Don't close curtain on Legislative Follies, the session's antidote

I read with unbelieving eyes that the Legislative Follies is apparently to be no more ("Curtain falls on Legislative Follies," March 9). Say it isn't so!

Surely reporter C. Fraser Smith must have gotten this story wrong. The Follies kaput? Never. Not so long as there is a Maryland House and Senate, an annual session and enough material each year for an entire season on Broadway. How can lawmakers, staff, lobbyists and reporters, all aboard for the annual 90-day cruise, get through to sine die without the wit and release of the Follies?

If the Follies is allowed to go pfffft, it will be worse than Y2K, worse than second-hand smoke.

The Follies was always a perfect antidote for the session. It was like Halloween, Mardi Gras and all those festivals where for one night you let it all hang out with spirit and humor.

I remember when then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer and Lt. Gov. Mickey Steinberg put on an elaborate skit dressed like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse.

I remember doing an off-key duet with fellow Sen. John Garrity.

I remember legislators doing sendups of their own personas, idiosyncracies and all. It was all in good fun, and mostly in good taste. And the next day, you were ready to finish up the session with that added dose of camaraderie and humanity that makes the legislative experience so memorable.

My advice is to forget about making money on the Follies. Keep it simple.

Howard A. Denis, Chevy Chase

The writer is a former Maryland state senator.

Schaefer can serve better as Maryland's comptroller

I feel that William Donald Schaefer should not even consider entering the Baltimore mayoral race. He should keep his position as state comptroller. His experiences with the two best mentors (the late Hyman Pressman, who was Baltimore comptroller, and the late Louis Goldstein, who was Maryland comptroller) make him the perfect fit for the office.

The position he holds makes it possible to help the city and the state. He is in a position to help all the subdivisions.

George Baldwin, Ellicott City

Threat by state's wealthy does not justify tax cut

I'm concerned about the proposed capital gains tax cut for wealthy Maryland residents ("Proposal would cut tax for the wealthy," March 7).

I do not believe whatever tangible and intangible benefits the very wealthy give to a community outweigh the tax losses to Maryland, which all other residents and businesses would have to make up.

An argument for the tax cut is that Maryland risks losing the philanthropy of wealthy taxpayers if tax laws discourage them from living in the state. If residency and hence the largess of the wealthy depends on tax cuts, all other taxpayers are really subsidizing their giving.

One estimate put the state's revenue loss from this bill as high as $100 million a year.

Very wealthy residents always have had the option of shopping around for where they call home. A person's home and community should be regarded as more than just the best deal available.

I also find this bill objectionable on an ethical basis. While there may not be a quid pro quo related to future campaign contributions, the appearance of conflict of interest is strong enough to argue against any such narrowly focused tax relief.

Mel Barnhart, Randallstown

Three reasons legislature should pass anti-bias bill

The Women's Law Center of Maryland (WLC) supports legislation that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, public accommodations and employment on a statewide basis ("Governor talks up rights bill," March 13).

The WLC supports the bill because discrimination based on sexual orientation serves as an illegitimate bar on the ability of women and men to gain access to housing, employment and public accommodations that would otherwise be available to them.

The legislation would prohibit the following scenarios:

An owner of a restaurant in a county without local protection refuses to seat two women who appear to the owner to look male and to behave in a masculine fashion.

A landlord in a county without local protection rejects the rental application of two single men for a one-bedroom apartment.

A large employer in a county without local protection terminates a female employee upon seeing a photograph of her in a local newspaper in which she is wearing a t-shirt that says "Gay Pride."

The legislation recognizes that one's real or perceived sexual orientation has no place in determining where one should work, live or, in the case of public accommodations such as restaurants, frequent.

Catherine M. Brennan, Towson

The writer is a staff attorney at the Women's Law Center of Maryland.

Column on weight, Speedos is hurtful and not funny

I am writing to express my extreme disgust at Kevin Cowherd's article "They're big, they're fat, they're hairy, they're at the pool and, wait, it gets worse" (March 11).

I cannot believe that this sort of Neanderthal view is printed in your newspaper. To think that it is acceptable to declare people (many of them readers) to be disgusting and repulsive because of their body shape is unconscionable in today's world.

I expect to see this level of commentary in a derogatory rant from a comedian on HBO; I cannot accept it in my newspaper.

It is understandable that opinion-based columns will anger people or spark debate.

There are many days that I feel other writers in your paper aren't seeing a whole picture or just aren't writing from a perspective that I can relate to. This is to be expected.

However, I don't think I've ever seen such a black-and-white take on people's physical properties since high school.

I expect an apology in Mr. Cowherd's column.

There are too many people trying to overcome too many things to have their efforts harmed by elitist spouting.

Michael Fierro, Baltimore

Towson is accommodating students and neighbors

A letter to the editor ("Loyola shows Towson U. how to be good neighbor," March 3) suggests that Towson University follow Loyola College's lead by creating a memorandum of understanding with nearby neighborhoods that would restrict "large numbers of congregating students" in those neighborhoods close to our campus.

Loyola has been physically expanding its campus into residential neighborhoods. Towson is not.

Contrary to the suggestion in the March 3 letter, Towson does not fail to provide on-campus housing. We have more than 3,000 beds on campus and are in the process of building new dorm space.

I hope the authors of the March 3 letter read the good news in the March 4 issue of The Sun, which announced that TU will soon break ground for private on-campus housing that will afford 400 new spaces for on-campus students in the fall of 2000.

This year, TU has devoted a full-time campus police officer to work with on-campus students and their neighbors to help facilitate good relationships and resolve problems. This is in addition to a substantive off-campus housing guide distributed to commuter students.

TU is making strides to accommodate and balance the needs of our students and our neighbors.

Hoke L. Smith, Towson

The writer is president of Towson University.

Important to remember music and its inspiration

I must commend Michael Olesker on his beautifully written column on music in this country before rock 'n' roll ("What will happen to music before rock 'n' roll? March 9) . It was not only extremely evocative, but a mini-history lesson as well, one about which we need to write and talk about constantly so that the lovely music and the national and world events that inspired much of it will never be forgotten.

Pamela T. Prenger, Baltimore

To our readers

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Pub Date: 3/17/99