First game at stadium showed ills of light rail
Saturday night, Aug. 8, may turn out to be a turning point in the history of the city's public transportation.
That was the night downtown offered, on one boffo evening, the opening game of the Ravens, the jazz concert at Pier Six, and the Reba McIntire concert at the Baltimore Arena.
In the course of the evening, thousands of Baltimoreans coming and going were left stranded and frustrated by a light rail system that seemed to fail them. It couldn't get them there from here.
Irate riders and would-be riders who couldn't get aboard a train (some missed the kick-off of the Ravens game) were stunned by what they viewed as the failure of Baltimore's light rail. They shouldn't have been. The light rail from conception, despite the good intentions of its advocates and its design team, was bound to disappoint. It's just that the chickens had come home to roost.
From conception in the Schaefer administration, the light rail was the unwanted stepchild of the middle-class love affair with the automobile and the suburban culture it supports. The people who vote wanted cars and lawns, and moved away from people who didn't have either.
The body politic created so much resistance to the building of the light rail (and to where the stations should be located) that to get the project rolling, advocates were forced to make compromises with fiscal and engineering aspirations. These compromises resulted in short-cutting and a "we'll do the best we can" mindset on the part of civic leadership.
For example, money was not available to build a fully operational two-track system. It does not help, then, that for a large part of the north-south run, trains are subject to the shortcomings of a one-track system. Of course, the efficiency of the train, the frequency of its trips and the dependability of them is going to be adversely affected. But the light rail was not the electorate's darling, and so the project came out of the legislature with what it could get.
Many aspects of the system, regardless of the arguments that exist for choosing them, wound up user un-friendly.
The ticket sale arrangement, for example, is not easily understood or managed, and breaks down often.
The supervision on the cars, save for an occasional walk-through by a transit guard, leaves much to be desired and the system only allows for walking through one car, not through the length of the train. The motorman is disconnected from his passengers; he has no idea what is going on among the hundreds in the cars behind him.
The schedule is insufficient and often erratic. It calls for a train every 17 minutes. Assuming that the system holds to that schedule -- which it appears to the put-upon rider not to do more often than it does -- a train runs only every 17 minutes. This, in a metropolitan area of 2.3 million people, cannot be said to serve the region well.
But something positive may come out of the fiasco. Now that the middle class has its dander up about the condition of its light rail system, politicians with their finger in the wind may be moved to action. One thing they understand: Constituents don't like to be late for the kickoff.
There is an expression, "Don't wish too hard for something, you might get it," That's what happened. All those people who fought the idea with such acrimony and wished only for the minimum in light rail service got their wish. Now what have they got?
L One awful Saturday night waiting for the light rail to show.
Gilbert Sandler
Baltimore
Curtis Bay residents are ill-served by city
I enjoyed the article about some Curtis Bay residents who are taking Baltimore off their mailing address and replacing it with Curtis Bay, Md. ("Separate but unequal," July 31)
I've been a resident of Curtis Bay for more than 40 years, and I know how isolated we feel from the city government.
According to the Calvert Institute study, Baltimore has far more employees than other cities of similar size; I wonder what departments they're in.
I have two perfect examples of the kind of services we get right on my block.
I called the housing department the first week of June about a vacant house next door.
The weeds and bushes were three to four feet high at the time. From the first week of June until Aug. 7, I made nine phone calls to speak with the inspector or his supervisor. My neighbor told me I wasn't forceful enough when I called them.
On July 20 I called and put more force in my attitude. Lo and behold, the inspector called me the next morning and said he'd been out. He said he would get a notice to the landlord.
I've also contacted all three of my City Council representatives and was told by all of them that a letter would be sent to Daniel Henson about this situation.
By now the weeds and bushes were eight to 10 feet high in the back yard.
I always plant flowers in my yard in May. Needless to say, I haven't had the pleasure of enjoying my yard all summer.
My second example of the help we get is as follows:
My neighbor's water line broke last October; the city came out and repaired it. City workers topped it with macadam and said they would be back as soon as the weather warmed up in the spring and replace the macadam with concrete.
After repeated calls in the spring she was told a crew would be out to dig up the macadam one day and concrete would be poured the next day.
This was the first part of July. About a week later, the truck came with the concrete, but nobody had been sent out to dig up the macadam, so the truck with the concrete left. Recently, workers dug up the macadam, but no concrete has been poured.
There is about a five- or six-inch hole in one block of sidewalk with the water meter sticking up in the center. It is a hazard, especially at night.
W. L. Rowles
Baltimore The recent article, "Building a model of black affluence" (Aug. 9) by John H. Morris and Charles G. Tildon Jr., was very intriguing. They presented a clear perspective of both sides of the poverty/wealth debate within the African-American community. They neglected to mention, however, the solution other minority groups have used to pull themselves out of poverty into affluence.
African Americans should look closely at the powerful charitable organizations that are integral to the Jewish, Korean and Chinese societies. These groups do not expect their super-rich to function as sugar daddies, giving away money to groups or individuals. Instead, these organizations provide various types of support to their communities wherever it's needed.
They do not seek funds from the government; they are self-sufficient. Although each charity has a different mission based on its charter, all are efficient in helping their poor, disabled, uneducated and elderly. Additionally, each group has its own governing body, which decides where and how its dollars will be spent.
Not only do the super rich contribute to these charities, they also lend their names and credibility to help fund-raise and gain public awareness. Therefore, I believe that a new black charitable organization should be formed, perhaps "the United Black Appeal," or the "African American Citizens Association." The mission of such a group would be to empower their community members to become educated, employable and/or entrepreneurial, creating new horizons for those who participate.
This would mean financing projects or individuals. The hook for receiving these funds: The person or group must agree to receive continual training and advice from the sponsoring agency and must promise to repay a certain amount to the organization if possible.
I firmly believe that this is the only way to end the cycles of poverty and produce a group of self sufficient, motivated, successful African Americans who are a source of pride and dollars to their communities.
Marion McDonough
Halethorpe
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The tandem articles on the elusiveness of "black wealth" by John Morris, Charles Tildon and Mike Adams regretably constitute a step backward along the path toward the solution of the very problem they address.
Both articles perceive solving black poverty to be the primary province of the black nouveau rich.
Personally, I'm sick and tired of every substantive issue in this country being bifurcated and trifurcated along racial lines. Poverty is a drag for any poor person, regardless of ethnicity. Poverty fosters little more than misery, despair, crime and more poverty. The impoverished become a burden that the rest of us must carry if we are to avoid a complete breakdown of our social order. Thus, ending poverty is everyone's concern.
The biggest factors contributing to perpetuation and expansion of poverty, in my view, are teen-age parenthood, drug addiction and illiteracy. Each of these factors is racially neutral and can be addressed singly or in combination by each of us, either by direct hands-on action or by communicating to our political representatives our willingness to be taxed to support solutions to these critical issues.
Louis Brendan Curran
Baltimore
Some people care about lies, others want to move on
So the president lied to the American people, which only makes me wonder what other lies he has spoken. It's not his deception that bothers me, though. What concerns me more is the apparent "who cares?" attitude of the public.
Perhaps we, as a society, really don't care. The economy has been good, the stock market great, all my friends and neighbors have jobs, we have no energy crisis and inflation is low. With this kind of climate, why not look the other way?
However, it's time that we care about the moral character of our leaders. We need to have a clearer understanding of what is right, what is wrong and what is acceptable. We cannot let our moral standards fluctuate with changes in the economy.
Six years ago, George Bush kept trying to convince us that President Clinton was a man with suspect character. I wish we had listened. Letting this president go unpunished in some way for this "inappropriate" behavior just lowers the bar in terms of moral standards.
Mr. Clinton has disgraced a noble office, embarrassed his country and himself and lied to the American people and his family.
Colin R. Wilkinson
Towson
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The media are pulling long faces and making grave statements about "diminishing the presidency," and the ever-sanctimonious Sen. Orrin Hatch is claiming to be offended.
In my opinion, the presidency has been enhanced by President Clinton's admission that he lied. This was an extremely rare event. As I.F. Stone used to say, all politicians lie all the time. We have been fed lies about Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Tonkin Gulf, Nicaragua, Cuba, the missile gap, campaign finance reform, national health insurance -- you name it.
When did anyone ever apologize for deceiving the American public on these world-scale events that have changed all our lives?
Mr. Clinton has shown himself to be a man of stature, and these little people will not bring him down by nipping at his heels.
Michael Kernan
Baltimore
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Bill Clinton's not perfect. Are you?
William F. Lickle Jr.
Baltimore
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If President Clinton's mini-address was a confession, apology and a plea for forgiveness, I missed it. Taking his speech from the very beginning, he said he answered grand jury questions fully. What about the questions he refused to answer?
He said he did not volunteer information in his deposition; he withheld the truth.
When Mr. Clinton says it is a private matter and nobody's business, I differ. He is an elected official serving the public. He apparently committed adultery in the White House, while on duty. It is our business.
People who voted for him knew what they were getting. Those of us who didn't vote for him are sadly witnessing the moral decay he represents.
Ronald J. Proskey
Hanover
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It is time to let President Clinton alone and stop pestering him about his private life.
He has embarrassed himself, humiliated the First Lady and misled his staff and the American public. As far as I am concerned, he has paid, and will continue to pay, a dear price for his actions.
I wonder how many readers would react in the same manner as Mr. Clinton has the last several months. If I were to be in the same situation as Mr. Clinton, I hope I would have the strength and courage to face my shortcomings, make amends and accept the consequences of my actions. I would not appreciate nor welcome my marital problems becoming a public soap opera. Perhaps we all can learn from this.
President Clinton has done more to improve this country than any other president I can recall in my adult life. We need to allow him to resume leading the country without distraction and not interfere with his personal problems.
Thomas A. Kerrigan
Baltimore
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President Clinton timed his confession at the right time, only because pressure from a public that had had enough had reached its limit. Otherwise, he would have strung it along further. But the Republicans should have cut it sooner, so that Kenneth Starr turned his report in much earlier to Congress without the sex overkill. Republicans and Mr. Starr were not in sync, and thought shame was the name of the game for Mr. Clinton.
Mr. Clinton couldn't have played it better. The Republicans do not want Al Gore to become president before the end of this term with this much time left, so they will string out the Starr investigation. Mr. Gore would be popular, and the Republicans would come across as witch-hunters in their own country.
Alvin Polan
Owings Mills
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I have had enough of Bill Clinton skirting responsibility and doing so by simply being well spoken. He is his own best spin doctor, and it baffles me how so many people continue to fall prey to his tactics. Is there no one out there who can undo his spin and show us who he really is?
As we learned on Monday, just because he can answer questions truthfully doesn't mean he has told the truth. When the public finally catches on, as I have, it will feel chumped, as I do. Nobody likes to play the fool, particularly by the one for whom you have cast your vote.
If spinning turns out to be perjury, what is appropriate punishment for spinning yourself in front of your trusting citizens? Impeachment is a possibility. At minimum, the O.J. Simpson sentence -- nationally ostracized and a diminished place in history.
Jaye Crane
Bel Air
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The real issue has never been our president's behavior, but his integrity. I care not one iota about his private life, but I care very greatly that he would admit to lying to me, and to his God (under oath).
I care greatly that he would maintain that lies were "legally accurate," though "misleading."
I care greatly that he thinks admitting responsibility for infidelity can substitute for admitting responsibility for perjury.
hTC Not only do I care greatly, but I believe the country does care, should care, must care, if we are ever again to look ourselves in the mirror. If we allow a president with no conscience, we have no conscience.
President Clinton has not asked for our forgiveness, but he knows our legendary capacity for it. He calculates that we, like him, are motivated by self-interest rather than by principle, and that it will be easier to forgive than to hold him accountable. He would like to keep us focused on his indiscretion (adultery) rather than on his crime (perjury). Indeed, it would be easier, but it would be wrong.
What Mr. Clinton may not understand is that our forgiveness cannot restore his integrity, which has been shattered beyond repair. Neither this country's interests nor its citizens can be adequately served by a president who has proven his willingness to compromise truth for self-interest. We deserve better; our allies deserve better.
If this country values truth more than a rising stock market (and I pray it is so), then Mr. Clinton must be removed from the office he diminishes each day that we allow him to remain.
Laurie Hungerford Flint
Baltimore
Pub Date: 8/22/98