LETTER: C of C support of Home Rule troublesome

"I still want to know why the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry,which exists ONLY to promote the interests of businesses in Lancaster County (and gets most of its funding from its largest and most powerful members), is spending such a large amount of its members' contributions in an attempt to get the voters to adopt the proposed "home rule" charter.

"Obviously the Lancaster Chamber is convinced that this proposal would result in a climate far more conducive for what its membership wants from us taxpayers.

"Remember the Lancaster Chamber is the driving force behind the streetcar proposal in downtown Lancaster. Remember the Lancaster Chamber was the driving force behind the taxpayer-financed hotel and convention center project. The Lancaster Chamber was the group which first floated the current "home rule" proposal. It was the Lancaster Chamber which flooded the streets with "volunteers" to get signatures on petitions to put "home rule" on the ballot. And it was the Lancaster Chamber which heavily promoted the "home rule" proposal, which barely passed in the election. Now, it is the Lancaster Chamber which is flooding Lancaster County with "vote yes to home rule" signs.

"Could it be that the Lancaster Chamber sees the currently proposed "home rule" charter as a way to make it easier to push through more such taxpayer-funded projects in the future? Under this proposal, no *two* elected officials could ever again work together in an attempt to block taxpayer funding for special-interest projects."