Willyard: We The People

So far in 2010, there have been a lot of people complaining about the state of our Towns, Boroughs, School District, Committee’s, Councils, etc.

 What people are not saying, is the majority of the time, they have had the opportunity to change the way things are done but failed to do so. 

 When we become lazy or worse yet, apathetic, or when we expect that others will have the good sense and morality to do the “right thing” that’s when things begin to deteriorate. Sometimes these things happen so slowly that we don’t at first notice the route events are taking and then suddenly we find ourselves in a hole that we can’ t possibly dig ourselves out of, at least not alone. 

 Everyone needs to get together on the same page and speak up about the wrongs that are being forced upon the majority of our citizens.  We all need to do our due diligence and not expect that someone else will take care of it. Haven’t you heard the expression “God helps those who help themselves”? It is about time for each and every one of us to begin helping ourselves out of the tremendous mess our school district, towns, county, and country is/are in.

 There are complaints aplenty about transparency, shady dealings, illegal activity, hidden agenda’s, takeovers, kickbacks, side deals, etc.  But you know what?  We have nobody to blame but ourselves.  Here is an expression that fits pretty well for our region: “If you do what you always did, you get what you always got”. 

 There are several times we have opportunities to change the way things are done.  One of those times occurs in the month of November most years.  If officials are not changing things over a course of years on a council or board, if positive changes are not taking place in our communities, then why are these people continuously put into these positions of power?  Why is the public voting for them or maybe even worse, not voting at all?

 Sometimes, it’s not a matter of why are people voting for them as much as it is a matter of who is running against them in the polls.  Where are you, the people, at a time when your town, borough, county, library, sewage authority, school board needs you? 

 Everyone has an opinion on the way things are done, but why is nobody stepping forward and volunteering their time and not just their opinion?   Where are you, the people, at a time when your town, borough, county, library, sewage authority, school board needs to hear your opinion?  Why are you not at the meetings?  You have these opinions, why are you not publicly stating them to the people that need to hear them the most?  Just like an employee with bad performance, until they are written up, they do not change.  Just like a child that is misbehaving, they will push the buck until finally you put a stop to it.

 Don’t think that your vote doesn’t matter. IT DOES!  Some of the current offenders currently in office got there 8 votes…yes 8!  EVERY VOTE COUNTS!  It takes mere minutes out of your day to make a positive impact on your community! Please get out there and make an informed decision by exercising your right to vote or stepping forward and being that person to vote for!

 As a great man once said “Our lives begin to end the minute we become silent about things that matter….”   Reverend Martin Luther King

PennDOT Refuses to Lower Speed Limit on Route 66

Immediately after Speedy’s ice cream stand, the speed limit changes to 55 mph on Route 66. Resident Jack Swigart says speed in he cause of many accidents along the highway.

PennDOT turned a deaf ear to residents and township supervisors making the request to lower the speed limit on a section of Route 66 that runs through Manor Township.

While the majority of the state highway from the intersection at Riverside to Leechburg is posted at 40-45 mph, there is a section from Shumaker Hill past Speedy’s TasteeFreeze going south to the Bethel Township line where the speed is posted at 55 mph.

Resident Jack Swigart, who lives at 119 Old 66 Road, came to a township meeting in June to complain. “I called PennDOT two months ago and was told [a request] had to come through the township to get the ball rolling,” Swigart told supervisors.

Supervisor Howard Jack was sympathetic to Swigart’s plea. “We asked PennDOT to reduce the limit to 40 mph to the end of Manor Township. They did a survey and wouldn’t approve it. It is a bad section of road. But according to their survey, PennDOT did not feel it needed changed.”

The township wrote a letter to Senator Don White following the June meeting asking for his intervention in the matter. However, he had bad news in a letter read by township supervisors last night.

“Senator White said that the results of a study shows that a reduction from 55 to 45 is not justified at this time,” Jack said while holding his letter. “To address the concerns, PennDOT put up a speed monitor during the first week of July, but that is about the best they would do.”

Robert Schellinger, an aide from Senator White’s office, gave explanation at the June meeting. “There are always a number of issues when you change road speeds. One is safety. However, when you change speed limits, it can also cause traffic congestion. PennDOT decides what the road can actually carry in the number of vehicles.”

 “Unfortunately, to get something changed, it takes a big accident before anyone takes notice,” Swigart said.