Mrs. Clinton only played the capitalist game
Much has been said and written about Hillary Rodham Clinton's investment in the futures market.
There is no dearth of experts and no dearth of opinions. All the pundits and saints have not so far presented an iota of evidence to say there was any criminal wrong-doing on the part of the First Lady regarding her investments.
She speculated and won big, albeit with the help or advice of some friends. Does this make her wrong?
As Kenny Rogers advises, she knew when to play and knew when to quit. Moreover, since when, in a capitalist society, has speculating in the futures market become unwholesome?
The Bob Doles and Alphonse D'Amatos will serve the country well if they said nothing until they have something more concrete than what they have so far said.
Fishing trips are good if there are fish to catch. It is a sad day for the country when Senator D'Amato becomes the first to cast the first stone.
Suryanada Rao Katta
Baltimore
Toll work
Ignorance, thy name is Kevin Cowherd. On a trip through a mere five Eastern states ("Toll and trouble on the highway," March 29), the guy discovered that toll collectors have the most pressure-free job in the universe.
Maybe next time he should fly in an airplane, go into the cockpit and tell us how pressure-free those lazy pilots are. Or go to a basketball game, go down to the sidelines, see how carefree those coaches are and slander them.
If all the toll collectors have to do is stick our lazy hands out, take the money, throw it into a big bag and slide it down through a hole at the end of the day, maybe we don't deserve that 3 percent pay raise, the first in more than four years.
For his own (much needed) enlightenment, Mr. Cowherd should take some time off his pressure-filled column-writing career (!) and spend an hour in a toll booth watching the collector "play with that TV antenna" during rush hours.
I am deeply sorry Mr. Cowherd couldn't zoom out of the toll lane while the collector was counting the pennies, nickels and dimes he handed to him.
If he or she is extremely lucky, it can be assumed Mr. Cowherd didn't drop any coins or give Canadian or British coins. I am sorry if the collector wasn't pleasant enough while giving him $99 back as change for the crispy $100 bill he handed to her as if doing a favor.
I am sorry if maybe he had to wait behind a lost patron who couldn't find his money and didn't know where he was.
I am sorry if the little lady in the booth was in a foul mood because the trucker who just came through handed her some filthy dollar bills soaked with blood or who knows what. (No kidding, and we have to accept them and are not provided plastic gloves).
You may ask how come we stick with this job. The economy isn't perfect. There is another reason, too. Not all of them out there are Cowherds. Some are real human beings.
Victor Easterbrook
Baltimore
Screwy gun control
Many of our state legislators apparently have their heads screwed on backward. Instead of protecting law-abiders and punishing law-breakers, they did just the opposite by voting to take still another step in the direction of confiscating guns owned by law-abiding citizens.
Almost in the same breath, they also voted to provide law-breaking drug abusers with illegal drug paraphernalia free of charge.
Richard T. Seymour
Baltimore
Baltimore county is unfair to golfers
With spring comes higher golf fees at our courses. The higher fees have been initiated as being necessary for the upgrading of existing facilities and the development of a new course.
A brief historical review and an analysis of the logic of Baltimore County's action are in order.
The last of the three county courses was completed approximately 28 years ago. During the intervening years, while county officials were boasting about growth, affirmatively seeking residential development, they did absolutely nothing about new course construction.
The county did its part in contributing to the fact that Maryland, except for Alaska, has the worst ratio of courses per capita in the country. This inaction was occurring when everyone in the country knew that golf was the fastest growing recreational sport. . .
County government was asleep at the switch -- to the absolute joy of developers in southern Pennsylvania, who built or expanded five or six courses. A tragedy of lost income for Baltimore County as well as the lack of course availability for its TC citizens.
Before non-golfers jump to any quick decisions on this subject they should appreciate that in the past eight to 10 years, golf revenues exceeded operating costs in amounts ranging from $200,000 to $600,000 a year.
Fifteen percent of such surpluses was allegedly directed to course improvement, with the balance of the surplus going directly into the county's general fund. It is obvious then that Baltimore County golfers were, in effect, paying higher taxes than non-golfers, or conversely that higher taxes for county government were not required to the extent golfers contributed to the general funds.
As good citizens, few golfers complained about the direction of those surpluses. In recent years, however, such good citizenship was rewarded by the reduction of course maintenance employees so that continued surpluses to the county would be guaranteed.
A new non-refundable additional reservation fee has also been imposed. Such imposition is a hassle for the organized ladies and men's groups who have substantially contributed to the past surpluses, and is an unnecessary burden to all . . .
On to the necessity for higher fees. Administrative changes to operational contracts with the golf professional at the courses will produce substantial increase in county revenue.
Vending profits estimated at near $250,000 annually will go to the county. Non-refundable reservation fees, a new wrinkle, will produce additional revenue.
Remembering that current surpluses of over a half-million dollars a year are already being generated, where is the need for increased fees?
Additionally, the logic of the fee increases is based upon two false premises.
First, that as long as the fees established by the county are less than privately owned courses, citizens should be grateful. Give us a break. Such disparity in pricing should, as a government obligation, be as great as possible, not as narrow as possible, so long as the low fees are not a cost to taxpayers . . .
The second false governmental premise is that current golfers should pay for new course construction.
That kind of capital expenditure should be borne by all county residents. Portions of everyone's taxes are used for baseball fields, tennis courts, county parks, youth programs, senior programs, etc., etc. -- whether as individuals they are using such facilities or not. Such use of tax funds is a community responsibility . . .
There is only one basic reason for going after the golfer, and that is ease of collection.
Unlike tennis courts and baseball fields, the collection system for golfers is in place and eagerly awaits the opportunity to get into your pocket and purse.
I submit, however, that ease of collection is not a proper criterion for justification of higher fees. Because it's easy does not make it correct.
Specific fee increases: per 18-hole round increases of $2, 28 percent for seniors, 20 percent for others. Golf carts increase $2 per 18 holes. A new unrefundable reservation fee of $4 per foursome. A new $3 per person charge if you're not a resident of Baltimore County or Baltimore City.
Not exorbitant increases, but why any increase when projections would indicate existing fees and new vending income would probably produce excess revenue over operational costs of close to $750,000 each year?
If you are a retiree and golf is your thing, you are probably looking at additional seasonal costs (taxes?) of $200 each year . . .
It has been reported that, next to Dade County, Florida, Baltimore County has the second-highest percentage of retirees. Guess out of whose hide the greatest portion of the fee increases will come?
One would hope that come election time all golfers will remember the "throw the bums out" theme that is, with good reason, becoming persuasive, and that should include County Executive Roger Hayden, and the county supervisors, all of whom sanctioned this travesty.
Kenneth J. Ebmeier
Timonium