SATURDAY MAILBOX

The Baltimore Sun

Patronage passing as aid for college?

After reading The Sun's article "College grants under attack" (April 4), it occurred to us that this issue has been debated for several decades. Yet no one seems to discuss the fact that the legislative scholarships are an unnecessary duplication of other state programs.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission has overseen the administration of the Guaranteed Access Grant and the Educational Assistance Grant for many years.

These programs provide help to needy students who want and deserve to attend colleges in Maryland. Their funds are distributed equitably, based on financial need, and all state citizens are eligible, not just those who reside in a particular legislative district.

Colleges work closely with the state to assist in verifying the income for thousands of these grant recipients each year.

These programs also allow a student to petition for assistance based on family hardship. And, of course, the student and his or her family must provide documentation to substantiate the special needs.

No such documentation is required for the legislative scholarships, which some people have described as patronage.

The only people who really benefit from this outdated legislative scholarship practice are our legislators - but they happen to be the only ones who can change it.

While efforts to reform the program failed this year, it is time for Marylanders to demand that our representatives eliminate this antiquated scholarship system and allow the Maryland Higher Education Commission to administer the $11 million in student grants controlled by the legislative scholarship program.

Frank R. Cutko

Barbara T. Cutko Baltimore

Smarter school sites better communities

Community development trends in Maryland and across the United States indicate that school locations have a significant impact on land use and community development ("Sprawl monitor," editorial, April 2).

During the next decade in Maryland, more than 100 school facilities will be built, undergo renovations or have additions constructed. As we build these facilities, we need to better integrate urban and regional planning principles, Smart Growth ideas and public health goals in facility planning and funding.

State and local school construction dollars can be used to enhance community growth and public health goals. And increased efforts to steer public school construction funding to optimal school sites, within community growth areas, should be considered.

School sites should be integrated into neighborhoods rather than used to relocate cows and corn.

To do this, improved coordination between public schools and local planning and zoning departments will be important in all 24 jurisdictions in Maryland.

The state has a vested interest in seeing that this occurs.

Location of other public functions on school sites should also be encouraged in the school planning process.

Therefore, state incentives to reward flexible school configurations that meet a variety of needs should be explored.

Research also indicates that energy-efficient "green school" technology not only provides better indoor air quality, lower chemical emissions and natural daytime light but also makes schools cheaper to operate.

Making schools a part of a walkable community has also been shown to decrease toxic emissions and help create more vibrant communities.

Better coordination in incorporating schools as part of existing or planned communities is clearly warranted.

And the increase in school construction funding offers Maryland an unprecedented opportunity to improve the quality of schools and improve the communities where they reside.

David T. Whitaker

Baltimore

The writer is deputy director of infrastructure planning for the Maryland Department of Planning.

Time to abolish Electoral College

Alan Natapoff is defending an indefensible institution - the Electoral College ("Stop plan to diminish Marylanders' voting power," Opinion

Commentary, April 5).

The new state law under which, if the law's conditions are fulfilled, all of the state's electoral votes would go to the winner of the national popular vote is not a good idea. Trying to fix the Electoral College is not a good idea.

It should be abolished.

Mr. Natapoff's suggestions about changing the way the electoral votes are distributed and counted are an attempt to fix a broken system.

His plan might be better than the current ridiculous setup, but it is not the right way to go.

The national popular vote total is the only sensible way to decide national elections.

And his baseball analogy is way off base. In 1960, the Pirates won four games to the Yankees' three. This is a majority.

The runs in each game counted equally for each team. The fact that the Yankees scored more runs in lopsided victories meant nothing.

The candidate who garners more popular votes in an election should win. The Electoral College has prevented that fair result four times.

This is a travesty.

The Electoral College should be abolished - and the sooner, the better.

Philip Morrison

Baltimore

Nature is exacting revenge for abuse

Mother Nature will get her revenge for human abuse of her planet ("A grim outlook on world climate," April 7).

Long before the population of the world reached 6 billion, Mother Nature tried to warn humanity that our numbers were over-running the limits of her resources.

She tried droughts, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis and shortages of many kinds. But the human population kept growing and growing.

Ignorance of the coming disasters was abetted by such people as Pope John Paul II, who traveled the world condemning birth control, and President Bush, who has withheld, year after year, funds approved by Congress intended for the U.N. Fund for Population Activities.

Mr. Bush also imposed the "gag rule" that prohibits private agencies that accept government funds from mentioning or making referrals to other agencies that provide some forms of birth control.

Mother Nature is now applying her final solution.

Billions of people face a lack of water, food shortages and landscapes ravaged by floods and storms, while numerous species of plants and animals will become extinct.

Mother Nature does not like to be ignored.

Carleton W. Brown

Elkton

Heed the skeptics on global warming

Before implementing drastic and costly measures to attempt to counter global warming ("The green Supremes," editorial, April 4), we would be wise to listen carefully to the growing number of scientists who believe the doomsday scenarios from Al Gore and others are overblown if not totally wrong.

A good place to start is a book by S. Fred Singer and Dennis Avery: Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years.

The authors present convincing evidence - based on data from Greenland and Antarctic ice cores, boreholes, seabed sediments, tree rings and other sources that record several hundred thousand years of the Earth's climate - that there is an approximately 1,500-year natural global cycle of moderate warming and cooling that has gone on for eons.

The most recent cycle included the Medieval Warm Period (900 to 1300 A.D.), in which the temperature was warmer than it is today, followed by the Little Ice Age (1300 to 1850).

Today, the Earth appears to be in the early stages of the next warm cycle.

The cycle is purely natural, the book argues, and is mostly the result of variations in solar variations.

Of the two temperature extremes, the Medieval Warm Period was far less stressful to mankind than the cold.

It was in this period that the vikings farmed in Greenland, the population of Europe increased significantly, food was generally plentiful and there was enough wealth and manpower left over to build the great castles and cathedrals of Europe.

Serious scientific issues should not be settled by U.N. panels, documentary movies, 5-4 Supreme Court decisions or political posturing but by unbiased, reasoned and rigorous examination of the facts.

To date, global warming has received too much of the former sorts of attention, and too little of the latter.

Gerald C. Rose

Highland

Maglev costs less than top-speed rail

The Sun recently published a picture showing the French superspeed train, the TGV, breaking the world speed record for conventional rail at 357.2 miles per hour ("French train speeds into record book," April 4).

The caption mentioned that this speed is slightly short of the record set by the Japanese magnetically levitated train.

These records are of only limited interest because they are normally achieved under ideal conditions (on a straight track and at no grade or on downhill track) that do not represent typical operating conditions.

In any event, a difference of a few miles per hour will not significantly affect travel time.

Of greater importance when comparing conventional rail with maglev systems are the relative performance and cost of construction and operation.

And here maglev has decided advantages - it can negotiate grades of up to 10 percent (compared with a maximum grade of 3 percent for rail), and it can accelerate much more quickly to full speed.

While the costs of construction are comparable for maglev and conventional high-speed rail on dedicated track, the cost of operation and maintenance for maglev, with no moving parts, has been shown to average about one-third of the cost for operation and maintenance of high-speed rail systems.

Jack Kinstlinger

Hunt Valley

The writer is chairman emeritus of a firm that consults on the Baltimore-Washington maglev project.

Howard is ignoring danger of speeders

The Sun's article "As traffic grows, so does demand for speed bumps" (April 9) further increased my frustration with Howard County's attitude toward speed bumps.

Several of us living in the 3900 block of Sharp Road in Western Howard County have been trying for at least 10 years to get the county to do something meaningful to control the speeders on our street.

Even though the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour, many drivers fly through here doing at least 50 mph, with some motorcyclists screaming past at nearly 100.

Even though the county acknowledges there is a speeding problem on our street, the only thing it has done is make such excuses as:

"Speed bumps are painful for people with bad backs." This is not true if they are driving the proper speed.

"Speed bumps are against county policy." If that is true, how did those on St. John's Lane get approval for speed bumps?

"Speed bumps slow down fire engines." Let's see: a fire engine that goes down our street maybe once a year vs. the many families with aged, handicapped or young members who have to cross the street daily to get their mail and newspapers.

"Educate your neighbors." But the neighbors aren't the ones speeding, as they are slowing down to turn into their driveways. Nonresidents, delivery trucks and commercial vehicles are the culprits. How do we educate them?

"We use speed traps as a deterrent." But it has been months since I last saw a speed trap on my street, and that approach obviously isn't working as a deterrent, or we wouldn't have such a problem.

I am afraid that someone will have to be killed before the county takes tangible steps to deal with the problem.

Sue McConnell

Glenwood

AP works to protect interests of papers

Jay Hancock's column "Newspapers need to 'do it different' on getting paid" (April 8) leaves the erroneous impression that much of the content the Associated Press sells to commercial Web sites comes from member newspapers.

In fact, a very small fraction of this content - less than 4 percent - comes from AP member newspapers. The overwhelming majority of content we sell to commercial, non-member Web sites is original content produced by AP staff.

And for Mr. Hancock to say that newspapers are paying the AP to distribute their content to "other enemies of newspapers" is a gross distortion, at best.

It is important to remember that in 1999, the AP board voted to allow AP to sell a slice of its international and national content to commercial Web sites in order to support the growing costs of newsgathering and help keep member news organizations' costs low.

Likewise, it is facile to claim that the interests of AP and its members "have never been further apart."

Nothing could be further from the truth. The AP has stood as firmly for protection of intellectual property rights of news providers as it has for freedom of information. Our licensing arrangements with commercial Internet distributors are clear evidence of that commitment.

What's more, the AP is working with its membership today on groundbreaking initiatives in every aspect of digital convergence and focusing on enhancing the position of member news providers as the audience for news moves online and new channels of distribution join the expanding mix of media beyond the printed page.

It is worth noting that Mr. Hancock failed to practice the cardinal rule of journalism before writing his column: He did not check his facts before publishing them.

The AP never received a call from Mr. Hancock asking about the issue.

Jack Stokes

New York

The writer is manager of media relations for the Associated Press.

Back pride in troops with full funding

Recently, 1,300 members of the Maryland Army National Guard received orders to prepare to join those of us on active duty, who greatly appreciate what they will bring to the fight ("1,300 heading to Iraq," April 6).

These doctors, lawyers, businessmen and other civilian-schooled and military-trained professionals provide unique and essential skills to our combat formations.

Not only do these patriots bring a wealth of specialized skills, but they also bring the hopes of their hometowns and communities with them.

But the war in Iraq has caused much controversy over the past few months - particularly in the last few weeks.

Washington is bitterly divided about how financing for the war will proceed. Some have argued that this wrangling will ultimately hurt those of us in the armed forces and our ability to help the Iraqi people bring stability to their nation.

Whether that is so remains to be seen. But rest assured that if that indeed happens, the American people will hold those leaders responsible for their negligence.

Maryland should be immensely proud of her sons and daughters who continue to serve in her defense and serve the interests of our nation.

Perhaps this pride will soon influence those political leaders who are charged with providing for those who protect them at home and abroad - our soldiers.

Luis Carlos Montalv?n

Fort Benning, Ga.

The writer is a captain in the U.S. Army and a former member of the Maryland Army National Guard.

Book club reveals power of reading

Congratulations to the young men at Thurgood Marshall High School for their involvement in the books club ("'Books' is password for males-only club," April 4). How refreshing to read a positive story about young people in the city school system.

As a result of this involvement, these students will not just learn about the characters and plots in their books. They will learn about themselves and the life-changing power of reading.

As a Baltimore educator, I found that young people truly want to do positive things and better themselves. We just have to give them the opportunity. The book club does just that.

Perhaps the city school board could set up a summer program in which staff members from other schools could learn how to institute book clubs in their schools?

Then, students from various schools could come together and interact with each other about books.

If we want to improve the academic standing of our young people, we must find innovative ways to bring about that improvement.

I think the Thurgood Marshall High book club is a big step in the right direction.

Bonnie Russo

Baltimore

The writer is a retired teacher who taught at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School for more than 30 years.

Far from headlines, city kids succeed

Once again, Baltimore's public schools are making headlines ("Schools budget full of errors," April 9).

But, sadly, the breaking news was not about improvements in test scores or students graduating prepared for college or qualified to enter the work force. It was just more bad news about a system with deep troubles.

Good people may be making honest efforts to change our schools, but it will take years and generations of students before substantial progress is realized.

Meanwhile, the education of Baltimore children is a real success for many nonpublic schools in and around the city.

A recent academic performance study indicates dramatic success for students participating in Children's Scholarship Fund - Baltimore, our city's only tuition assistance program that helps low-income families send their children to the elementary school of their choice.

School report cards show that about one-third of the students earned "excellent" math grades (A, or 90 to 100 percent), while about two out of five students earned "excellent" grades in language arts, science and social studies.

About half the students earned "prepared" grades (B and C, or 70 to 89 percent) in language arts, science and social studies, while about three out of five students earned "prepared" grades in math.

Less than one in 10 students earned "needs improvement" grades in the academic disciplines.

Maybe one day the city public schools will report similar academic achievements.

But for now, it might be nice for the public to know that student success is happening in the city every day, even if it does not make the headlines.

Paul Ellis

Baltimore

The writer is executive director of the Children's Scholarship Fund - Baltimore.

Snuffing out rights of smokers?

Smokers who feel they are losing the right to smoke under Maryland's smoking ban need to look at their situation in a new light ("Debate smolders as ban on smoking looms in Maryland," April 11).

No one is telling smokers to stop smoking.

All smokers are losing is the privilege of being able to create an unsafe work environment for restaurant and bar workers.

The June 2006 U.S. surgeon general's report makes clear that secondhand smoke is toxic and that there is no risk-free level of exposure.

The ban on smoking is basically a worker health and safety issue.

Just try to think of another business or industry where customers are permitted to intentionally pump known carcinogens directly into the workplace atmosphere.

Thought of any? Neither have I.

In no other situation would local jurisdictions permit people to create such an unsafe work environment.

Smokers have no right or freedom to create a hazardous work environment for restaurant and bar employees. It's only a matter of time before smoking bans in restaurants and bars become the norm everywhere.

Smokers fly cross-country in airplanes; they jet to Europe and Hawaii; they attend movies, concerts and shows; they sit in classrooms and hospital waiting rooms.

All of these are activities in which they must refrain from smoking for much longer than the duration of an average restaurant meal - and situations in which smokers have gotten accustomed to not smoking.

They can also get used to the new smoking ban in restaurants and bars and, at the same time, feel good about not poisoning thousands of food service workers.

Quite frankly, I see this as a win-win situation.

Kem White

Woodstock

It's bad enough that the Maryland legislature has, in its infinite wisdom, decided it needs to enact a statewide smoking ban.

What happened to market-driven choice?

As a patron or employee of a restaurant or bar, if you don't like being in a smoke-filled environment, you have other choices.

But what is really unfathomable to me is how the state can believe it has the legal authority to prohibit a legal activity (i.e., smoking) in a private club or organization.

This is an incredible overreach and abuse of government power.

I will be surprised if a lawsuit doesn't come out of this rule.

And I don't need the government acting like my surrogate parents and trying to tell me what is good and bad for me.

Steve Thomas

Baltimore

Has it ever occurred to those who wish to smoke in restaurants that their smoke makes it impossible for others to enjoy their dining experience?

The odor of smoke is repugnant and not only ruins our meal but also permeates our clothing and then permeates our car.

It is a horrible stench.

Smokers should learn to be considerate of others.

For many years, my husband and I were smokers. But 10 years ago, we stopped smoking.

We had been upset with establishments that were smoke-free.

But then we decided that it was not the establishments that were wrong but that we had been infringing on others.

I thank the Maryland legislature for the smoking ban.

Judy Gould

Fallston

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