In the past three years the Antietam School District has raised my taxes by 4.8%, 5.2% and 5.3%.
Three years ago the area received 8 inches of rain within a few hours. The Antietam Creek inundated the district’s high school and administration building. It was condemned.
Rebuilding will cost $30 million; we locals are going to pay $19 million with the balance coming from grants and insurance.
As I write this the air quality is rated as very unhealthy with an advisory to remain indoors. Hot, dry conditions contribute to wildfires, and tiny particles that can damage my lungs blow in our direction.
President Donald Trump has called climate change a “hoax” too many times to be counted. I’d like to believe him but scientists understand global warming, driven by greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, is making certain kinds of extreme weather more intense and more likely.
Trump’s administration has paid companies billions of dollars to cancel wind farm projects. Using wind decreases the need to burn oil and gas, reducing greenhouse emissions.
In February, Trump revoked regulations designed to decrease auto emissions and other greenhouse gases. A federal court blocked his attempt to dismantle the National Center For Atmospheric Research, calling it politically motivated. The administration said it contributed to “climate alarmism.”
Climate change is personal: I pay higher taxes; it’s dangerous to my health. Those who claim it is a hoax don’t care about me. But I vote.
Thomas Gery
Lower Alsace Township