June 19, 1990 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 14707 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS all our citizens must be among our top prior­ like watching the Polish cavalry fend off ities. German tanks. COMMEMORATING THE 50TH Counties, or a regional authority, must ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC have the power to direct growth into some HOUSING IN THE UNITED PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER areas and forbid it in others. Prime agricul­ STATES WINS PULITZER tural areas must be held safe from develop­ ment. HON. CHALMERS P. WYLIE HON. PETER H. KOSTMAYER In Europe, this kind of thinking is second OF OHIO nature. If it wasn't, the open space would OF PENNSYLVANIA have vanished long ago. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES At the end of World War II, the English Tuesday, June 19, 1990 Tuesday, June 19, 1990 strictly zoned every piece of land in the Mr. WYLIE. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct nation. A greenbelt was created around each Mr. KOSTMA YER. Mr. Speaker, I want to city, which the government has maintained pleasure to inform you, the Members of the call to the attention of my colleagues the 6th in a successful effort to keep the country­ House, and, indeed, the world, that Poindexter of 10 editorials written by Tom Hylton of the side intact. Thanks to that approach. a Village, 240 North Champion Avenue, Colum­ Pottstown Mercury in Pottstown, PA. country smaller than Pennsylvania but with bus, OH, the first low rent public housing com­ These editorials on the subject of farmland four times its population is world famous munity completed in this Nation, is celebrating preservation won this year's Pulitzer Prize for for its rural charm. its 50th Anniversary today, June 19, 1990. editorial writing, and I commend them to my France and the Netherlands have institut­ We are especially honored that the Honora­ colleagues. ed comprehensive national farmland preser­ ble Jack Kemp, Secretary of the Department vation programs. Even though its popula­ SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA MUST MAKE tion density is nearly four times that of of Housing and Urban Development, felt it im­ BETTER UsE OF ITs LAND portant enough to be with us in Columbus to ChesLer County, Holland's No. 1 industry is <By Tom Hylton> still agriculture. commemorate this most significant and auspi­ Gov. Casey has declared October as recy­ Recently, several states have taken the cious occasion. The Secretary participated in cling month to promote public awareness of first steps toward managing growth on a re­ a ribbon cutting ceremony at Poindexter Vil­ the state's new recycling law ... We're doing gional scale. lage and as the keynote speaker at the first more to control the amount of trash we gen­ In 1986. the New Jersey Legislature cre­ annual scholarship fund luncheon of the newly erate than any other state in the nation, .. ated a State Planning Commission with a formed Public Housing Alumni Association. he said. mandate to find a balanced way to guide de­ The Public Housing Alumni Association was The new law is ambitious in scope. It re­ velopment. The most densely populated quires people to recycle at least 25 percent established by former public housing residents state in the nation, New Jersey lost half its of their trash within the next decade. Cur­ farmland between 1950 and 1985. to recognize the remarkable achievements of rently, only 1 percent is recycled. some of those who grew up in public housing Early next year. the New Jersey Legisla­ While Pennsylvania is setting new stand­ ture is expected to adopt its first statewide and to send a message of hope and opportu­ ards in reusing manufactured goods, it re­ land-use plan. It aims to curtail growth in nity to today's public housing generation. mains shamefully extravagent with its most more than half the state while encouraging Those who compose the membership of the precious resource of all-its land. the redevelopment of the cities and older Public Housing Alumni Association are excel­ When George Washington was president suburbs. lent role models for promoting encouragement there were 430,000 people living in Pennsyl­ vania. Today, there are nearly 12 million of In southeastern Pennsylvania, new devel­ and creating a positive attitude about public us, and each one puts far more strain on the opment must be concentrated into compact housing. It is only fitting and proper that we environment than our ancestors. areas. One- and two-acre residental zoning pay tribute to former and current residents of We drive cars that spew pollutants into should be discouraged. public housing and to the positive impact they the air. We use heavily manufactured prod­ Philadelphia and outlying towns. linked have made and will continue to make on our ucts and vast quantities of electricity. We together by rail, must be revived. Cities and Nation. create mounds of garbage. And everyone towns were created because they make sense. For example, people can walk places. I would especially like to call attention to wants to live on a two-acre lot. Unfortunately, while there are 25 times They can use public transportation to get to the fact that former President Franklin Delano their jobs and back. Roosevelt came to Columbus on October 12, more Pennsylvanians than there were 200 years ago, there's not one square inch more So far. Pennsylvania hasn't considered 1940, to participate in the official dedication of of Pennsylvania. any sort of regional mechanism to manage Poindexter Village. Sixteen years later, Mrs. We must begin to use Pennsylvania's land growth. Except for the Southeast, the state Eleanor Roosevelt made a special visit to far more wisely than we do now. is eager for growth and sees little need for Poindexter Village during a trip to Ohio's cap­ Just as we needed a revolutionary recy­ stricter land regulation. ital city. cling law to manage our trash, we need far­ Since 1978, the Pennsylvania Municipali­ Since its beginning a half century ago, thou­ reaching changes in our development laws ties Planning Code has allowed neighboring sands of people have occupied the 434 units to conserve land. municipalities to voluntarily create a region­ To its great misfortune, Pennsylvania has al zoning law. but only one such law- in of housing at Poindexter Village. Many lives lower Bucks County- has been drawn up. began and ended there. Many who have and an antiquated system of local government. Each of the state's 2,572 municipalities is Because each municipality jealously guards who are making valuable contributions to our supposed to regulate growth within its bor­ its prerogatives, most state and local govern­ city, State, and Nation call Poindexter Village ders. However unwise it may seem. each is ment officials have resigned themselves to home. And with the assistance of such people supposed to allow for every type of develop­ accepting the status quo. and groups as the Public Housing Alumni As­ ment-from malls to housing projects to We believe major changes in land-use laws sociation, we are determined to see that heavy industry. are imperative-especially in southeastern public housing in Columbus continues to have Land use is best regulated on a regional Pennsy1 vania. a positive impact on our great city. basis. It is impossible in a lone township like We believe the public is far more receptive to change than the elected officials them­ Over the Nation, public housing has played West Vincent, for example. to maintain farmland when highways and offices and selves. People will support strong measures an extremely important role in the lives of housing are proliferating around it. to curb suburban sprawl, save farms and many people in the past 50 years, and it will The issues are too overwhelming for small open space, protect the environment, and continue to help shape the lives of Americans townships. Watching a group of part-time ensure a better life for our children. But the as we move into the 21st century. Housing for supervisors deal with a major developer is public needs a way to voice its will. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 14708 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS June 19, 1990 The Chester County $50 million bond ref­ swers to these questions produce estimates bles. Other forecasters who are relatively opti­ erendum to save open space provides that of tax revenues. the cost of servicing the na­ mistic about some variables typically are rela­ instrument. If it passes by a wide margin, tional debt, and payments for unemployment tively pessimistic on others. For example, a elected officials may be emboldened to con­ insurance and other forms of Government as­ sider strong steps to preserve Chester forecaster who expects rapid growth also ex­ County from the onslaught of development. sistance. pects high interest rates, because more eco­ Lancaster, Berks, York and other agrarian The budget also depends on technical as­ nomic activity usually means more demand for counties may follow Chester County's lead. sumptions such as the number of people eligi­ credit. In his annual message to Congress in 1862, ble for entitlement programs or how fast the No one can say for sure that the administra­ Lincoln proposed a bold plan to end the war Pentagon will actually spend money it is au­ tion's fortunate outcomes will not materialize, and free the slaves. The slave-holding states thorized to spend. The budget baseline, then, but few reputable economists would bet on its would order immediate emancipation, and shows the Federal Government's outlays and forecast.