Immigration
From time to time, Congress passes legislation that appears incredibly stupid when reviewed a few years later. A prime example is the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.
It is hard to imagine in 1994 the anti-Communist fear and hysteria felt by many Americans 28 years ago. The policy was to accept any Cubans who could make their way to our shores.
Actually, the policy continued informally for many years for asylum-seekers from any Communist country. People from Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, any of the Soviet-dominated countries were welcome with few questions asked.
Now we see plainly the folly of such policies, as Cubans expect entry in any numbers.
We do not need the Cubans, the Haitians or any other immigrants beyond the official limits of the Immigration Act of 1990.
We have no labor shortage, and we are suffering the effects of vast legal and illegal immigration while most Western nations have stabilized their populations.
Too late, President Clinton has attempted to change the policy regarding Cubans. Those at Guantanamo can soon be expected to riot and cause so much havoc that they will force their admission.
These policies result in immense expenditures, for which the Congress of 1966 is largely responsible. Now the United States is squeezing Cuba with an embargo which makes life for the people unbearable. What should we expect them to do?
Carleton W. Brown
Elkton
Family Planning
I object to the editorial cartoon Sept. 4 on the population conference in Cairo.
It showed the world, represented by a pregnant mother, standing behind a man who looks like the Pope and who is beating a drum that says, "No Birth Control."
Not only does the cartoon espouse the cartoonist's and The Sun's anti-Catholic bigotry, but it is factually incorrect.
The Catholic Church does not oppose birth control. It opposes only artificial forms of birth control which reduce sexual intercourse from an expression of love between a married couple to a mere physical act and that leads to licentious behavior.
The Catholic Church condones the use of natural family planning (not to be confused with the rhythm method) for couples who want to limit the number of children they wish to conceive.
Patrick K. Harris
Elkridge
College Problems
I was surprised and disappointed to see that a conversation I had with a Sun reporter about the national challenges facing independent liberal arts colleges was combined with a separate conversation of the achievements of Washington College in Chestertown, Md., in the Sept. 6 story, "Discontent, tough times did in Shore college chief."
Allow me to set the record straight.
Washington College President Charles H. Trout has been an active members of our board and a thoughtful national advocate behalf of independent higher education.
He leaves that institution with a balanced budget, the third largest freshman class in 200 years, a significant increase in minority enrollment, and a remarkable track record of raising $16 million in private support.
Any college president can tell you that's no small feat in these tight economic times.
Nationally, institutions like Washington College face many challenges: the mounting costs of coping with expanded federal regulations, the changing demographics of student populations, and the need to maintain a quality faculty and state-of-the-art facilities, while keeping tuition levels affordable.
Some institutions will be able to find a niche in this challenging environment; other colleges will indeed "limp along" without a clear direction.
Fortunately for Maryland, Washington College has a clear mission and is striding forward toward the next century. I applaud the fine work of President Trout, and wish him well in his new endeavors.
avid L. Warren
Washington
The writer is president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
Animal Help
This letter is in regard to the Sept. 3 article, "House of 40 cats and one sewage leak."
I was very upset to read of the troubles encountered by the Seibert family and Gloria Wilson. I understand Ms. Wilson's love for animals, but I did have a problem when she stated that she was unable to afford to have these cats spayed and neutered.
The article states that she had these cats routinely checked by a veterinarian. It seems to me that if the vet was this familiar with the client and her financial situation, some arrangements could have been made to get these animals spayed and neutered.
Even if the vet was unable to provide assistance on these services, there are other agencies around which would have been more than glad to help Ms. Wilson.
The Animal Welfare League offers a low-cost spaying and neutering program. We also offer a subsidy program which was designed to help people in low- to-middle incomes.
We might not have been able to help Ms. Wilson all at once because we operate from donations, but we certainly would have been willing and able to at least get her started.
Over a period of months, we probably would have been able to get the majority of these animals taken care of for her.
If there are other people who wish to have their animals spayed or neutered at a lower cost, we ask that people call 426-2020.
If there are further questions, information can be obtained by calling 426-3381.
Elizabeth E. W. Kirk
Baltimore
The writer is president, Animal Welfare League of Greater Baltimore.
Littwin, MTO and Dundalk
The sarcastic tone of Mike Littwin's column regarding community objection to moving inner city project dwellers into Dundalk and more affluent neighborhoods is an insult to hard working Americans.
Although Mr. Littwin, in true to liberal manner, plays the race card, the matter is far more complex than skin color. As I see it, the objection to moving the inner city poor next door to us is a matter of culture.
Take a look at the market across from the Flag Court projects. It's a smashed-out shell. When you ask how this happened, all you learn is, "It was the kids from the projects."
Although this program, called Moving to Opportunity, is a pilot project, who is so naive to believe it won't be escalated? Some say there's $60 billion available to extend the effort if it can get off the ground. Furthermore, MTO is backed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Mr. Littwin should avail himself of reports on how this organization has been operating lately.
In both California and New York, critics of HUD programs have found themselves slapped with lawsuits, have been harassed and have been forced to turn over private papers just for speaking out against plans much like Moving to Opportunity. In New York City, community activists were seriously intimidated for opposing a homeless-alcoholic shelter.
Although I don't consider Moving to Opportunity similar to the Mariel boat-lift, I do applaud Louis L. DePazzo and the citizens of Dundalk for opposing it.
If people want to live in better neighborhoods, they should go about it the old-fashioned way. They should earn it!
Rosalind Ellis
Baltimore
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Congratulations on Mike Littwin's commentary on Dundalk and Lou DePazzo. God forbid anyone down here in the armpit of Baltimore County actually has the chuzpah to have opinions concerning increasing the burden on this community.
What Mr. Littwin fails to realize (if he has that capability) is that Dundalk has been and probably always will be the city's and the county's whipping boy.
The hard-working citizens of Dundalk do not deserve more grief. We've had the city's sewage treatment plant and all of its stink and environmental damage for years and years.
When major crimes are committed in O'Donnell Heights or Highlandtown, all of a sudden the lines change when it's reported, and they're classified as Dundalk. Funny, you'd think reporters could read a map.
Dundalk has constantly been the butt of jokes and derision, but the bottom line has been and hopefully always will be a hard-working and a fiercely independent community.
It should not come as a shock that the people of Dundalk mistrust any proposal or plan without a full investigation or honest open discussion. No doubt Mr. Littwin loves to use race as an issue, but he fails miserably to understand hard-working people (all races) trying to pay mortgages and maybe send their kids to college while taking care of a parent dying of lung cancer or asbestosis because officials and politicians played games with their lives for years.
Dundalk has paid its dues too many times in too many ways and has the right to question anything thrown in its direction.
Jean Filleti
Dundalk