Can't you get it straight?
"The one thing that is constant is change" seems to apply to the opinions expressed in the editorial pages of The Evening Sun.
In its Feb. 28 editorial, "Straight departure from Columbia," The Evening Sun leads with the statement, "The economy has done what the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene should have done some time ago: Run Straight Inc. straight out of Maryland."
Let's flash back to Sept. 18, 1991, when the same newspaper in an editorial entitled simply, "Straight Inc.," stated, "This week state Health Secretary Nelson Sabatini approved an agreement allowing the center to operate on probation for one year. The arrangement, based on strict supervision, is a fair way of letting the program prove whether it can carry out its treatment goals within the state's standards."
What are the readers of The Evening Sun editorial pages to believe when its writers can't seem to make up their minds on how to evaluate the health department's performance on this issue?
I take particular exception to the statement in the most recent editorial that the "regulators sat on their hands." If this is true, then how can it be stated in the same piece that "State regulators mounted an exhaustive monitoring and surveillance operation?" This defies logic. Not only does The Evening Sun contradict its earlier editorial, it contradicts itself within the same piece!
For the record, the health department did not "sit on its hands." We monitored this program as we would have any provider that came into the state with Straight's history and track record.
In the future, I would suggest that The Evening Sun read its own editorials before sitting down to write a new one. I think it would cause less confusion and offer a more balanced view for their readers.
Nelson J. Sabatini
Baltimore
The writer is secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Slow down
When approaching a yellow light at an intersection, a driver should slow down and stop. It does not mean that you should hurry up and see if you can beat the red light.
When approaching the front or rear of a school bus with its red lights flashing, a driver must stop. (In the city, you will see four-way yellow flashing lights.)
Last week, two teen-age girls and one child died because of driver error. When is something going to be done about it?
Every day, consistently, I see drivers who do not obey the laws of the road. They seem to be in a hurry going to work, going home or whatever. I see drivers speeding (80-plus) on the beltway, weaving in and out of traffic, and others who neglect to signal, cutting off drivers. I see drivers hurry up when they see another vehicle trying to merge in traffic, instead of slowing and allowing them in.
How about a mandatory driver refresher course every five years, and every year for drivers over 75?
Eileen Ziegler.
Catonsville.
Clay retires
Maj. Robert E. Clay of the Maryland Department of Public Safety has announced his retirement April 1. This will close out a colorful career that spanned 23 years.
To say Major Clay is a living legend among correctional officers and inmates would be an understatement. He was an innovator and a pioneer. I was fortunate enough to work under Major Clay's command for the last eight years of my career. Many programs, including the "Boot Camp," were instituted by Major Clay. Even though others received the credit, he never complained.
He demanded his officers be professionals on and off duty. There was nothing phony about Major Clay. He might not have been liked by everyone but he was certainly respected. His word was his bond. He will be sorely missed by officers and inmates alike.
John C. Zaruba
Baltimore
Values
I was gratified to see in your recent survey (Sun Poll, Feb. 23) that at least 2 percent of those surveyed replied that their major concern was "values." It seems to me that if the proper values were instilled in all of us that most of our other concerns would be of little concern. Who with the proper values would be a racist, rapist, murderer, robber, crooked politician, etc? Congratulations to those thoughtful people who responded "values."
Robert Donahue
Ellicott City
Bad Attitude
The front-page headline in the Feb. 25 Evening Sun -- "City may put bad kids in one school" -- was disturbing. In coining a short title for the article, the writer uncovered a deeper attitude.
Labeling disruptive youngsters "bad" is, at best, simplifying very complex circumstances, and, at worst, making a moral judgment.
How many youngsters have failed because adults wrote them off as "bad apples" or "lost causes"? A child may do things society calls bad, but that is not the same thing as being a bad person.
Children respond to the influences around them. It's up to us -- parents, teachers and other adults -- to make those influences positive ones.
Gail Lipsitz
Baltimore.
Supporting choices
Thomas Gray, the spokesman for the Maryland State Teachers Association, who were opposing a pilot choice program in Baltimore City and Prince George's County schools, said, "The public should not be forced into supporting someone else's choice." Isn't that exactly what the parents of children attending non-public schools are doing? They are paying tuition at the non-public schools of their choice and also paying taxes to support the public schools. Mr. Gray thinks that giving tuition vouchers to low income parents "would be a violation of church and state." In that case, Congress is in violation of church and state when it appropriates monies to support private colleges.
Mona Schneckenburger
Towson
There should be outrage
Your recent editorial entitled "Prudence With Pension Funds" misses the point. The point, simply stated, is that the most valued asset available to a public employee is participation in future retirement benefits. There was a time when entrance into the public sector was assurance of a meaningful career ending with an equitable retirement benefit. The economic chaos facing the state today has brought an abrupt end to that reasonable career expectation.
The financial crisis facing our state has fallen heavily on the backs of all public employees. There have been indiscriminate and unreasonable terminations of hundreds, if not thousands, of public employee positions. Many of those terminated had given more than 15 years of unselfish, dedicated service to the public. When terminated so abruptly, these employees were not even given the benefit of the state law requiring certain protections when laid off. Massive furloughs without pay are being implemented. Critical services needed by many segments of the community will not be provided because the state has frozen the hiring of new positions while at the same time terminating existing positions. The state's action is increasing the waiting lines at unemployment offices throughout the state.
And now, the employees' pension and retirement funds are being placed at risk. You refer to "critics" of the Maryland Venture Capital Trust when, in fact, there should be not criticism but outrage that the state would begin dipping into trust funds clearly meant for the future retirement benefit of public employees when they reach an age where a fixed, but secure income should be beyond question through their retirement.
The state does not seem content with firing numerous employees, denying statute-mandated increments, forcing employees to be furloughed without pay and freezing the new positions, but now is going full force to jeopardize future retirement benefits. It is no answer to infer as you do that a mere $15 million dollars out of a $14 billion dollar fund poses no significant risk to the retirement benefits of the public employee.
The real danger is simply that once government gets a finger on monies belonging to state employees, eventually both hands of government will be digging in deep to utilize pension funds to solve many of the state's economic woes which were not brought about by the public employee. The Maryland Pension System should not be permitted to tamper with the retirement and pension rights of employees.
J. Edward Davis.
Towson.
The writer is general counsel, Maryland Classified Employees Association Inc.