I feel an obligation to explain publicly how and why I decided to seek the Republican endorsement for the Town of Wawarsing supervisor. As a loyal Republican, having been active in politics for many years, I am fully aware of the impact my challenge to an incumbent could have on a party committee.

In my capacity as an elected official for 10 years, I am also fully aware of the importance of OPEN, TRANSPARENT government that serves the best interests of the ENTIRE community.

So, given these conflicts the decision was not an easy one!

However, after the actions and conduct at the Republican caucus last Thursday I am certain that my decision was the right thing to do.

I want to thank all those who came out to support me to know that I have no regrets and I will continue to serve in the best interest of the ENTIRE community.

Terry Houck
Wawarsing

As we get ready to open our new Napanoch Walmart, one of the most exciting parts of my job as store manager is welcoming our Associates to the Walmart family. That's because working at Walmart is more than just a job — it's an opportunity. I've seen countless folks seize that opportunity and I know what it's meant to them. Many of our associates nationwide are full-time, and every year, about 75,000 of them transition from part-time to full-time. In addition, 75 percent of managers started out as hourly Associates, with more than 160,000 of them promoted each year. Folks on our management team earn a competitive salary on par with other respected professionals including firefighters, accountants and yes, even doctors. And hourly associates are eligible for not only quarterly cash bonuses, but also affordable health care plans, 401k plans and a store discount. These are real opportunities that are strengthening our local and national economies. I know our team shares a tremendous sense of pride knowing we work for a company where we can grow while helping families live better.

S. John Peters, Walmart Store Manager
Napanoch

In response to Victor Markowitz's letters... I am pleased that someone has stood up to Scott Carlsen. Anyone that has worked with him or for him knows the real Scott. He is very good at his disguise as a caring, concerned person. Don't let it fool you. It is always all about him. He is an egotistical zealot with a devious methodical plan to keep himself in a power position. Scott Carlsen was a correction's officer who learned how to schmooze with the higher ups. He has learned that lesson well and continues to amour the unknowing people with his fake caring face. The towns' people love him because he "attends all the meetings." Beware — it is all part of the act to maintain a power position. He does not really care about the Town of Wawarsing.

Sharon Reid
Kerhonkson

All too often, many things go unsaid. However, I would like to express my dealings with the Physical Rehab Department at Ellenville Regional Hospital.

To start, Ms. Theresa Marcel has been instrumental in my recovery as related to the back pain I was enduring for the past five weeks or more. Theresa, along with Ms. Dawn Lyons, eliminated all of the back pain, showed a personal and professional interest in my recovery, and set an example of how to maintain my back and prevent problems from occurring in the future.

Mr. Steven Kelley, the CEO, and the staff are to be commended for the operation at Ellenville Regional Physical Rehab and to be sure, it will not be soon that I forget the treatment received at this facility.

J.K. Kissel
Napanoch

New York Farm Bureau very much appreciates the letter that four members of New York's Republican Congressional delegation sent to their leadership in the House of Representatives, including to Speaker John Boehner. The letter signed by Congressmen Chris Gibson, Tom Reed, Richard Hanna and Chris Collins outlines the critical need for agriculture labor reform and underscores the harsh economic reality on farming in this state if nothing is done.

The inability of New York farmers to access a stable and legal workforce has cost New York jobs, and impacts the safe and reliable supply of food and fiber produced in this state. Major business decisions are put on hold out of worries we won't have the workers needed for the basic farm duties like harvesting the crops or milking the cows. Some of our farmers have even scaled back food production because of a lack of labor.

While our Representatives were back in their home districts during the August recess, we at New York Farm Bureau along with a number of other important stakeholder organizations had productive meetings with members of both parties who are eager to find a sensible solution that will not only help our farm economy prosper, but our country's economy as well.

It is time we have immigration reform, and we are hopeful the leadership in the House will take the letter to heart and act. As this country continues to have serious discussions about national security, having a safe and reliable food supply grown in the U.S. must be a part of that conversation. The only alternative to immigration reform is importing more of our food.

Dean Norton, President
New York Farm Bureau

Several letters to the editor have been published surrounding the issues of safety net and sales tax related to the county budget. Having worked with both Assemblyman Kevin Cahill and County Executive Michael Hein, I know that they are hard working men with their constituents always at the forefront of their decision making. Two people with such dedication to the people they serve should work together to resolve the budget issues facing Ulster County.

The finger pointing for revenue shortfalls does nothing to fix the problem and only serves to lay blame. The people of Ulster County want solutions, not more problems. I know Assemblyman Cahill is always looking out for the best interests of the people he represents. He is a tireless advocate for the working men and women of this area. In addition, having experience with the legislative arena, I know nothing is a sure thing in Albany, and most legislative successes come from negotiations with all involved parties.

Michael Hein, like most county government leaders, faces unique and difficult challenges. Revenue needed to meet the demands of a budget that serves the people is no easy task. However, this is a time for leadership and making the hard decisions necessary to run government in times of economic distress.

I urge our state, county, and local leaders to work together to find answers to these very difficult questions.

John P. Kaiser, President/Business Manager
LU320 IBEW
Poughkeepsie

The state Education Department has recently divided public schools into three categories. "Priority" schools must immediately improve their test scores or they will face closure by 2015. "Focus" schools need to improve their test scores so as not to become priority schools. And "Reward" schools get "special waivers" and don't have to worry about their test scores quite as much.

Priority schools make up 5 percent of all schools in New York. They are from mostly impoverished, urban communities like Buffalo, Rochester, New York City, Yonkers, and Poughkeepsie. Reward schools are from affluent communities like Massapequa, Scarsdale, Red Hook and Rhinebeck.

Questions jump out from these lists of classifications. Is the disparity in test scores because of the quality school staff in these different schools? Are the teachers in Massapequa really all that much better than the teachers in Buffalo? Or is there another factor?

A factor that comes to my mind would be the glaring state of social and economic inequality that exists between priority schools and reward schools. It seems to me that this inequality is really the mountain that has to be conquered, and whatever disparity there may be in the quality of professional staff would be a molehill by comparison.

The state Education Department has decided to focus on the molehill, having given up on trying to conquer the mountain. Why? Pearson, a massive international publishing corporation from the United Kingdom, is a major contributor to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Not surprisingly, the state Education Department has signed Pearson up. They print the tests, and when a school does poorly, the state spends millions hopelessly dispatching Pearson out into ours schools as molehill consultants.

We continue to do nothing about the mountain of inequality.

Richard Carr
Rosendale

The Cuomo Administration, in its all-out drive to build new casinos, keeps loading the dice in its favor. Rather than a simple, factual description of the proposed amendment, the November 5 referendum ballot will use rosy wording: "The proposed amendment to section 9 of article 1 of the Constitution would allow the Legislature to authorize up to seven casinos in New York State for the legislated purposes of promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools, and permitting local governments to lower property taxes through revenues generated. Shall the amendment be approved?" The claimed benefits are controversial and not in the language of the amendment passed by the Legislature.

An early version stated simply: "The purpose of the proposed amendment to section 9 of article 1 of the constitution is to allow the Legislature to authorize and regulate up to seven casinos. If approved, the amendment would permit commercial casino gambling in New York State." None of the other four propositions use loaded language.

Add it to the list of deceptions and evasions Cuomo uses to support his goal.

• Saving second passage of the casino amendment and enabling legislation until the last day of the legislative session.

• Not holding public hearings.

• Saving substantive changes to the last minute so that they will be hidden from lawmakers and the public.

• Issuing a "message of necessity" which suspends the required three days of public review.

• Promising Indian casinos exclusive zones only if they refrain from fighting the amendment.

• Dropping a vital anti-corruption provision of the law — which prohibits campaign contributions from casino interests.

• Including a "poison pill" (Section 32a-3) which allows for a huge expansion of lottery VLT's if the amendment loses. Then Cuomo wins whatever the voters say.

• Keeping potential locations open thereby paving the way for corruption in the process of selecting sites.

• Not guaranteeing local referendums on possible sites.

• Promising not to put casinos in NYC for 5 years to lull NYC voters

• Putting the amendment at the top of the ballot, not in the usual chronological order

Voters should reject the Cuomo casino steamroller; vote No on November 5.

Arnie Lieber, M.D.
Saugerties

Congress should strengthen, not weaken, SNAP (food stamps). Tens of millions of Americans are hungry, forced to turn to emergency food programs and food stamps to feed their families. The House Republican leadership's response is to attack SNAP.

The Hunger Action Network of NYS believes the solution to hunger is to repair the economy and create living-wage jobs.

The House Republicans' first effort to cut SNAP was to make it harder for the working poor, such as those with child care costs, to get help. The uproar was so great the House rejected the Farm Bill.

The Republican leadership's response was to strip SNAP out of the Farm Bill. They now want to further cut SNAP by penalizing those unable to find a job.

Instead, why doesn't the House provide a job with a paycheck to all those who want one, similar to the public works program that FDR put in place during the Great Depression?

The Great Recession of 2007 allegedly ended four years ago, but unemployment remains at very high levels. Most new jobs pay poverty-level wages.

In the last 30 years, the rich have gotten richer, while everyone else's income either stagnated or declined.

The richest 1 percent of New York residents now gets 35 percent of the income. The last time we saw such great economic disparity was right before the Great Depression. When working people don't make enough money, consumer demand is too low and the economy collapses.

The Farm Bill should be about creating sound food policy for the country, one that supports family farmers, promotes healthy food, ends hunger and protects the environment.

Instead, the Farm Bill enriches agribusiness and wealthy speculators. It promotes an unhealthy food diet by subsidizing overly processed foods high in sugar and fats. It costs tens of billions of dollars to deal with resulting health problems like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. It supports massive factory farms that grow only one crop, which is bad for the soil and leads to high levels of water pollution from fertilizers, pesticides and concentrated animal waste. It contributes to world hunger.

The fight over the Farm Bill highlights all that is wrong with Congress.

It is time for Americans to demand real change that ends hunger and lifts up all Americans from family farmers and food workers to senior citizens and children.

Mark A. Dunlea, Executive Director
Hunger Action Network of NYS
Albany