FEATURED LETTER
I am opposed to the nomination of Gov. Mike Leavitt of Utah as thehead of the Environmental Protection Agency.
I was in southern Utah this summer and visited Zion and BryceCanyon National Parks and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The twonational parks were beautiful and protected by the National ParkService, despite recent cuts in funding. The rangers were helpful andthe parks were kept up well. Much attention was paid to preservingthese great lands for future generations.
Near Kanab, Utah, is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, which iscontrolled by the state of Utah. Litter in the form of beer and popcans and other garbage is strewn all over the road going into thepark, and the road signs are full of gunshot holes. The park has avery small area fenced off that preserves the attributes of the parkfor all to see. In the vast majority of the park, off-road vehiclesare allowed to race up and down the sand dunes, destroying anythingin their way. Guide books advise visitors to arrive early before thedune buggy yahoos destroy the quiet and beautiful surroundings of thepark.
If Leavitt manages the U.S environment like he manages this statepark environment, we all better buy gas masks!
Robert Larson, Oak Park
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Don't believe the hype
Great job, Sun-Times, for your Aug. 8 front-page headline, "Loopis target of high CTA crime." Great job, indeed, for creating aperception of crime vastly out of proportion to reality.
Citing Chicago Police Department figures, you state that a groupof four L stations in the Lake/State street area had 36 reportedcrimes in 2003's first half. One doesn't have to be a statistician tosuspect that 36 crimes--an average of six a month--doesn't sound likemuch, considering the thousands of people who use those stationsdaily.
But not until the third column of the story did you note that the10 busiest stations on the system so far this year have handledbetween 1.25 million and 2.15 million riders each. Some of the topfour Loop stations for crimes are among the system's busiest.
Let's assume those four "high-crime" stations had a total of 5million riders--1.25 million times four. That means your chance ofbeing a crime victim in these stations is a whopping 0.00072 percent,or about seven ten-thousandths of 1 percent. Run for cover!
Crime often is underreported. Let's further assume that the realcrime rate at the four allegedly dangerous stations is 100 timesgreater than the 36 incidents reported. Even then, your chance ofbeing a victim is still less than one-tenth of 1 percent.
Of course, numbers are a poor antidote to fear--especially if it'slate at night and there are some menacing-looking characters down theplatform. But your headline and sensationalistic story did adisservice to your readers and CTA riders.
Jim Daly, Mount Prospect
They know it's an inside job
In response to the [Aug. 7] article: "New deadline attracts only6 more police chief applicants": Police Board President DemetriusCarney's credibility suffers when he says he was hard-pressed toexplain why this year's field has been cut in half. Chicago has neverbeen viewed by police professionals as a city that gives seriousconsideration to outsiders applying for police superintendent.Chicago will not even give serious consideration to a former PoliceDepartment manager. Two very capable former members of the CPDmanagement ranks--Chuck Ramsey of D.C. and Terry Gainer of the U.S.Capitol Police--will not be among the applicants. They are too smartto allow themselves to be used to "legitimize" the claim that anational search was conducted.
Mayor Daley's overvalued need for expressed loyalty will impedehis selection of the best candidate for the job. To paraphrase OscarWilde, what some view as loyalty is really just a lack of initiativeor innovation. Saying yes to your boss is easy but not always in thebest interest of your boss, the department or the community. TerryHillard, who is the best superintendent Chicago has had in more than15 years, somehow managed to succeed in spite of the mayor's need fora yes man.
The candidates mentioned in the article, Phil Cline and JimMaurer, are capable police leaders. Another capable insider and awild card candidate is Barbara McDonald. I doubt any of them will getthe job. They are handicapped because they can think for themselves.
Dennis E. Nowicki,
St. Charles
Start the charity at home
I often marvel at how this great country of ours continues to findbillions upon billions of tax dollars to come to the rescue offoreign nations that are threatened by communism or brutal dictators.More astonishing is that we argue for years within our governingbodies when it comes to building schools for our own children. Wehave to resort to referendums to build new schools, renovatecrumbling buildings or hire additional teachers.
If we had spent a small portion of what we have given away to somany countries in the name of democracy, we could have wonderfulschools with well-paid and motivated educators. Instead, we havehundreds of dilapidated schools and a cockeyed system that draws thebrightest and most innovative educators into the wealthiestcommunities to educate the most fortunate children, while leaving theless fortunate to fend for educators willing to enter into theircommunities.
Our grandparents had the foresight to provide the money to buildschools and hire teachers to meet the needs of their generation.These facilities are now falling apart, and the population has growntremendously since the early 1900s. Many more teachers are needed tocompete in this new world, but so many of us see no urgency toprovide for our own children's futures. Did we learn nothing from ourgrandparents? Where along the way did our priorities get so screwedup?
Michael D. Turay, Crete
Deja vu all over again
It seems I'm living so long that I visualize our nation's historyrepeating itself.
In the 1930s, America came out of a devastating depression. Theimportation of cheap, inferior consumer products from Japan waseverywhere, while Japan imported all the scrap steel that we couldsend them. On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan sent the results of this scenariowith war.
In the 1930s and for decades later, America was a thrivingindustrialized nation. We could build and manufacture anything.Today, we can produce hardly anything without components from othernations. In these last few years, America has formed a worrisomecourtship with China. As in the 1930s with Japan, China today isflooding America with cheap, poor-quality consumer products. Chinaenjoys a multibillion dollar trade advantage with America.
America looks to Iraq or Iran for weapons of mass destruction. Thereal weapons of mass destruction are coming to America "incognito,"and we are buying them for our own demise!
Consider that China has more than doubled its military budget toup to $60 billion. No big deal here, but it's only the beginning, andthe crap Americans are buying from China is paying for it. Unless wehave our heads in the clouds, you know that Taiwan, for the present,is the "apple" of China's eye. Today China has 350 ballisticmissiles, and its arsenal is growing at the rate of 50 per year. WillAmerica watch when Taiwan is taken?
From an industrialized nation, America is becoming a "service"nation. Our fat population is growing in leaps and bounds, and toomany people are lazy and unconcerned. A service nation is no matchfor a 200-million-member standing military like China's. Trust me!
I love the Chinese people, but not communism!
Florian Kochanny,
Oak Lawn
Sluggo's got issues
Every day I read about him, and every day I get more worried. Ibelieve that it is time to call a spade a spade, so to speak. I'mgoing to just come right out and say it: I believe Sluggo [of thecomic strip "Nancy"] is clinically depressed.
It's just not right for a guy--a young guy at that--to drop off tosleep anytime and everywhere. I'd considered narcolepsy, butdismissed that, seeing as Sluggo seems to drop off for a good,lengthy snooze whenever the opportunity is there (and sometimes, evenwhen it's not there).
It's honestly not even funny anymore; now I am just plain worried.
Patrick D. Edwards,
Grand Crossing
MY TWO CENTS
"Mayor Daley's overvalued need for expressed loyalty will impedehis selection of the best candidate for the job. Terry Hillard, thebest superintendent Chicago has had in more than 15 years, somehowmanaged to succeed in spite of the mayor's need for a yes man." --dennis e. nowicki
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