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Faxes Sent to Art Hershey

Letters

From:	MW
To:	Representative Hershey
Date:	Saturday, 07/19/08
Subject:	puppy mills

Your absurd amendment regarding outlawing keeping dogs in
dishwashers is the kind of stalling action by Pa. legislators
that resulted in the hellish conditions on the Amish puppy mill
farm in Cochranville that was raided this week by the SPCA, a
raid that was taped for national television.
As a Mennonite farmer and a member of gun clubs, you may not
care about the comfort and well-being of dogs.
But I can assure you many of the voters in your district do.
People like me will do their best to make sure all your
constituents know how you are wasting the legislature's time and
taxpayers' dollars.
I hope someday soon you can return fulltime to farming and that
your cash crop won't be innocent puppies.

Dear Sir,

I have been concerned with my high risk of contracting a
communicable disease while working at one of my five career or
volunteer firefighting and paramedic jobs.

HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis in all of it's forms, and others take the
spotlight when I, or my brothers and sisters on-the-line,
happen to contract one of these disabling or deadly diseases on-
the-job, but cannot specifically document from which patient
the disease was contracted.

This scenario might play out with an infected firefighter
becoming disabled and unable to work, using all available paid
time off, and eventually loosing his or her income. Bills
would continue to mount, the remainder of the family would be
left to fend for themselves in addition to taking care of the
stricken firefighter/EMS worker, mortgages may be forclosed
upon, and all while the ill brother or sister's multiple
employers and insurance carriers battle in court over which
policy should pay the bills. Meanwhile, Mrs. Gouge and the
kids are homeless and begging for food.

While rare, these stories do occur, and without securing the
safety and well-being of my family in such a scenario, one must
question if volunteering or working in public service is such a
noble idea.

I have read in one of our professional journals that H.R. 1142,
the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, has been introduced by
Representatives Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.)
As a full-time Federal Firefighter, I like the sounds of this
legislation and it's ramifications on my career job.

What remains outstanding is who may remunerate my family if the
disease is contracted as a volunteer PA Firefighter or career
Paramedic.

I would ask that you direct attention to this important matter
in the State Legislature, so that we provide maximum protection
to the firefighters and EMS workers who make Pennsylvania such
a safe place to live.

Thanks, very much, for your attention to this matter.