City voters, change your ways on Election Day

It was interesting that the two letters on Oct. 5 that disapproved of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl using a police SUV for personal reasons were from individuals not living in the city ("The Mayor Appears to Lack Common Sense" and "He's Disappointing," Oct. 5). As a former city resident of 18 years myself, I too, disapprove of the mayor's SUV use, not to mention his golfing sagas. However, come Election Day, I can't do anything about it.

Why does it seem like the only people with common sense when it comes to the city's woes are former city residents and suburbanites? Why does it seem like the residents who are eligible to do something about the city every Election Day never do anything different?

When the Steelers played in Arizona on Sept. 30, there were almost as many Pittsburgh fans as Cardinal fans. It's not because people grew up in Arizona and chose to root for the Steelers, it's because those fans in Arizona used to live in Pittsburgh.

Until the current residents in the city start doing something different on Election Day, the people with common sense will continue to move to the suburbs, or other cities. Ironically, no change will be good news for the Steelers when they play at Arizona, San Diego, Carolina, Dallas, Atlanta, etc.

"Hey, yinzers, keep yankin' the Democrat lever, and all the Stillers games will look like home games and that."

CRAIG CONLEY
Marshall

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Outside advantage

The article "Brash Change in Style for [the Urban Redevelopment Authority]" (Sept. 30) is all smoke and no fire. It insinuates that Pat Ford has questionable business ethics because of his informal dealings with developers, loyalty to friends with legal trouble and his love of cigars and scotch.

After returning to Pittsburgh after a 14-year hiatus in Atlanta, I believe his problems are not ethical lapses but the way he brashly challenges Pittsburgh's normally placid status quo and his "outsider' status" -- he is not a Pittsburgh native.

After visiting other cities that have more effectively developed their economic potential, I believe Mr. Ford should be given a chance to change the terrain of Pittsburgh and this article should be ignored. I believe the only smoke from this article is Mr. Ford's aromatic cigar and the fire is his trusty lighter.

RICHARD MELVIN
West End

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Bridges of healing

Kudos to Professor Marcus Rediker, PG staff writer Mark Roth and the Post-Gazette for keeping both the significance of contributions by African Americans to the building of this nation and the tremendous impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on the health of humanity at the forefront of our thinking ("Pitt Prof's New Book an Entree to Recesses of Slave Trade," Oct. 1).

As the pastor of an intentionally interracial congregation in Oakland, open to all ages, founded 40 years ago to address what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called "the most segregated hour of the week," I welcome collective efforts to learn about our common history in rehabilitative hope.

As citizens of the City of Bridges, perhaps this article and Dr. Rediker's work will open up an opportunity for Pittsburgh to play a major role in building bridges of healing and reconciliation around the issues raised on behalf of us all.

REV. DENISE R. MASON
Oakland
Pastor, Community of Reconciliation Church

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UPMC sloppiness

I read with interest Robert E. Nardozzi's letter ("Just a Number," Sept. 29) about his wife receiving a solicitation from UPMC after her death because the same thing happened to me.

My late husband was a Hillman Cancer Center and UPMC Shadyside patient, and six weeks after his death he received a letter from his surgeon asking if he had received the gold standard of care and would he consider donating to his research. I called to complain and thought the matter had ended. However, on the one-year anniversary of my husband's death, when my family and I were gathered to remember my husband and visit his grave, he received a questionnaire from this same surgeon asking how his symptoms were.

My thoughts are the same as Mr. Nardozzi's -- with the obscene, tax-free profits made by UPMC you would think they could afford to hire some minimum-wage person to purge the mass-mailing lists of deceased person's names.

LINDA MURTHA
North Huntingdon

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Innocent lives

In regard to recent letters: The real issue of abortion is preserving innocent lives. Being pro-death penalty cannot be equated to having a lack of concern for innocent lives as the penalty is intended to deter the taking of innocent lives. War is always a sad reality and should be done only to preserve innocent lives.

Equating the protection of the unborn to forcing one's religious beliefs on someone is illogical. It is immoral to take an innocent life. Laws are established to prevent injurious acts of immorality to the innocent (murder, theft, neglect), which, in turn, prevents chaos. Abortion does fall into the category of an injurious act of immorality against the innocent. Can we all not agree that injuring the innocent is immoral?

We should all take off the me-first mentality and help all those in need, including those who are struggling to raise children and those who are struggling with pregnancy.

JAMIE J. GIGLIOTTI
Oakdale

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Spiritual action

With all the pageantry, tradition, dignitaries of the church, celebration of the Mass and Eucharist and solemn installation of a new bishop, I think we were all waiting to hear our new bishop, David A. Zubik, speak.

So refreshing! Casual style, humor, down to earth, yet he is all business -- God's business -- make no mistake about that. He is serious about God and he has come to Pittsburgh to try and get us to be serious about God or, as he puts it, to be excited about our faith ("A Dare to 'Get Excited' About Faith," Sept. 29).

Out of the many good things he said, the one that has stuck with me is his speaking about not procrastinating about doing good, or going to Mass, confession, giving service to others, etc. It takes making a decision not to procrastinate, and when we make that decision and act on it, it becomes easy in time and becomes a habit.

As Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl said, "God sent him" to Pittsburgh to help the church, the priests and all of us get to heaven, and as God is interested in each of us, we can say with truth that when he spoke in the cathedral, he was speaking to all of us with God's message and to each of us individually. I got my message and I am going to make a decision and act on it.

Thank you, Bishop Zubik.

THERESE McKENZIE
Bridgeville

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Families who would benefit from SCHIP need the help

I am appalled that the Post-Gazette continues to publish Ruth Ann Dailey, the Bush apologist extraordinaire. Her column about President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization makes no sense ("Bush Bravely Battles a Bloated SCHIP," Oct. 8); it's just a platform for her mean-spirited ranting in support of our ignorant, mean-spirited president.

Should people who cannot afford (or have been rejected for) health insurance seek treatment in an emergency room? Does she think people with incomes of $75,000 are rich and should pay $1,200/month for inadequate, high-deductible health care for their families?

Whatever happened to the concept of "the common good?" If Ms. Dailey and her hero were truly compassionate, they would consider health insurance for all children and all adults a basic entitlement of our democracy, not a privilege for the rich and lucky, and they would be actively supporting every effort to make sure the system works for everyone.

ROBERTA MINTZ
Shadyside

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Heavy lifting

We compassionate conservatives have already decided to saddle our children and grandchildren with a gigantic tax bill to pay for the deficit created by our Iraq war.

Shouldn't we add a bit more for their medical insurance, so they'll grow up healthy enough to pay the bill?

FRANK KERNAN
Mt. Lebanon

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