Empty house
This city is certainly blessed to have such a world-renowned orchestra as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as witnessed by the accolades for its triumphant tour of the Far East.
However, I was quite disappointed at the paltry crowd on Dec. 1, when the BSO offered an "open rehearsal." The admission was only $2.50 to hear Carl Orff's masterpiece, "Carmina Burana," which included three wonderful soloists, the Baltimore Symphony Chorus and the St. Paul's and St. David's Boys Choirs. There was also a very informative pre-concert lecture by the BSO's associate conductor, David Lockington.
I expected a standing-room-only crowd. This was the BSO's first public appearance at the Meyerhoff since its return from Japan.
Who is to blame? I think The Evening Sun has a duty to publicize such events, yet I saw no mention of the concert anywhere.
Of course, the BSO shares responsibility for informing the public, especially those who can't afford to take their families to a regular concert.
Hopefully, the next open rehearsal will be better advertised so more people can appreciate our wonderful Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerhoff.
Charles Shubow
Owings Mills
Thanks, Helen
Let's thank Helen Bentley for her tireless work these past 10 years on behalf of the citizens of Maryland's Second Congressional District.
While many of her colleagues remained in Washington after a day of work, she returned to her home in Lutherville, where she personally took numerous calls from constituents, or attended events in Harford or Baltimore Counties. She possesses a unique understanding of our district, because she is one of us.
Hard work and determination have always been central to her life. Her rise from an immigrant family to the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism, maritime editor of The Sun, chairperson of the Federal Maritime Commission (where she was the highest ranking woman in the Nixon administration), international business consultant, and our representative in Congress, serves as an inspiration to us all.
I wish her continued success, happiness, and health during the next chapter of her life. Although she will no longer represent us in Congress, she will continue to represent our values, and she will always remain one of us.
avid Firestone
Towson
Emissions test
Regarding your article on the increasing cost of auto emissions testing and repair ("Strict auto emissions tests to begin soon," Nov. 27), pollution from transportation cannot be cured by saddling the middle class and the poor with the bill.
Our state's already frail economy will never attract industry when employees can't afford a car to drive to work.
As pointed out in a recent letter to the editor, the long-term solution to our transportation problem is an above-ground system of streetcars expanded to serve the industries migrating to the suburbs.
Americans are not "in love" with our cars; the automobile is merely a necessary -- and expensive -- evil to take to work.
I am absolutely outraged over the program. These regulations aren't practical. We needn't worry about them crippling the economy. It's already crippled.
Legislators should put an end to this nonsense that has already gone too far without the awareness of their constituents.
David Heston
Glen Arm
Over-reporting of child abuse not a problem
The column by Susan Reimer on identifying abuse published on Nov. 29 was an attempt to describe problems resulting from the over-reporting of child abuse by professionals involved in the care of children.
It contained several serious misstatements which may make children even less safe than they are today.
Child abuse and neglect are serious, common, life-threatening problems. Ms. Reimer suggests that "over-reporting of child abuse . . . has become just as significant a problem for child welfare workers as underreporting ever was."
This is simply not true. Underreporting child abuse means that children die. Over-reporting may lead to inconvenience for a family, but nobody dies as a result of over-reporting.
AProtective services work is very difficult, emotionally draining, and, at times, physically dangerous. Yet the child welfare system continues to be woefully under-funded, to the extent that the "best and brightest" often look for other opportunities in the social work world.
If we are serious about protecting children while respecting the privacy of families, we will need to significantly increase funding for protective services, and provide support for front-line workers which addresses their daily challenges and frustrations in a realistic way.
Ms. Reimer turned to her "pediatrician and friend," Dr. Sam Libber, who took a reasoned approach to her child's injuries and was able to discern accidental injury from abuse.
Ms. Reimer is indeed fortunate to have such a relationship with her pediatrician, a relationship which current "managed care" efforts, with their emphasis on "covered lives," make more difficult to establish.
We as a society need to work toward the day when every child's mother has a relationship with her pediatrician which allows her to refer to her "pediatrician and friend."
The current emphasis on reporting of child abuse is far from a witch-hunt; it is an earnest attempt to make the world better and safer for children.
We long for the day when that goal becomes one which the greater society accepts and supports in a realistic fashion.
Susan Barker
Allen R. Walker, M.D.
The writers are, respectively, a clinical social worker and director of the pediatric emergency department at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Absent real reform, term limits are best option
I agree that if Maryland had term limits it would be at a disadvantage in Congress because of the lack of seniority its representatives would have compared to those from states with no term limits ("If Maryland were term-limited," editorial, Nov. 30).
However, the proposal is that term limits be imposed by constitutional amendment. Therefore every state would be under the same restriction.
Term limits are not the ideal way to deal with the problem of career legislators who continue to be re-elected simply because they have the advantage of visibility and have proven their worth to the moneyed interests that finance election campaigns.
A better way would be to reform the financing of election campaigns by imposing a time limit of six weeks before the election for campaigning; requiring television and the press to donate equal time to each viable candidate; relying on volunteers, not hired public relations people, to carry on the more voter-interactive work; mandating no candidate accept more than $25 from any one entity and prohibiting "bundling" as it is now practiced.
These reforms do not appear likely at present, however, so term limits may be the only practical method of dealing with the powerful, self-interested bureaucracy of Congress.
It has been argued that, if term limits were imposed, the entrenched staff would take over running the government.
The answer would be to have new incumbents bring their own staff to Washington -- a staff that would be considerably down-sized.
According to Kevin Phillips' book "Arrogant Capital," the "combined overall staffs of the U.S. House and Senate soared from 1,425 persons in 1930 to 6,255 in 1960, and to 10,739 in 1970." No doubt it is even higher today.
Reform might have the added advantage of making legislation less complicated (no more 2,200-page laws), since the staff to accomplish such sophistication would be curtailed.
We are currently so over-regulated that it is becoming difficult to know exactly what the law is.
Another radical (but wonderful) suggestion is to have members of Congress not to go to Washington at all but stay in their home districts among their constituents and interact with each other by computer.
This would make it more difficult for lobbyists to do their business as well as making it easier for constituents to have the ear of legislators.
No one is indispensable. This includes the Maryland legislators you mentioned in your editorial.
There are many other people who could do the job just as well if the system would give them a chance.
Doris Rausch
Columbia