Letters to the editor

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Editorial against transit competition is nonsense

Your Sept. 23 editorial "Missing the Bus," opposing legislation by state Reps. Mike Turzai and Mark Mustio that would allow competition in mass transit in Pittsburgh, is nonsensical. It is more than an argument about whether residents are better served if the Port Authority has a de facto monopoly, but whether the state should make it a crime for anyone to offer competing services.

The argument that "deregulation and the free market" have brought the economy "to the brink of ruin" is not only hyperbole, but false. Not only is the U.S. economy far from the brink of ruin, but the problems facing the financial sectors are largely a failure of government. Federal laws essentially required banks to loosen their mortgage standards, government mandates and regulations led to the "housing bubble" and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed because they are government-sponsored entities that (like the Port Authority) face no competition.

Your claim that private firms could not survive in a competitive environment and wouldn't want to compete cannot possibly be a legitimate reason to oppose the Turzai/Mustio reform. If no firms compete because it isn't financially viable, eliminating the legal monopoly would have no effect on the Port Authority or riders.

Finally, you conveniently ignore the success of competition in mass transit in San Diego, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Indianapolis and a host of transit services in the United States and far more across the world.

NATHAN A. BENEFIELD
Director of Policy Research
Commonwealth Foundation
Harrisburg

Uphill media battle

At this point, the national polls indicate that Sen. Barack Obama has moved ahead in the presidential race. The mainstream media continue to proclaim him to be the most spectacular candidate of his generation.

There is little doubt that the senator is a good campaigner, especially when scripted. However, one must consider that any national candidate, with more than 90 percent of the national mainstream news media acting as a supporting cast and openly rooting for him, would appear to be a good candidate.

Just imagine what the polls would be like if his opponent, Sen. John McCain, had that much support.

KEN RUZICH
O'Hara

Tell it like it is

The Sept. 28 headline and article "Debate's Results Debatable" demonstrate the shallow nature of mainstream media reporting these days. The article and its misleading headline essentially state that the Friday night presidential debate was a draw. This is a pure example of the paper being afraid to call it like it is and therefore instead reporting the "position" of each side.

Of course the Obama campaign will say it won the debate and the McCain campaign will say it won, and of course the reporter will find a political pundit to say Barack Obama won and another to say John McCain won. But it isn't until the ninth paragraph of the article where the facts come out. Every major voter poll and voter focus group mentioned (plus others not mentioned) show that the voters clearly believe that Mr. Obama won the debate. This includes CNN and CBS voter polls and Fox and Republican-sponsored focus groups. The voters are who decide, not the campaigns or the commentators.

The article focuses on the fact that there were no "gotcha" moments, but these are not the measure of a serious debate, and in any event are rare in a debate between two professionals such as Sens. Obama and McCain. If the reporter wants to do a cynical piece about how both sides claim victory, or about the true impact of debates on campaigns, those are different stories (and a different headline) from the clear victory for Mr. Obama. The Post-Gazette does a disservice to its readers and to its own credibility by fudging these issues.

FRANKLIN MOLIN
Squirrel Hill

Campaign first

Country first? John McCain's VP choice gives lie to that -- a shocking and irresponsible choice. A woman who knows virtually nothing about the details and subtleties of foreign policy could be the one answering the 3 a.m. call! As I listened to her interview with Charles Gibson, I thought about my 15-year-old grandson and a possible war with Russia. I pray he will not face what so many of our young are facing in the two wars we are already in!

The McCain campaign's representation of Sarah Palin and their attacks on Mr. Obama are distortions and lies -- a smokescreen, sadly often appealing to fear, sexism and racism. Nevertheless, in the spirit of that great American cheerleader, George W. Bush, they shamelessly repeat the lies, day in and day out.

Dear fellow Americans, do not allow yourselves to be blinded by the smokescreen. They are trying to manipulate us -- turning one subset of Americans against another. Let's not let it work this time. The true elite are those who have wielded power for the past eight years.

Stay focused on what really matters. Demand that the media do their job and speak the truth instead of pretending that there are no facts, just opinions. Educate yourselves as well. Eighty percent of us want change. Do you really believe John McCain is going to clean up Washington? Let's judge him by his present-day actions -- running a Rovian-style campaign. That's what got us into the mess we're in today.

LOIS FITZGERALD
Mt. Lebanon

Unqualified Obama

In the Sept. 18 letter "Campaign Baloney," Andrew Gerenyi states that no one could even suggest that Sarah Palin was the Republican most qualified for the job of vice president.

Surely without a doubt we can also say that Barack Obama is not the most qualified Democrat for the job of president. What would you rather have, an unqualified vice president or unqualified president? You decide.

BOB TIMM
Mt. Lebanon

Credit for Murphy

I read in the Sept. 24 Local News section that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's aides "heaped the credit on him" for the good state of the current budget ("Budget Reflects City's Battle for Fiscal Recovery"). In fact, Yarone Zober said, "Mayor Ravenstahl didn't just meet the expectations. He exceeded all of them."

The city would not be experiencing balanced budgets right now were it not for the courage and conviction of Mayor Tom Murphy to make the tough decisions and personal and professional sacrifices that were made years ago in order to leave the city with a surplus and balanced budget. Anyone following Mayor Murphy would have enjoyed receiving budgets that had been predicted to be extremely dire if he had not decided to make the difficult decisions.

Balancing a budget for the next couple of years is only easy for that reason. The real test of a successful mayor will be the decisions he or she makes over the next few years to ensure balanced budgets for the next 20 years.

ROBERT McNEILLY
Elizabeth Township

The writer is the retired chief of police for the city of Pittsburgh.

Children won't benefit from hollow grades

I was concerned to read that the Pittsburgh school district is enforcing a 50 percent minimum score for student achievement ("1+1=3? In City Schools, It's Half Right," Sept. 22). Yes, the range from zero to 60 is a long way to go to reach a passing grade. Yes, it is disheartening and discouraging to calculate the scores needed to counterbalance a failing grade in order to pass by the end of the semester or year. But, the last time I checked, tests are supposed to be used to evaluate a student's current knowledge. We are doing students a great disservice if we cheat them on accurate assessments.

We live in a society that is so focused on supporting the emotional health and well-being of its children that it comes at a cost of downgrading our expectations of their ability to work hard and work through disappointment. Adults, myself included, shower children with praise for any little thing. There is merit for building self-confidence and feelings of self-worth in our children, but there are also plenty of times when their actions or their answers on school tests are simply wrong.

I'm afraid that by telling children "good job" for just about anything, including when they are wrong, they will never learn the value of working hard to get it right -- to really learn -- and will never develop the self-confidence that comes from real effort and real feelings of accomplishment.

MILENA NIGAM
Squirrel Hill

We receive more letters than we can fit into the limited space on the editorial page, so we'd like to share some additional letters with our Post-Gazette Web site readers.

Let's think about what bus drivers face

I want to thank Jennie Canning for her Sept. 22 letter ("One-sided Analysis"). She hit the nail square on the head! We, the transit riders, never get the full story on these negotiations. We get what the media want to report. And yes, there are still a lot of us left who support unions!

I also have a response to other letters .... one being "Bus Driver Arrogance" (July 16) and the other one "Roadway Rudeness" (July 22), obviously both being about Port Authority bus drivers.

Think about this: Driving a bus is similar to driving a semi-tractor trailer. They can't see behind them. One major difference between the trucker and the bus driver is the trucker doesn't have a dozen or so adults, teenagers and babies sitting behind him crying, talking, singing and/or talking on cell phones ? plus watching out for all of those jaywalkers or people talking on cell phones while stepping off a curb and not caring who or what may be coming directly at them.

And another thing ... truckers and buses have to swing wide to make turns. Does anyone driving a car dare to try to beat out a semi? I don't think so. So why try to beat the bus drivers? And it's always the bus driver's fault, as Dan Seidling (the July 16 letter writer) seems to think because the buses refuse to yield. Oh, that's right, Mr. Seidling was on a motorcycle. Yikes, even the gas-guzzling SUVs can't see a motorcycle! Did you ever think of yielding?

RITA JOURNIC
Brookline

They should always govern with such urgency

Don't you find it incredible the speed with which Congress has attacked, so to speak, the financial horror movie that is now playing in the United States? Had members of Congress kept their eye on the ball from the beginning and reacted with the same haste and urgency, perhaps they would be worth the money we are paying them.

PAUL RUSH
South Side

Conservative's words

I read with great interest and intrigue George F. Will's Sept. 23 column "Lurching Certitudes."

For those who don't know, Mr. Will is a conservative columnist. However, he makes some astute observations with powerful accusations regarding John McCain's temperament to serve.

I encourage all voters to read, if not re-read, this column based on these strong words: "without even looking around at facts," "childish reflex," "disconnected from knowledge and principle," "false and deeply unfair attack," "unpresidential."

But perhaps the most damning statements are:

"For Mr. McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are 'corrupt' or 'betray the public's trust.' " It also cites the concern that Mr. McCain has "neither patience nor aptitude" for "calm reflection and clear principles."

Mr. Will concludes that it is arguable that John McCain "is not suited to the presidency" "because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes." We owe it to ourselves and the next generations to look past the smokescreen nonissues and daily fluff and seriously contemplate the direction this country is headed. Please choose wisely.

DON BEST
Butler

Disagreeing about the war

Who am I to give my opinion of Iraq? Especially an opinion that differs so much from that of a veteran of the "Iron Brigade" 28th Infantry Division, letter writer Mark Russak ("This Iraq Success Has Received Scant Attention," Sept. 14). The letter is disguised as an informative piece about the Al Anbar Province, only to be turned into an Obama bash.

In this letter, Mr. Russak mentions how Barack Obama does not have the backbone to tell the troops that he is "sorry for doubting your ability to win." He ends the letter by saying the Democratic Party was "willing to accept defeat in the face of an honorable victory."

So he's saying that we've won? It's a victory for the United States, right? Good, now let's get the hell out of there and take care of our own country.

The toughest question regarding the war in Iraq is how to define the word "win." This is especially difficult in a war against an ideal, in this case terrorism -- just as it was difficult to fight the ideal of communism. Our proud military will always succeed against evil regimes and dictators, but ideals can only be suppressed, and that's the best-case scenario. Saddam Hussein has already been tried, convicted and put to death, now what?

So who am I? I'm just a guy with an opinion that brave men like Mr. Russak is fighting for. And for that I say thanks, but I completely disagree.

DYLAN MACE
Irwin

McCain knows a thing or two about viciousness

The day I lost respect for John McCain was back when (as reported by the Arizona Republic and The Associated Press) he commented on the then, young teenage Chelsea Clinton. "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." My own daughters were about the same age. I thought, how vicious can someone be? And the minister of evil himself, Rush Limbaugh, after chatting merrily about Socks, the new White House cat, said, "Did you know there is a White House dog?" That's when he held up a picture of a Chelsea Clinton.

This same group now wants everyone to leave Sarah Palin's family out of the spotlight. This same group that would have gone hog-wild if it had been Chelsea Clinton who was the unmarried teenage pregnant girl. It would have been "Let loose the hounds!" The righteous rhetoric would have clogged the airways. Rush Limbaugh would have imploded. James Dobson would have shaken his finger from its socket.

As it is, no matter how things turn out, John McCain is a seasoned old pol. He knew just what Ms. Palin and her family would be subjected to. He knew -- because it wasn't that long ago that he was in the hog pen tossing out the mud just as other folks were slinging stuff at him. Anyone acting indignant over this is just acting the fool.

Politics is a mean, nasty business. Children are collateral damage. Shouldn't be that way, but there it is, rude but true. Don't think John McCain didn't know.

KITTY LAGORIO
Venetia

The extraordinary work of real Democrats

The letter of Anthony Yates ("Middle Neglected," Sept. 9) cries out for comment. This self-professed "middle-of-the-road" Democrat says Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Barack Obama are so far to the left that he implies that they are bosom buddies of the atheistic, communistic leaders Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin. The linkage of Democratic politicians to Marx and Lenin, of course, is absurd and shows that Mr. Yates' understanding of socialism and/or communism is virtually zero.

Unlike me, Mr. Yates has been a registered Democrat for only 32 years. This means that he did not vote for John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson as I did. Had he voted then, I suppose he would have labeled these earlier Democratic presidents, who brought us Medicare, federal aid to education, civil rights acts, anti-poverty programs, highway safety, food safety, child safety and clean air legislation, as Stalinist/Maoists. I wonder what Mr. Yates would say about Franklin D. Roosevelt, the four-term president who gave us Social Security, bank deposit insurance, pro-labor legislation and a host of progressive New Deal programs that we still enjoy today?

Many reactionary, pseudo-Democrats like Mr. Yates at least had the grace to leave the party years ago, as Strom Thurmond and his crowd fled first to the Dixiecrats and then to the Republicans. If you're going to vote for four more years of George W. Bush, then you ought to become a bona-fide Republican. If you joined the GOP, I frankly think it would raise the level of both parties.

DAVE SOUTHERN
North Strabane

Vote for leadership, not to send a message

I really hope there won't be many Democrats voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin as Anthony Yates suggests ("Middle Neglected," Sept. 9). I consider myself pretty moderate, and I don't see Barack Obama as a "radical." In fact, he's just what this country needs right now. How could John McCain and Sarah Palin, who are at least as far to the right as Mr. Obama is to the left, possibly be preferable? This is not the time to be sending messages to our party. The nation is at war and in a recession, homes are being lost and millions are without health care. What we need right now is a president who will turn things around.

So why do I think Mr. Obama is the best choice? His plan will not raise taxes for the middle class; he plans to cut taxes for most people. Mr. McCain claims otherwise, but independent fact-checkers have confirmed that Mr. Obama's plan would benefit 95 percent of all working families and more than 81 percent of all American households (more than Mr. McCain's plan would help). Mr. McCain is also not the maverick he claims to be. He voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time last year, and never less than 77 percent in past years. Ms. Palin favored that "bridge to nowhere" until it lost federal support, then she changed her mind.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the leaders we need. I hope we can all focus on choosing the candidate who's best for America, not on trying to send messages to our party. I urge my fellow Democrats, liberal and moderate alike, to vote for Obama/Biden in November. We can't afford not to.

MEGAN BRANNING
Highland Park

So much apathy about unfair parking

A problem I notice on a daily basis is people parking in designated handicapped parking spaces who either do not have a sticker/license plate, or who have one but it is evident that they do not need one. A bigger problem is the apparent apathy about this problem.

I have gone into places such as Giant Eagle, Target and Trader Joe's and told a manager that there is a car or truck parked in the handicapped place and it doesn't have a sticker. The usual response is that it is not their problem, they are not responsible, they don't own the parking lot. Who then is responsible?

I guess it all comes down to "we don't care unless it affects us." I just wish there were more enforcement and that people cared enough to do something.

JASON IRWIN
Squirrel Hill

Taking a break from calamity for an important reminder

Wall Street is in a meltdown, the race for the White House is really getting ugly, Galveston has been swept away by a hurricane -- and yet I am writing about Western Pennsylvania motorists and their use of headlights in bad weather. Hey, someone has to keep track of the mundane, right?

Why don't people want to use their automobile lights? I know little about auto maintenance, but I do know that lights don't wear down the battery when the car is in use because the alternator keeps the battery charged. So saving the juice in the battery doesn't fly as an excuse for not using headlights.

The fog was as thick as proverbial pea soup in parts of my drive to work on a recent morning, yet I encountered vehicle after vehicle skulking around in the grey mist. Please turn on your lights. That little flick of the wrist to turn the lights on may be what saves you from being rear-ended by a Port Authority bus.

And how about headlights in the rain? It's the law in Pennsylvania that drivers must have their lights on if they are using their wipers. See PA Act 159 of 2006, if you missed this announcement.

Some people don't like the overpaid, overstuffed, corrupt Pennsylvania Legislature telling them when to use their headlights -- oh, just get over it. Put your lights on because it makes sense.

Now, about that Tina Fey bit on SNL ...

LISA KURKA
Pleasant Hills

A true inspiration

In these times of daily shootings and rampant crime, it was great to read the superb story of World War II veteran Frank Goldcamp ("World War II Veteran Takes One More Turn at the Controls of a B-24 Liberator," Aug. 19). Stories of fine men such as these are truly an inspiration and prove once again why they are referred to as the Greatest Generation.

The photos of the 83-year-old Mr. Goldcamp at the controls of the B-24 bomber and him on the tarmac with the B-24 in the background are treasures and in my mind -- I can picture him transformed into a wide-eyed 19-year-old kid. How and why this man cheated death and survived, only God knows, but this country became great because of men and women like Frank Goldcamp.

Mr. Goldcamp, I salute you for the story of your life, in the war and when you returned home to work in the steel mill and raised your family with your childhood sweetheart.

It is an honor to have read your story and all I can say is "thank you" for all you have done and the exemplary life you have led.

LARRY POLLOCK
Lawrenceville

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First published on October 2, 2008 at 12:00 am