Letters: Land of opportunity; The case for conservation corridors

Land of opportunity

My family is a blended family with many intersecting backgrounds. I’m an Indian immigrant, my wife is African American, our oldest child is half Nigerian and half African American, while the younger two are half-Indian and half African American. It’s a wonderful amalgamation of immigrant stories and the rich and troubling history of my wife’s family’s escape from the Jim Crow South to a promising future in the north. It’s great!

Yet, reading Leonard Pitts Jr.’s opinion titled “There are none so blind as those who will not see that America is a racist country” was saddening.

Each of our intersecting stories, whether Nigerian, Indian or African American have a common thread of struggle, and escape to a glorious future — not in Nigeria or India, but right here in America! We’ve never considered living elsewhere, not because America is perfect but because this is the only country that affords the poorest and marginalized the greatest opportunity to thrive! Indeed, I tell my kids everyday — “You are privileged!”

The story Mr. Pitts wants people to believe is a caricature that creates a kind of social and political power for a select few but doesn’t benefit the “least of these.” To be sure, real problems exist for immigrants and African Americans, but there’s a reason one groups flocks here in droves, and the other group continues to live here — opportunity! If America moves in the direction equal opportunity, rather than equal outcomes, all of us thrive. That’s not zero sum thinking.

The case for conservation corridors

Pennsylvania’s wildlife-vehicle collisions annually cost $400 million, providing an opportunity for wildlife crossing projects. Crossings in Virginia average savings of $2.3 million per site and a 92% reduction in deer-vehicle collisions, paying for themselves in less than two years.

Wildlife crossings also enhance Pennsylvania’s vibrant outdoor economy by increasing access to the outdoors. Hunting and fishing, in addition to other outdoor pursuits, annually generates $29.1 billion in consumer spending in Pennsylvania with the state’s outdoor economy providing over 390,000 jobs.

Eighty-four percent of us commute by car on the state’s 120,590 miles of roads. However, 29.5% of our roads are in poor condition, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Perhaps more concerning, 72.6% of our bridges are in fair to poor condition. Conservation crossings and corridor enhancements can provide solutions to these specific problems, while benefiting both wildlife and Pennsylvanians throughout the state.

During this current legislative session, Pennsylvania has the opportunity to look to proactive solutions to the issue of wildlife-vehicle collisions. The Endangered Species Coalition is leading the effort to bring House Resolution 74 (HR74) to the Tourism & Recreation Committee to commission a feasibility study for conservation corridors in the state. I encourage you to reach out to your local state representatives and ask that they support HR 74 to benefit people and wildlife.

Common sense gun laws make a difference

When I read the claptrap being spewed by Ron Reese I get really irate. No one is trying to disarm the American people. What the majority of Americans support — including Republicans — are universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines. From 1994-2004 we had such a ban until the Republican-controlled Congress let the ban lapse. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban prohibited the manufacture and sale for civilian use of certain semi-automatic weapons and certain large capacity magazines. We who support such a ban and universal background checks do not want to disarm the American people. What we do want is to reduce the number of people killed in mass shootings like Sandy Hook, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Virginia Tech, Las Vegas, the FedEx warehouse, the grocery store in Boulder, and the spas in Atlanta. All of these mass killings involved assault weapons — weapons of war intended for the military.

No, Mr. Reese, I do not want to disarm you, but I do want to feel safe when I go to the movies or the grocery store, and I certainly want my children and grandchildren to be safe from some unhinged individual with a military-style firearm that is designed to fire rapidly. Common sense gun laws can make a difference.