No more delays: the ERA must become the 28th Amendment
The U.S. Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for women and girls or protection against discrimination. We face unequal pay, harassment in the workplace, limited access to healthcare, etc. Every woman we speak to has her own story of discrimination.
When the ERA was passed in 1972, it included an arbitrary time limit that was changed once by Congress. In January 2023, a joint resolution was introduced in both houses of Congress to eliminate the time limit. Although stuck in a House Committee, 70-80% of Americans want the ERA added to the Constitution.
A discharge petition signed by 218 members of the House of Representatives will begin the process of bringing the ERA resolution to the House of Representatives. There are currently 215 signatures on the discharge petition.
In August, 25 constituents of the 19th Congress met with Representative Molinaro’s staff to discuss this discharge request. In October, members of the League of Women Voters of Broome and Tioga counties asked him to sign the discharge petition so the ERA could finally become the 28th Amendment. He hasn’t signed yet. We strongly encourage him to leave this legacy to half of his voters.Susan RoefPresident of the League of Women Voters of Broome and Tioga Counties
Is Delta going bankrupt at Broome County Airport?
With one flight a day and a limited crew, it appears Delta Airlines is preparing to quietly disappear from the Greater Binghamton Airport.
When I left last week the ticket counter closed 45 minutes before departure and I couldn’t check my bag and was forced to take it through security where they searched and removed everything that wasn’t allowed in carry-on luggage. I was told they were closing so they could line up the incoming flight. The pilot announced a delay in takeoff because only two people were working on the ramp.
When I returned on the only arriving flight on Tuesday, one person flagged down the plane and the pilot announced that the luggage would be delayed. The bags arrived 25 minutes later. Will there be a plane next time? It seems millions in airport facelifts can’t keep the airlines in Binghamton.
Jerry Russell Binghamton
Hochul’s baffling decision to veto the Wildlife Crossigs Act
Despite the staggering number of wildlife fatalities we see every day, Governor Hochul has vetoed the New York State Wildlife Crossings Act. Global wildlife populations have plummeted by 69% since 1970 (according to the World Wildlife Federation). In the United States, the Federal Highway Administration estimates that the total number of road-killed vertebrates is 365 million per year, or 1 million per day.
Our roads allow us to move from one place to another quickly and, for the most part, safely. For wildlife, our roads are a deadly game of roulette.
Under the Wildlife Crossings Act, New York would have had two years to identify five locations for wildlife bridges, underpass tunnels or other means of safe wildlife passage. Federal grants would have financed the actual construction of the border crossings.
Two years seems sufficient to conduct the research. And ‘free’ sounds like a good price. Why isn’t this an efficient and cost-effective way to help protect wildlife?
Diane Stefani Conklin
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: The ERA, Broome’s lonely airport and Hochul’s wildlife veto: Letters
