I'm proud of my House record, and I want to do more
The Post-Gazette's endorsement of my candidacy ("Diven in the 22nd," April 8) was based partly on the belief that my independent representation of Pittsburgh and my district "increased [my] credibility and clout."

Rep. Bill DeWeese criticized the endorsement in a letter that ran yesterday in the PG ("About Rep. Diven," April 23), but I believe that when voters look at the facts they'll recognize the same character and values the Post-Gazette endorsed.

First, I am obligated to represent my constituents, and I have dedicated myself to improving my district's quality of life. As a legislator I've delivered millions of dollars in grants to the community development corporations and community councils that improve our neighborhoods. I authored the law that enables neighborhoods to combat graffiti and increases punishment for offenders, and I authored blight remediation legislation to rehabilitate and renew neighborhoods.

I'm proud of these accomplishments, but I'm not satisfied. I'm still working hard to develop solutions to lower property taxes, and, recently, I was recognized nationally as the New Democrat of the Week on Feb. 17 because of my innovative legislation to help school boards spend more on education and less on the rapidly increasing cost of health care.

DeWeese questions my loyalty primarily because I questioned his decision to redistrict Allegheny County's representation in a way that placed a 10-year-old personal vendetta ahead of a Democratic return to the majority. DeWeese eliminated the effective, former Rep. Ralph Kaiser's seat and the valuable, former Rep. David Mayernik's seat instead of two retiring legislators' seats.

The result: Democrats continued to lose seats in the House, and the Pittsburgh area -- in dire need of strong friends in Harrisburg -- lost four effective leaders.

I am a passionate believer in the Democratic Party's values. I'm not content with our current minority status in the state House -- Democrats outnumber Republicans statewide by 500,000 but are outnumbered by Republicans in the state House -- and we should never be content to have to fight a constant uphill battle to have our Democratic values enacted into legislation. I've fought hard to get Democrats elected at all levels of government, and I will continue to fight to make our party stronger.

STATE REP. MICHAEL DIVEN
Brookline

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Ingrained politicos
In November 2003, I was sure that two of my senses had gone awry. Shortly after the election, I noticed political ads for Sen. Arlen Specter. It appeared very strange that these ads were being run after the voting process was complete.

Now, to no one's surprise, the ads continue and I, for one, do not approve of these clips! It would seem that we will be forced to endure these things until November 2004. Is he running scared or are the rumblings of "term limits" beginning to scare even the four-term veteran from Pennsylvania?

When will the voting public wake up and begin the chant of "term limitation" for all politicians, from Congress all the way down to the lowest township councilman? If we do not wake up soon, we will most surely be at the mercy of all the ingrained politicos whom we failed to replace in office when we had the chance.

DAVID DIETZ
Robinson

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Give him a chance
Thank you for the a href=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04111/303286.stm>Voters Guide of April 20. For the U.S. Senate on the Republican side, I'm voting for Pat Toomey. Give him a chance. Arlen Specter has been in long enough. Toomey is 42 compared to Specter's 74 years. Specter will receive a substantial pension.

I believe Toomey will put the U.S.A. first.

RAY SCHMIDT
Mt. Lebanon

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My qualifications
I would like to submit answers to the questions posed by the League of Women Voters in its voters guide. Because of miscommunication, my information as a candidate in the Democratic primary for the 4th Congressional District was absent from the guide.

My qualifications are that I have worked as a human rights lawyer for the Refugee Defense Fund and did human rights work in Burma and Haiti. As a lawyer I also have represented steelworkers, tech companies and small businesses in southwestern Pennsylvania.

I was born in Allegheny County in 1967, was raised in Beaver County, received a bachelor's degree from Catholic University of America in 1990 and my law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1995. I have been admitted to practice before the federal court in Western Pennsylvania.

The league asked the following questions: Is it possible to control deficit spending and still provide funds for national security and domestic programs? If so, how would you do it?

This is my answer: "Only if Bush's tax program and his foreign policy are revisited and restructured. Our war on terror is being impaired by our inability to properly fund it due to the president's policy of shrinking the government while at the same time expanding its responsibilities, i.e., invading Iraq. One cannot wage a two-front war (Iraq, terror), prepare for a third (North Korea) and shrink the government. It is irresponsible, and our children will bear the burden in the form of out-of-control deficits."

We regret the miscommunication, and we thank the league for the invaluable public service it does in preparing the guide.

ERIC A. WAFER
Harmony

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24 years of nothing
Your recent endorsement of Vic Lescovitz for the Democratic nomination for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 46th District in Washington County shows that you do not follow politics in this county.

The PG has endorsed him on the basis of "experience"; 24 years in the Legislature not having done anything except vote for higher taxes and government spending does not constitute experience.

Lescovitz is a do-nothing representative who is liked neither in his district nor in Harrisburg. The Democratic leadership at the state demoted him from a leadership position in the House to the harmless position of minority chairman for tourism.

He has proposed closing the local school districts and consolidating all of the decisions regarding education in the hands of a few bureaucrats at the county level. Do you endorse taking the decisions regarding education from the hands of locally elected officials and giving it to a large unresponsive bureaucracy? Lescovitz does.

PAUL D. KWIECINSKI
South Franklin

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Have some humor
Laurance M. Koster needs to take his deep resentment of Rob Rogers' hilarious April 13 cartoon back to the PG archives and check out the cartoons Rogers did during the Clinton administration.

Rob Rogers is a treasure. I love opening the Sunday New York Times and finding one of his cartoons featured as best in the nation. Too bad Mr. Koster's deep resentment overrides his sense of humor.

N.D. CROWELL
Dormont