Let's move on
I feel it's time the media begin to refocus their coverage with respect to Governor Schaefer. Granted, he may have exercised some questionable judgment lately with some constituents, but let's not lose sight of the outstanding accomplishments William Donald Schaefer has achieved for the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland. He has revitalized our city with the Inner Harbor development, and the new baseball stadium will only add to the prestige of our city and state.
Our governor is a man of action with a "do it now" management style and a leader of proven capabilities. He has been recognized nationally for his innovative programs, and his international presence in Kuwait and other countries only enhances Maryland's image.
I feel enough is enough; let's move on from negative coverage and refocus our attention on the positive aspects of Governor Schaefer's administration.
Douglas A. Strouse
Cockeysville
Looking to future
On March 7 The Evening Sun reported that corporate executives testified before the House Budget Committee to urge Congress to increase federal spending for the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
Business leaders pointed out the future of our labor force depends on improved prenatal and early childhood care of the nation's poor. Studies show that WIC babies have larger head size at birth, and therefore score higher on school tests on vocabulary and memory.
The investment argument is also compelling. For every dollar spent on WIC for pregnant women, two to three dollars are saved on Medicaid spending within the first 60 days after birth.
Right now in Annapolis, House Bill 717 is in the Appropriations Committee. That bill represents state supplemental funding for WIC of $500,000. The bill has over 60 co-sponsors.
I urge members of the legislature to heed the business, investment and moral justification for funding WIC.
alissa Ruffner
Baltimore
Light rail fears
As soon as the light rail service begins in 1992, everyone will notice increased crime. Anyone can ride up to northern Baltimore County, Sparks, Hunt Valley, Phoenix and Monkton where everyone lives really comfortably (half the houses aren't locked) and commit crimes by day instead of night. Maybe we need more police.
Justin Mascari
Monkton
No to 65
When will people realize that increasing the speed limit to 65 mph is merely a license to drive 75-80 mph? When the speed limit was 65 mph, I routinely watched as people passed me on Route 70 west to Hagerstown at speeds beyond 80 mph. At least with the speed limit at 55 mph, people routinely do 65-70 mph.
Ann Snead
Baltimore
First things first
Postmaster General Anthony Frank was quoted in Time as saying that the average letter carrier makes $30,000 a year, plus $8,500 in benefits. That is 21 percent to 28 percent more than those in the private sector make. No rational person is going to say that postal workers are underpaid.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Sen. Paul Sarbanes should introduce legislation to get the people back to work who lost their jobs
because of the economic situation instead of trying to get raises for those who already have jobs.
Danny Chavis
Baltimore
Anti-tyrant
Bill Huppert (Forum, March 7) has missed the entire point of why many kind and gentle people own so-called assault weapons. He says there are too many little "Saddams" in this country.
Americans have traditionally and constitutionally possessed firearms to deter and prevent any tyrant from taking power here. Of course any sane law-abiding citizen would only consider such an action as an absolute last resort.
Gerald J. Wessel
Ellicott City
The other Schaefer
Schaefer bashers! Throw down your barbs and pick up a book. There is another side to the governor's literary efforts that has been overlooked by the media. His so-called poison pen is also filled with a sweet perfume that extols the state of Maryland and its people.
For the hard-core critics, I suggest they read the foreword to "The Patapsco: Baltimore's River of History" by Paul J. Travers. (The book is published on the Eastern Shore!) Read the prose of a man who loves the state he serves and takes great pride in its accomplishments. Read the story about one of America's great rivers, great cities and great states.
!Catherine L. MacDonald
The writer is president of the Patapsco River Historical Society.
Speed kills, so keep the 55 mph limit
As rationale for raising the speed limit on rural interstates to 65 mph, your editorial of March 19, "Speedy interstates", said "interstate highway were built for high-speed travel." While roads may be designed for higher speeds, the human body remains fragile structure in a 65-mph-crash. The force of a crash increases exponentially with the speed impact. This means a driver's likelihood of serious injury or death doubles with each 10mph increase above 55 mph.
Your editorial also said the safety argument for retaining the 55 mph speed limit lacks "punch" because drivers routinely flout the law. It's true, many drivers exceed the speed limit no matter what it is -- all the more reason to retain 55. Two years after Congress allowed states to raise the limit to 65 mph on rural interstates, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) surveys showed that three times as many vehicles were traveling faster than 70 mph in 65 mph states; 11 times as many were traveling faster than 80 mph. Contrary to your conclusion that higher speed limits have no serious effects on safety, NHTSA attributed a 21 percent increase in the number of fatalities per mile traveled to the increased speed limit.
The fact are clear -- speed contributes significantly to the 700 to ,, 750 traffic fatalities on Maryland roadways each year. Increasing the speed limit on rural interstates can only make the situation worse.
O.M. (Tony) Nicely
The writer is the president of GEICO, a Washington-based insurance company. A Maryland Senate committee is hearing the 65-mph bill today. For another view see Gwinn Owens' article below.