I am writing to urge you to support SB842, Castle Doctrine Self-Defense Bill. I've been a resident of Milford Township for 22 years. Until recently, I have never had to lock the doors. In January, the tiny Spinnerstown post office was robbed in broad daylight by a gun wielding thief, who to this date, is still at large. This brazen crime was committed less than 150 yards from an elementary school which was in session at the time.

I have since dusted off my husband's 22 cal. rifle and fully intend to learn how to use it to defend life and property. This bill would protect my right to do so. Thank you.
Bernadette in Milford Township

Dear Honorable Senator Wonderling:

As I drove by the Saucon Valley area this past week I was shocked to see that the old railroad tracks that were once the SEPTA Bethlehem Branch had been torn up. I looked online and found that they were being replaced by a bike trail. I think encouraging biking is important to create opportunities for fitness and connecting communities. However I think it is a grave mistake to turn this critical rail Right of Way (ROW) into a bike trail. We are in a time where we need to be encouraging smart growth and sustainability to create a better future. We should not be converting the only passenger rail ROW that directly connects the Lehigh Valley to the Philadelphia metro area into a bike trail. What we should be doing is investing in restoring rail service on that route. Currently the Lehigh Valley metro area has over 800,000 people and is one of the top ten regions by size without any rail service. The market is largely underserved especially considering its proximity to the North East Corridor which is the nation’s most developed rail corridor and the many connections it has to offer. Restoring rail service to the Lehigh Valley would have the following benefits:

1) Provide transportation options for low-income people and also those that cannot drive such as the elderly and the youth

2) Provide a transportation option for those commuting to Philadelphia and metro area

3) Provide a transportation option or those wishing to visit the many attractions of our area including the new Sands BethWorks Casino being built right near the old end of the Bethlehem Branch

4) Provide a transportation option for those attending the many colleges and universities the area has to offer

5) Provide a connection to the Philadelphia Airport that allows one to leave their car at home

6) Provide a connection to the Northeast Corridor that allows one to leave their car at home and travel to Boston, New York, and Washington D.C.

7) Reduce our dependence on fossil fuels thus reducing carbon emissions

8) Reduce our dependence on fossil fuels protecting us from future spikes in oil prices

9) Encourage smart growth around transit stops

10) Reduce congestion on the region’s roads

11) Enable our community to be eligible to obtain some of the intercity rail money that is currently being offered by the federal government

I am urging you as a resident of the Lehigh Valley to try and prevent the turning of the SEPTA Bethlehem Branch ROW into a bike trail.

Brandi in Upper Milford Township

There comes a time when REAL change has to be made in the way our government conducts business. Your chance has come, to take charge of a situation and make a difference for the children of this state. Stop allowing teachers to hold our children hostage. Stop allowing teachers to strike, NOW!

When will you realize, that a child’s morale is severely damaged when they see teachers walking out on them. When will you understand that a damaging wedge is driven though the very heart of our communities, because you won’t put and end to this unacceptable behavior.

Allowing teachers to go on with this antiquated form of legal mob rule has run its course in time. Teachers are taken care of better than most of us who pay your salaries. It will take REAL leaders to step outside the box and stop bowing down to the teachers union. It will take REAL leaders to STOP taking campaign donations from the union, so that when you have to stand up for the very people who put you in office, you won't cower to the demand of your pocket book.

The policies of old world politics has got to come to an end, look at the mess it has gotten our country into. Look at the mess it has gotten our neighboring states into, LOOK at what it is doing to our commonwealth. All of you should sit down, and think good and hard, about caving to the demands of the union and PUT OUR CHILDREN FIRST …

It's bad enough that you don't have the courage to repeal the real estate tax, which holds our homesteads as collateral for the preservation of GUARANTEED teacher jobs and it's cancerous union, how pathetic all of you are... I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, in runs through my veins, but I must say, I'm growing tired of working, and living in a commonwealth, which ultimately owns my home. I'm tired of our communities being held hostage by a union with an agenda of self-preservation, a skewed agenda, and which is given the privilege of “educating” our children.

The time has come for a real change in how this state does business. The first step is to put an end to teacher strikes now…
James in Lower Salford Township