What do they support? The stink? The contamination?

Dear Editor:

I am a lifelong resident of the McKowns Mountain area and opposed to the Waste Management landfill proposed for our community. I would like to respond to viewpoints published in The Ledger last week.

First of all, we find that there are actually "landfill supporters." What a novel concept! What exactly do they support? The stink? The groundwater contamination? The traffic problems associated with the dump trucks? In reading their letters, they seem to support the landfill because of job creation, recycling, and investment in the community.

Let's look at each of them. Estimates are that 40-50 low-paying jobs will be created. Big deal. A new supermarket would create more and better-paying jobs. Recycling is already going on in Cherokee county and will continue. I wonder how many of the landfill "supporters" recycle? One letter writer emphasized the $150 million dollar investment by capitalizing every letter of the word "million." This county has seen some wonderful investments from businesses and will continue to see more companies move here if we are smart and protect our environment and standard of living.

This project does not need "supporters" and "opponents." It needs common sense. Ask yourself, county resident, (no matter what part of the county you live in), do we NEED this landfill in our community? Will the known benefits outweigh the potential negatives?

Waste Management is a huge company in business to make money on other people's trash. That is its foremost objective. Not our health...not our quality of life...not the environment. There is a chance they could be good corporate citizens and good neighbors. There is also the very real chance they diminish property values all across the county and create hazardous health conditions for us all. Who in this county knows enough about this issue to be a "supporter" of the landfill? This is a money grab for a few of us at the expense of the rest of us.

I hope the citizens of Cherokee County and our councilmen will not accept the risk of this project. Robert Lee Cobb Gaffney, S.C.