Urgent: Passenger Rail Alert--Please Send An Email to Our Senator ASAP

Since "Bringing the Train Back to Easton" ranked in the top 3 in my poll of issues important to West Ward residents (see bottom of this page) I am passing on the latest alert from Mr. Green, who runs the blog with the petition for passenger rail that is in the upper right hand corner of this page. It is critical that as many of us as possible contact Senator Wonderling and Representative Freeman as soon as possible to let them know that this is an important issue to us--we don't want to miss out on the President's recent funding for passenger rail projects nationwide. If you're in a hurry you can use the text of my letter below, and the email address links are in Mr. Green's message:

http://lehighvalleytrains.blogspot.com/

Paul Marin met with this group in Harrisburg and they need to hear your voices on Passenger Rail!

Some have expressed that they have NEVER heard from a single constituent on this issue!
They need to recieve emails, calls, mail, etc...from rail advocates:

State Senators:
Lisa Boscola--- boscola@pasenate.com
Pat Browne --- pbrowne@pasen.gov
Barry Stout-- stout@pasenate.com
Rob Wonderling--- rwonderling@pasen.gov

To find out who your state senator is, go to
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/email_list.cfm?body=S
and type in your zip code.


State House Members:

PRIORITY ***Doug Reichley**-- dreichle@pahousegop.com
Karen Beyer-mailto:Beyer-kbeyer@pahousegop.com
Craig Dally-http://www.craigdally.com/?sectionid=36&sectiontree=36
Bob Freeman-http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=136
Richard Grucela-http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=137
Julie Harhart-http://www.julieharhart.com/?sectionid=100&sectiontree=100

To find your state house member, go to:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/email_list.cfm?body=H
______________
Let's make this happen!

Feel free to use or personalize the text of my letter to Senator Wonderling (cc: Rep. Robert Freeman) below:

Dear Senator Wonderling,

I understand that you recently met with Paul Marin on the subject of bringing passenger rail to the Lehigh Valley. As a New Yorker who moved to Easton, PA two years ago, there are few issues that are more important to me than bringing more sophisticated mass transit back to Easton and the entire region. We are nearing the end of the cheap gas era, and must do everything in our power to cut citizen dependence on foreign oil--mass transit is one key way of bringing Americans into an energy-independent future. It is a tremendous embarrassment that other first world countries are so far ahead of us in the area of mass transit, and I am so relieved that President Obama has alotted $8 billion in funding specifically for the expansion of passenger rail. We need to get in line before it's too late--we can't afford to miss out on this funding.

Restoring and further developing passenger rail in the Northeast corridor and connecting us with Washington will not only cut back on our dependence on foreign oil, it will:

--make it easier for residents of a depressed region in our state to find viable employment in a wider range of cities and towns
--raise property values in Pennsylvania by making towns in the Lehigh Valley viable relocation choices when homeowners get priced out of New York and New Jersey, thereby adding to the tax base of these depressed towns
--make towns like Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown much more attractive to businesses and cultural centers who can transform these towns into destinations (see economist Stephen Sheppard's work on his web site http://www.williams.edu/Economics/ArtsEcon/about.html and the direct correlation between mass transit, cultural centers as destinations and the resulting rise in property values, i.e., in Beacon, NY and Adams, MA)

When Paul Marin held a meeting with Easton residents last year to give his presentation, over 80 people showed up. That's a lot of people for a public meeting in Easton. When Paul Marin presented to the County on this issue, over 100 people showed up in support--standing room only. Voters will be watching this issue closely.

Thank you for your time and your consideration.

Yours,

Noel Jones
800 Ferry Street
Easton, PA 18042

cc: Rep. Robert Freeman
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I know there are a few people out there who are not in favor of bringing the train back to Easton, so don't be shy about getting the debate going by posting your comments here, for or against--that's what public debate is about : )