Tax breaks from city would help hotel and hurt taxpayers
The editorial supporting the PILOT bills in the General Assembly ("Tax breaks for developers," March 17) is badly misguided. Baltimore Circuit Judge Richard T. Rombro ruled last November that the proposed Wyndham hotel could not get the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) that the city council had given it because the Wyndham would not be on city-owned land. This tax write-off would amount to between $70 million and $95 million over 25 years.
Some Baltimore legislators introduced the legislation to allow the city to give PILOTs to developers of any property that costs $5 million or more on land that the city does not own.
This legislation would not affect the proposed Grand Hyatt, which Peter G. Angelos proposes to build because it is on city-owned land.
Also, the Grand Hyatt would be a convention center hotel, unlike the Wyndham. There is a PILOT program in place for development on city-owned land.
This bill is simply welfare for the rich. If it passes, the taxes of homeowners and small businesses will be increased because all large developments would not be paying taxes.
The city would also have to go to the General Assembly to ask for more money to pay for their services.
It's imperative that the residents of this state call their state legislators and urge them to vote against this bill. Baltimore's serious problems require more tax money to resolve, not less.
This bill must be defeated.
Kay Dellinger Baltimore
State mental health policy needed to help the ill
The Sun's article about the state's psychiatric hospitals accurately reflects the debate in Annapolis ("Psychiatric hospitals stand almost empty," March 14). However, this debate should not focus exclusively on which hospitals to close, but rather on how best to meet the health care needs of all of Maryland's mentally ill citizens.
As legislators seek to eliminate costs and establish a lasting commitment to effective community-based mental health programs, they must not overlook the needs of thousands of homeless citizens in downtown Baltimore and throughout Maryland for whom needed mental health services are not provided or are inaccessible.
The Downtown Partnership, through its involvement in initiatives such as the Hands in Partnership program, is intimately familiar with the plight of this most obvious, yet invisible, segment of the state's mentally ill population.
Very often, these individuals have only a vague understanding of their own mental health condition, much less the availability of specific medications or health care services that may benefit them. As the advent of effective medications and successful community-based programs has revolutionized treatment of mental illness, many mentally ill homeless men and women remain sequestered from these advancements.
The inadequacies of the state's mental health system are best measured in the number of mentally ill people unnoticed by the system.
Legislators should use this opportunity to craft a comprehensive mental health policy that is cost-effective in serving those receiving treatment, while belatedly reaching out to others.
Laurie B. Schwartz Baltimore
The writer is president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.
Western Maryland track is short-term long shot
This is in reply to the article "Developer begins to unveil plan for Allegany County racetrack" (March 16).
I wish William M. Rickman well, but I really doubt that this plan is a solution. There has never been a market for horse racing in Western Maryland.
Virtual reality may be a short-term gimmick to draw people and curiosity seekers, but it would grow old fast when low-income people who live in the area are unable to afford the high cost of such entertainment.
Also, the purse of such a track would compete directly with those of three established tracks -- Charles Town, Mountaineer and Penn National -- for the same horses, and my observation is that the tracks with slot machine-enriched purses will win the horses.
I think the legislature is very shortsighted in looking west to create 100 jobs while hundreds of jobs are lost at the existing racetracks in the state.
My partners and I have committed to shifting a portion of our stable to Delaware Park, where our initial investment is 5 percent smaller (Delaware does not have a 5 percent sales tax) and the purses are significantly larger.
Steven E. Davidson New Windsor
Whose idea of 'uncivil' is Will talking about?
George Will proposes a platform for the next Republican president that includes an assertion that "It is uncivil to compel one's fellow citizens to fund a practice they abhor" ("A new abortion platform," March 18).
Would Mr. Will or his mythical candidate be available to help me explain to the state and federal agencies that they cannot spend tax money seeking and implementing death sentences or designing and building missile defense systems?
Or is it uncivil only to compel rich, white male columnists to fund practices about which they will never have to make a painful, personal decision?
James D. Schroll Pasadena
Frying Quayle's 'potatoe' but unplugging Gore gaffe It's very interesting how you report certain news items. When former Vice President Dan Quayle misspells potato, it is front-page news, and we hear about it over and over.
But when Vice President Al Gore comes out with the absurd statement that he created the Internet, there's hardly a mention in your newspaper.
Charles H. Brinker Catonsville
Modesty and chastity are refreshing words
The column by Susan Reimer regarding modesty is excellent ("Cover-up isn't just a mother's conspiracy," March 16). It's about time that modesty and chastity be brought back to our vocabulary.
Joseph J. Thomas Baltimore
Heart surgery deregulation would not help state
The Sun reported on the intense lobbying in Annapolis on the issue of whether open heart surgery should be deregulated ("Lobbyists duel in battle for heart-surgery rights," March 18).
In Maryland, highly specialized and expensive services such as open heart surgery are subject to a planning process that balances the need for new programs with promoting patient access, maintaining quality of care and containing costs.
The Maryland Health Sources Planning Commission, an independent agency governed by a majority of consumer members, is responsible for preparing the state health plan for open heart surgery.
The commission updated this plan 15 months ago and found that with the exception of Western Maryland, where no hospital provides open heart surgery, existing programs were adequate to meet future needs.
The delivery of health care in Maryland is changing dramatically.
The environment of shrinking demand for hospital beds has increased competition for patients, fueled a race to add services and prompted many proposals that are being considered in the legislature to eliminate planning for new capacity.
Because the resources for providing health care are limited, it is imperative that resources be used in ways that have the greatest potential for improving the health of Marylanders while containing costs.
The deregulation of open heart surgery would add unneeded services, threaten quality of care and consume public dollars that could be used far more effectively to increase funding for prevention of heart disease in high-risk populations and promote greater access to these and other services.
To meet the challenges posed by the changes in the health care delivery system, the need for a planned, rational approach to adding services has never been more important to the public interest and the future health of Maryland.
Pamela W. Barclay Baltimore
The writer is acting executive director of the Maryland Health Resources Planning Commission.
Pub Date: 3/24/99