() Comments
Letters -- Jan. 5, 2003
By Journal Times readers
"... they don't have the backbone in Madison to make the tough cuts necessary to balance the budget." -- George Osgood
No more coal plants
The front page Journal Times article "Harvard researcher links plant in Oak Creek to deaths, illness" (12/29/02) brought needed attention to a serious problem. The article reported on research by Harvard University Dr. Jonathan Levy. Using data from Oak Creek and computer modeling he pointed out that the coal-fired power plant in Oak Creek causes many preventable illnesses and deaths in our area. Additional coal plants should not be built in Oak Creek!
According to the Harvard expert, 40 to 50 people already die each year from the current power plant and its nasty byproducts. If three more coal-burning plants are built in our area, the death toll will only increase. How many people need to get sick or die before We Energies does something to really stop the harmful effects of its dirty coal plants?
We Energies has publicly admitted that natural gas is a much cleaner burning alternative than coal. Now, it needs to clean up its act and change its plan to include natural gas for Oak Creek.
Nancy Hennessy
Veterans' interests
President Bush and the Republican Congress have done a great deal of damage to this country's Veteran population.
In Maine there are 154,000 veterans, imagine what the numbers are in large population states. We must stop voting straight party tickets, and start uniting to vote for only those members who take care of this nation's veterans.
The president's position on Concurrent Receipt, Health Care, Survivor Benefits ETC will insure that this is his only term in office unless he doe's a complete turn around. You cannot praise the military, send them into harm's way, and then not take care of them after they are hurt.
Allowing Department of Defense to write the rules on concurrent receipt is as stupid as having the VA determine alphabetically who was affected by Iraqi gas during Operation Desert Storm.
The government must lay off giving free citizenship to the currently illegal aliens in America, they have failed to keep track of them and control the borders. The government must take care of the citizens who have been injured protecting America during the wars and conflicts this great country has been involved in.
The Supreme Court will make a decision that will affect all military retirees in the battle for military health care on Feb. 12. Don't give up your right to the benefits that you earned.
Robert E Brink, CSM U.S. Army, retired
7642 Botting Road, Racine
Overzealous officials
Overzealous local officials are damaging Racine's image throughout Wisconsin, the country, even internationally.
The Mount Pleasant Dairy Queen fiasco sent a clear message. Don't locate a small business in Mount Pleasant or risk excessive, crippling fines for minor transgressions.
The recent Racine "rave" disaster sent an equally clear message to young people. Don't come to Racine for a dance or we will send you home with a $1,000 fine.
Meanwhile, Racine County officials have approved funding for an image building campaign. Attracting young people and new businesses are among their objectives. There is something very wrong with this picture. An image campaign can surely highlight the many wonderful aspects of Racine County, but can do nothing to undo the damage being caused by our own leaders.
Denis Navratil
43 Parkwood Court
Can't make the cuts
I see that Governor-elect Doyle is opposed to cuts in the state patrol budget. This proves once again the point that Bob Collison, state Libertarian Party chairman, has been making over the past year that they don't have the backbone in Madison to make the tough cuts necessary to balance the budget.
The suggested state highway patrol cut is only about $35 million. That is less than one percent of the budget deficit (estimated at $4.3 billion by Doyle). If they can't even make that little cut without playing a lot of political games, how are they going to avoid the only other alternative: Balance the budget on the backs of the working people of Wisconsin by raising taxes?
Don't be satisfied with the "read my lips" rhetoric from Madison politicians, especially when you see less money in your wallets.
George Osgood
1621 Virginia St., Racine
Shameful deer kill
An Associated Press story in the Dec. 13 issue of the Journal Times hit my hot button again. At the top of page 5C was this: "State kills 118 deer at private game farm." The article goes on to describe how federal sharpshooters destroyed every deer on James Hirschboeck's 80-acre game farm. My reaction was a call to Department of Natural Resources Secretary Darrell Bazzell. The employee who answered the phone told me that he was tied up on another line, asked for my phone number and if I would like to leave a message. The message was: "A perfect research facility and a private business have just been destroyed!" I must apologize to Secretary Bazzell; I should have called Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, James E. Harsdorf because the game farm is a private business.
I got a call in the afternoon, but the phone connection was extremely poor. I heard mention of Buckhorn Flats (a game farm some of Hirschboeck's deer were acquired from) and that the caller had some role in enforcement. I hope whoever called could hear my blast about this unnecessary and useless deer destruction. That game farm could have served as a valuable tool for research concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (it is NOT mad deer disease), how it is transmitted, or even if it is transmissible-that is the big question.
It almost seems that the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection does not want to do research on the development of the disease in live animals. Did Division of Animal Health Administrator Clarence Siroky order the destruction of James Hirschboeck's
118-head deer herd?
Reginald C. Buchanan
Union Grove
Search for meaning
Our planet never ceases to surprise me. It seems things are going at high speed. Unemployment rising, hatred, racial prejudice and greed has not stopped.
Christmas is just for selling. The true meaning of it has gone. We are all going so fast, with no thought of who we are, or why we are here. Helping one another is a thing of the past. War is inevitable. Vaccines that may help or kill you will soon be available. Now cloning, with some people going to such extremes as to exclude God from this planet. He has put us here, giving us knowledge good or bad, to explore all of our potentials. I fear that those who try to say that God does not exist, will soon find out, that without his power we will fail. The search for why we are here is closer than we think. It is lying in our hearts.
Mariana Giacinti
Racine
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| Letters -- Jan. 6, 2003 | Letters -- Jan. 3, 2003 |
