubic feet (Tcuft) is so much gas company gas. It's the Energy Administration's estimate but it's a half-truth. That figure was drastically revised downward this year by the U.S. Geological Survey to 84 Tcuft. The Energy Administration now accepts this figure.

Spread that 84 Tcuft higgledy-piggledy over the 190,000 square miles of four-state area of the Marcellus Shale and it makes gas drilling a high-stakes gamble. Then factor in what is economically recoverable at $7/1000 cubit feet and that “100 years, maybe more” of gas reserve shrinks to an optimistic two. The current price of $4/1000 cubic feet slashes even that.

Time is on the lessor’s side. “Other gas companies siphoning off your gas,” is a gob-smacking lie to rush the lessor in to signing. State laws prohibit that unless you are compensated even if you chose not to lease. And that “standard” lease is as fictional as the imagined treasure trove of gas.

Signing a lease is risky business. It is a legally binding contract between two parties each trying to get as much as possible while giving as little as possible. The fact that the lessee wrote the contract ensures that the gas company stands to get as much as possible and give the lessor as little as possible.

Signing such a lease gives the drillers the legally enforceable right to enter the lessor's property at any time, bring whatever heavy construction machinery and drilling equipment it wants onto the lessor's property, and make the minimum reclamation required by state law.

The lessor may also not have known that the signing bonus and the royalty were rock-bottom amounts that were negotiable. If he had a competent negotiator on his side, the signing bonus might have been considerably more. And that “12.5 percent royalty” could have been upped to 15 percent or even 20 percent. Also, the lease might have included an annual rental fee.

Most importantly, the lessor's surface rights and property could have been listed and protected in the lease; a critical omission in the gas company's “standard” lease. Expecting the gas company to consider your welfare is like asking a lion to protect a sheep; it's not going to happen.

Furthermore, it is the lessor's responsibility to anticipate everything that could go wrong when mining operations begin and have protections written in the lease. These would hardly be included in a gas company's “standard” lease.

The lessor may also have been unaware that the moment he signed the lease his property was made marginally salable by himself or anyone to whom he bequeaths his property. When someone buys a property he buys its assets and its liabilities.

The lease is a hefty liability. Even if the gas company does nothing any company to which it sells its lease right can commence drilling operations at any future time with little regard for surface disruption, property value, or for the future owner. In effect, the gas company now holds the lessor'sproperty hostage in perpetuity. Few would be interested in such a purchase.

And if the water supply of this rural property is contaminated, its resale value would plummet still further.

Signing a lease is making a choice between dollars or sense, which generally keep poor company. If dollars prevail, then sign the lease and take the money. However, you may find that the gas rep's promise of a “life changing event” becomes a tragic reality.

If sense prevails, then call the Natural Resources Bureau at 412-442-4235 for information. And above all find a lawyer experienced with gas leases. You may find that the best deal for you is no deal.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

Thursday evening I watched (until I ran for the toilet) as the president gave us another “kiss and a promise” speech. Except for the fact that the speech was supposed to be reality, it was like watching and listening to a soap opera. “Pass it now, pass it now, pass it now.” Here we are, a nation in pain and suffering, listening to fantasy expectations in lieu of a credible plan to get ourselves back on track. Albert Einstein said it best: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Does this man think we are crazy? Well, no, he doesn’t. But he does know that the only possible plan he can use to win re-election is to convince us (the voters) that all our suffering and pain is the result of a Congress which will not follow his lead. Since we are in shambles after almost three years of his “leadership,” I would do the same thing.

Does anyone remember the famous reply Nancy Pelosi gave when asked about details of the abominable Affordable Health Care bill? She replied “We have to pass it in order to know what is in it.” Doesn’t last night sound vaguely familiar? We should spend another half a trillion dollars doing roughly the same thing that the almost trillion dollars Stimulus plan on 2009 spent, and expect different results. It would be funny except for the suffering of so many million unemployed. The Republicans will be painted by the president as the reason nothing is being accomplished. Yeah, sure. If we repeat our failure, everything will be OK. People - are there any of you still believing this? God, I hope not. And, to top it off, he claims to have a sure fire plan to pay for it (of course, we can’t know what it is until we pass it). Screw me once, shame on you, screw me twice...

Last point. Do not believe for a moment that he and the Progressives are idiots. They are surely not. Look through all of this posturing and connect the dots. A 14th century philosopher, William of Ockham, would put it the same way: Connect the dots. If you care to do so, you will fully understand the path on which we are headed by this administration - Socialism and the inevitable failure which comes with it.

Sincerely,

Joe McCann

Elk Lake, PA