Dear Editor:
Funny how much whining you hear from the local unions in Niagara County about Norampac but, I don't remember hearing anything from them when out of town/county workers were doing road work while local worker (blacktopping, dump trucks, etc.) were sitting watching all our tax money going to other towns and counties instead of hiring local dump trucks and have our tax dollars stay in the county.
Enrique Padron Dump Truck Driver,
North Tonawanda
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Dear Editor:
Concerning Union leader Richard Palladino’s criticism of Norampac’s French-Canadian owners and the French in general, Norampac is based in Montreal, a city in the Province of Quebec. The Province of Quebec is one of ten provinces in the Country of Canada. Canada is not France. French Canadians are, since at least 1759, Canadians (although the Country officially became Canada in 1867).
It only can be surmised that sheer ignorance has compelled the barrage of anti-French slurs aimed at what appears to be a Canadian company. It's laughable, sad and embarrassing for me, a former Canadian living in the US, and also for the people of Niagara County.
By the way, French Canadians served with great courage and distinction in both World Wars, in Korea, in both Gulf Wars and presently serve in Afghanistan.
If you have an issue with a French Canadian company, don't hurl insults at another Country. At the same time, how can this individual hope to be taken seriously (aside from whether or not he wants to be politically correct) by the French-Canadian company if he can't get their National origin correct?
As I said, this is embarrassing. Can we please change the channel?
Peter Green,
Kenmore, NY
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Editor
Your Norampac article illustrates again our governmental error which has allowed a non-elected authority(Niagara County IDA) to make taxing decisions. Currently there is no way residents of the county, through their votes, can hold anyone responsible in the financing decisions for this project.
The NCIDA exists as a super-governmental body with the power to override the tax laws put in place by our elected legislature, councils, and school boards. This is not how a Republic is supposed to work. The pattern for raising revenue is set in Art I, Sec. 7 of the Constitution. This designates that power to the House of Representatives, the body of elected individuals closest to the people.
Hopefully, someone with legal capability, would contest the existence and operations of an individual IDA in federal court. For all the discussions of how to decide voter eligibility, here is an instance where we all have no vote.
Don Hobel Wheatfield
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