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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">An open letter to
"All the One's in Charge".<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From the article below it appears that the forces that be in
<st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Raleigh</st1:city></st1:place> along with their usual numerous
“minions” are seeking to destroy the woodlands and those who make their livings
from them. There is plenty of money out there for this brand of “progress” but
when asked to support long-term endeavors supporting working forests and to
promote the conservation of the biodiversity contained therein there is simply
no money available. I should know, as I have had six such working forest
endeavors turned down for funding in as many years.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<h1><i style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Legislators
get Corridor K funds <o:p></o:p></span></i></h1>
<h1><span class="subhead"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Federal funds to remain in Western NC</span></i></span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="byline"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">By James Budd; “The Graham Star”, </span></i></span><span class="timestamp"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Thursday, <st1:date ls="trans" month="7" day="15" year="2010" w:st="on">July
15, 2010</st1:date> <st1:time hour="14" minute="04" w:st="on">2:04 PM</st1:time>
<st1:stockticker w:st="on">CDT</st1:stockticker></span></i></span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">http://grahamstar.com/articles/2010/07/15/news/doc4c3f55b4ecea1016575728.txt<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="story"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The North Carolina Legislature has approved a formula
change keeping federal funds earmarked for Corridor K exclusively in Graham and
Cherokee counties — and out of the state’s highway equalization funding.</span></i></span><i style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br>
<span class="story">State Sen. John Snow, D-Murphy, working with Senate Majority
Leader Martin L. Nesbitt, D-Asheville, pushed the measure through the General
Assembly a few weeks ago.</span><br>
<span class="story">In previous years, all federal highway funds funneled into
the state were distributed on an equity basis to all counties, regardless of
earmarks from <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>.
Funds earmarked for Corridor K were often removed and used for four-lane
perimeter or “loop” highways around the state’s cities, Snow said.</span><br>
<span class="story">“Charlotte and Mecklenburg County got most of it,” State Rep.
Roger West, R-Marble, said.</span><br>
<span class="story">Snow said this session a downstate legislator wanted to
construct a bridge over the <st1:placename w:st="on">Yadkin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">River</st1:placetype> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Davidson</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place> and requested that
the project be left out of equalization formula and funded directly.</span><br>
<span class="story">Snow said Majority Leader Nesbitt worked out a deal to remove
the bridge project from the state formula, as well as the Corridor K funds.</span><br>
<span class="story">Snow said Congressman Heath Shuler’s office also helped
leverage the deal by threatening to withhold highway funds from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place>.</span><br>
<span class="story">Shuler’s Chief of Staff Hayden Rogers said about $180 million
in federal funds are in a pot earmarked for Corridor K that haven’t been used.</span><br>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><span class="story">Rogers</span></st1:city></st1:place><span class="story"> said his office is checking to see if the retroactive funds can be
released.</span><br>
<span class="story">“I think when they fixed that it was retroactive,” <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rogers</st1:city></st1:place> said.</span><br>
<span class="story">In the past about $31 million a year has been earmarked for
Corridor K.</span><br>
<span class="story">“John Snow has been a bulldog on this,” <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rogers</st1:city></st1:place> said. “When he gets a hold of
something he doesn’t let go.”</span><br>
<span class="story">Rep. West also credits Snow for getting formula changed. The
changes were included in this year’s state budget, which was approved a few
weeks ago.</span><br>
<span class="story">West said he got some odd looks from his fellow Republicans
for supporting the budget, but he wasn’t about to reject the change in the highway
funding formula.</span><br>
<span class="story">“I think I was the only Republican to vote for it (the
budget),” West said. “I’m as proud of that as anything I have done.”</span><br>
<span class="story">West said the legislation will help push Corridor K ahead.</span><br>
<span class="story">The federal Grant Anticipation Revenue Bonds or GARVEE bonds
can be issued in anticipation of revenue to accelerate construction, West said.</span><br>
<span class="story">West said legislators will have to be vigilant to make sure
the formula isn’t changed in the future, mixing Corridor K funds back into the
equalization formula.</span><br>
<span class="story">NCDOT District 14 Engineer Joel Setzer said the new formula
keeps Corridor K funds in place.</span><br>
<span class="story">“The General Assembly has exempting all Appalachian Corridor
funds from the equity formula,” Setzer said.</span><br>
<span class="story">Snow said he and West were very concerned about the region’s
highways after rockslides in <st1:state w:st="on">Tennessee</st1:state> and <st1:place w:st="on">Western North Carolina</st1:place> during the fall and winter
practically isolated the region. The legislators gave a presentation to the
state’s Transportation Oversight Committee in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Raleigh</st1:place></st1:city> last winter describing the dire circumstances.</span><br>
<span class="story">Snow said Sen. Nesbitt was aware of the situation and helped
broker the deal.</span><br>
<span class="story">“I’ve been trying to get this since I’ve been down here,”
Snow said.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been looking for some sort of sign that things are
changing, but the only “change” I have seen is that of tone without the merit
of substance. Our world’s sorry state of affairs in terms of environmental
stewardship is, I believe mostly due to a loss of connection between people and
the lands and oceans that sustain them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The longer we as a society dwell on the “techno-centric”
world that mankind created the more the natural world seems to suffer. This
paradigm is of course not sustainable and while eventually self-correcting, as
with any greater act of balance, the longer correction is delayed the more
volatile it becomes when realized.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is indeed much we all have to learn from the world
around us. It is also indeed a pity that there is still much truth in the old
saying that: “There are none so blind as those who will not see”.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So to the politicians mentioned in the article above and to
all others in leadership positions who have the Heart, Passion, and Courage to
consider these words and then to act on them, I say:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stop lying to us all (and to yourselves) about the necessity
of unwinnable wars with intangible, unobtainable and unrealizable outcomes (an
exercise in empire building). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stop propping up the artificial and superficial Wall Street
economy and making the fat cats even fatter (especially if you are one of them)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Know this, not everything needs to be paved, for lots of
reasons. One: that asphalt takes a lot of oil to make. Two and Three: the Gulf
of Mexico and the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place> (need I say
more?)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stop making villains out of legitimate wild harvesters and
woodlot/woodland managers while turning a blind eye to the wholesale conversion
of forests into subdivisions and “industrial” uses. And yes this includes most
large agribusiness as well. Turning an acre of native forest into an acre of
mono-cultural crop production isn’t much better than paving it (especially if
you’re the one making some money on the deal). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stop giving my tax money to corporations to do things I
don’t want done. Believe me, Monsanto along with hundreds more have gotten
enough already.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Instead, spend our hard earned tax dollars here at home,
helping our people and the natural resource base we all depend on. And while
you’re at it, stop making it a crime to utilize that resource base. How is
everybody else going to know the value of it if it’s all “locked up”?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Believe me, the amount of money saved would be money
invested in making us all “healthier, wealthier, and wiser” in whatever manner
those benefited chose to see it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And, importantly, you will have taken positive steps in
restoring our nation’s integrity, economic strength, security, Constitutional
foundation and health to its natural resource base and ecosystems.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Time to go to work,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Robin A. Suggs</p>
</body><pre>
Robin Alton Suggs
MoonBranch Botanicals
5294 Yellow Creek Road
Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771
USA
Telephone: 828.479.2788
moonbranch@earthlink.net
www.moonbranch.com
Member:
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project; Farm Partner
Green Products Alliance
North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines
North Carolina Goodness Grows/NCDA&CS
Southwestern North Carolina RC&D Council
United Plant Savers
"I need someone to protect me from all the measures they take in order to protect me."
-Banksy, street artist (b. 1974) </pre>