A tuition break for immigrants?
As a life-long resident of Maryland and the father of one daughter attending college and a son who is fast-approaching his college years, I sit here at my desk wondering why I even have to write this letter. I wish one person would or could explain to me why there is even a debate going on in the General Assembly about giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition for Maryland colleges ("Resistance to bill on state tuition grows," Feb. 22).
Is there something about the word "illegal" that some people don't understand?
Following the recent record tax grab against the citizens of this state, are the members of the General Assembly and the governor just seeing how much they can pile on us before we break?
We give up already. We are bleeding out.
I feel like I am on an island surrounded by lemmings who are all waiting for their fearless leader to tell them which cliff to dive off of next.
The problem is that all of the lemmings are taking the businesses and the tax base of the state off the cliff with them.
K. Scott Wilson
Ellicott City
During my 27 years of teaching, I have met a number of amazing students who attended college when they could not afford food or even shelter and when they were exhausted from working all night to be able to attend college all day.
And those extreme cases of student dedication have all been refugees or immigrant students. Their desire to improve their lives and provide for their families is just that strong.
By charging the out-of-state rate for state college tuition to students like these, we make college out of reach for so many poor immigrants in Maryland.
Why would Maryland require immigrant children to go to high school but then deny them access to college by making it financially out of reach for some students who have lived here for years?
Are we saying that we want undocumented immigrant students to become dropouts who will never be able to earn a good living?
First-generation immigrants are usually wonderful college students who help motivate the native-born American students who work alongside them.
We know that education improves lives and helps create jobs that strengthen our tax base.
We should help our immigrant students in ways which will also help make Maryland more prosperous.
Marlene Cohen
Largo
The writer is a professor and coordinator of the International Education Center at Prince George's Community College.
Measures to reduce carbon now in place
While the long-term goals of the Global Warming Solutions Act may be ambitious, we already have the policies in place that we need to meet the short-term goal of a 25 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 ("Pollution bill attacked," Feb. 20).
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the Clean Cars Act and the Healthy Air Act, along with the governor's plan to reduce statewide electricity consumption by 15 percent, will bring about most of the reductions called for in the bill.
These measures, coupled with existing renewable energy technologies, green building and smart growth, should make it easy for businesses to achieve emissions reductions in a cost-effective manner.
Furthermore, we can expect to see other states pass similar bills.
Eventually, the cumulative pressure is likely to help create a federal carbon cap-and-trade system and large public investments in research and development of clean energy and efficiency technologies.
I think it is very likely that over the next 40 years we will make the technical advancements we need to be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 90 percent by 2050.
And if this bill on global warming passes, Maryland stands to benefit as a leader in a new, more sustainable, clean-energy economy.
Jeffry M. Bothe
West Friendship
The writer is a volunteer for the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.
Tax cuts could help people pay the debts
Isn't it a little bit hypocritical of the governor to blame home foreclosures on mortgage brokers and to summon them to his office ("O'Malley chastises mortgage industry," Feb. 20)?
He should understand that the huge tax increases that he and the state's legislators approved in the special session hurt people's ability to meet their mortgage payment obligations.
He should also realize that the high cost of gas that working people need to buy to get to work costs people money they could use to pay their mortgages.
The governor could reduce the state tax on a gallon of gas to help ordinary, middle-class people pay their mortgages.
Or, if the governor truly wants to help people pay their mortgages, instead of blaming the mortgage brokers, he should get some legislation passed that will repair the damage the special session brought about.
At least the mortgage lenders have a contract with homeowners.
The only thing the taxpayers have with the governor and the legislature is broken promises.
Don Pennington
Trappe
Support for Steiner makes spirits soar
Out of the depths of the flu I was suffering, my spirits rose after I read "Steiner fans sound off to panel from WYPR" (Feb. 21).
If there were any valid reason for Marc Steiner to leave WYPR, the station's managers have totally obscured it by the rude and shabby way they chose to fire him and by their arrogance in response to the public outcry over his firing.
For the promotion of civil dialogue and the preservation of the free marketplace of ideas, Mr. Steiner is without peer.
For mean-spiritedness and obtuseness, the station's management is equally notable.
Unless the station finds new management and allows the return of The Marc Steiner Show, I will not be renewing my annual pledge.
Jo Ann O. Robinson
Baltimore
Amiable Steiner was too talkative as host
Marc Steiner may be a very nice man, but he was a terrible talk show host ("Steiner fans sound off to panel from WYPR," Feb. 21). I congratulate WYPR for finally taking him off the air.
Mr. Steiner rambled in his interviews, answered questions for his guests and hijacked the conversations in an apparent effort to show us all how smart he is.
Whenever he was on, I would find myself yelling at the radio, "Shut up, Marc," until I tuned out altogether.
It's a relief to be able to have someone else to listen to on WYPR from noon to 2 p.m.
I wish Mr. Steiner well in whatever he does next, just as long as its not on the airwaves.
Carol Hatem
Bel Air
Tax burden isn't unfair to wealthy
Several readers chastised The Sun for suggesting that more of the federal tax burden should be shifted to wealthier Americans ("More taxes on rich won't help catch up," letters, Feb. 20).
They cite statistics showing that the top 1 percent of wage earners now pay 35 percent of all federal income taxes, and suggest that wealthy Americans are paying more than their fair share.
But this statistic is meaningless.
The only true measure of tax fairness is the tax rate paid by wealthy taxpayers compared to the rate paid by middle- and lower-income citizens.
Statistics show that many wealthy taxpayers pay taxes at a lower rate than middle- or lower-income individuals do, especially when not just income taxes but payroll taxes are taken into account.
Jack Kinstlinger
Baltimore
The statements made in two of the letters in Wednesday's Sun about the top 1 percent of the taxpayers pay more than 35 percent of the income taxes is a quibble.
The reason wealthy taxpayers pay so much is that they get such a large share of the nation's income -- a point that neither of the letter-writers mentions.
And, contrary to the assertion in one of the letters, there is no evidence that reducing taxes increases revenue, so cutting income taxes on the wealthy will not provide more money for social programs.
Thomas G. Pinter
Lutherville
University workers need union rights
As someone who was once a contract employee at the University of Baltimore, I fully support union representation for graduate students and for all employees of the University System of Maryland ("Bill would widen right to organize," Feb. 20).
I was employed for nearly 20 years at the University of Baltimore. The last two were torture after a change in administration.
After I was terminated, I had no real avenue for my grievance available at any level of the university system.
From my experience, I think that working for a college in the University System of Maryland is no different from dealing with any other employer.
The wrong superior can make work miserable for any employee, and only a recognized labor union can properly defend employees in disputes with management and staff.
Nicholas J. Delambo
Baltimore