I am writing in response to Sen. Barack Obama's television and radio ads concerning oil and gas. Sen. Obama is calling for the imposition of a windfall profits tax on the oil and natural gas industry.

When Congress passed the 1980 windfall profits tax (similar to the tax being proposed by the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama), domestic production fell by nearly 100 million barrels per year and extracted $40 billion from the industry that could have been invested in domestic production. In the end, the windfall profits tax led to less domestic production, more foreign imports and less domestic investment -- three bad results. It may make for a slick campaign slogan, but it makes for bad domestic energy policy.

Sen. Obama's assertion that the oil producers and refiners are gouging consumers with high-priced gasoline is not correct. The domestic oil producers do not set the price of crude oil; the OPEC oil cartel combined with worldwide supply-and-demand factors set the price. The current price of crude oil accounts for approximately $2.50/gallon of the price of gasoline; add refining, transportation and federal and state taxes, and it is easy to see why the price of gasoline at the pump is $3.25.

A strong American oil and natural gas industry means less foreign oil, enhanced national security, a strong economy, stable prices, high-paying jobs, the best environmental protections, more tax to state and federal treasuries, a possibility to cut the trade deficit and many more benefits.

TERRENCE S. JACOBS
President and CEO
Penneco Oil Co.
Delmont

The Democratic Party is currently battling fiercely to determine its presidential candidate. Although Hillary Clinton has presented a number of arguments about why she would be the best, some of her recent comments have given me great concern. She said that she "misspoke" about landing in the middle of sniper fire because she was "sleep deprived."

Maybe she was. However, she has said very often that she is the best person to answer a phone at 3 a.m. Right now, I have no confidence that she would be. As a flight attendant, I often fly to Delhi or London, working 12 or 15 hours all night. I am required to be alert for medical emergencies and other unexpected problems.

Hillary Clinton has claimed that her experience has been a great asset. But how can I believe her statements any more?

Barack Obama took on the complex issue of race and provided a reasoned yet passionate response. He is grounded and thoughtful and willing to work on problems, instead of dismissing them with a sound bite.

Hillary Clinton has lost my respect. As a woman I would like to be able to feel proud of her. Unfortunately, I am ashamed of her tactics.

MARY KAY DOKTORSKI
North Fayette

In response to Patrick J. McMahon's letter ("Gender Matters," March 31), in which the writer supports SB 1250 (Marriage Protection Amendment) and urges others to do the same, he states that "gays were never called three-fifths human in the Constitution" (as were African Americans). By what process of illogical thinking would that mean that gays should now be discriminated against in a codified fashion as African Americans were then? Not only is it a weak argument -- it makes no sense. In fact, it argues for the complete opposite conclusion.

Dr. McMahon further states that "children do best when raised by a married mother and father." Let's assume that is true. Unfortunately, such families, as the writer must know, are now, and have been for some time, in the minority. Since the days of Ward and June and Ozzie and Harriet, that type of family constellation has been in decline.

The good news is that many gay and lesbian families have stepped up and are adopting children whom many others will not. Instead of celebrating that these children now have parents who truly want them and will provide them with decent lives, individuals such as Dr. McMahon, by supporting discrimination written into our state constitution, will deny these families any legal protections whatsoever. It is mean-spirited.

KATE HAMMILL
Lawrenceville

Regarding the Feb. 11 editorial "Inside Out: It's the New Approach to Reinvigorating Downtown" and the March 30 editorial "Dormant Hotel: The Convention Center Plan Isn't Complete": I'm a lifelong Pittsburgh Downtown-street lover, and like many families here, have siblings scattered to the wind elsewhere, thus contributing to the current census results.

Recently, my wife and I attended the Western Pennsylvania Kennel Association Dog Show at the convention center. We parked in broad daylight two blocks from there and fed the meter on Penn Avenue. I had moved all the belongings from the car to the trunk. Not enough precaution, though, as we returned at 5 p.m. to a car that was unlocked. My wife commented that I had left the car unlocked, and I indicated that it would have been out of the ordinary for me.

We came home, and I noticed by accident that the driver's side lock had been punched out. I didn't notice it prior because I usually use the remote to lock and unlock. When I opened the trunk, I found that my personal belongings had been ransacked and several items stolen.

Strategies for the new approach to reinvigorating Downtown, and future city revenues, will have to be revised to reflect two less future contributors.

Furthermore, the convention center plan should reflect the potential crime demilitarized zones currently unlisted in the city of Pittsburgh parking maps or other tourism publications. In this day and age of homeland security, surely the masterminds of Downtown development have recognized the impact of crime on their revenue dreams.

JAMES R. KESTER
Hampton

I would like to send a sincere and heartfelt thank you to the three gentlemen from Department of Public Works who worked hard last week to clean the litter lining the Eliza Furnace Trail. The difference between where they had cleaned and where they had not yet reached was as clear as night and day.

At the same time, I'm deeply saddened that they have to be there at all. My mother always taught me to clean up after myself. To my dismay, there was already new litter starting in the areas they cleaned! The main source of the litter is from traffic on I-376. Please, people, secure your belongings in the back of your truck so they don't blow out, throw your garbage in a can or recycling bin, and if you use the trail, use the garbage cans provided! Show some respect for each other and the environment.

AMY HASAN
Baldwin Township

The column on Easter Sunday by Jack Kelly ("On the Verge of Victory," March 23) was pure blather. We are five years into this war, with 4,000 Americans and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead and $1 trillion spent or committed, and the Iraqis have not even agreed on a formula to share oil revenues. This is success?

All wars are fought for political goals, and the only one that has been reached is a dysfunctional parliament in Iraq, a land that has a 5,000-year history of autocracy going back to Hammurabi and Sargon. The Iraqis are the only ones who can win the war (as in Vietnam, where I learned this lesson), and they have decided to follow the politics of revenge, rather than the politics of compromise. True, Saddam is gone, but he was terrorizing his own people, not working with al-Qaida.

Oil production is lower, electricity is not very reliable, security is still chancy in many districts and we think we are on the verge of success. It sounds to me like December 1967, when I was in Vietnam, and when we were going to turn the corner. We did turn a corner in the January 1968 Tet Offensive, but it is not the one we expected. Forty years ago, success was just around the corner. Don't we ever learn, and can't we ever face the facts? President Bush will go down as our third-worst president, beaten out only by Ulysses S. Grant and James Buchanan.

MARTIN J. RESICK
Emlenton

The headline "Cheney Promotes Mideast Peace" (March 24) is an oxymoron. The vice president of war, promoting peace ... please.

STEPHEN F. KISLOCK III
Beaver Falls

Regarding the April 3 editorial "Shot Down: Pa. Legislators Make Guns the Supreme Right": I find it less than humorously ironic that one could be so ignorant as to think that government interference in the rights of handgun owners would have no impact on the owners of long guns. This is the result of the flawed logic that concludes that handguns are bad because criminals use them. Criminals use cars, too; should we ban them as well? Wait, strike that last question. I forgot, those of like mind want to ban cars as well.

One does not even need a high-school civics lesson to understand that the Bill of Rights is indeed absolute. One needs only the ability to read and comprehend English, even if only in its contemporary form, to understand that the Bill of Rights does not grant us rights. No, it does not grant government rights either. The Bill of Rights imposes limitations on the government. This was to ensure that the government remained the servant of the people and would never become their master.

With disingenuous fools like those who wrote this editorial in charge of informing the masses, it is no wonder our society is in a free fall.

ROBERT CALHOUN
Swissvale

My initial reaction to the letter from Patrick McMahon ("Gender Matters," March 31), in which he argues that gay people should continue to be discriminated against with regard to the legal recognition of their marriages, was one of frustration and exasperation. But I felt a bit of relief when I realized that the headline for another letter to the editor published that same day easily could be used for his: "A Bit of 1945."

The pursuit of equal rights for gay people in this country has enjoyed a relatively short but accelerated time frame, beginning in the late 1960s, and has taken steps both large and small since that time. Despite their opponents' attempts to demonize and ostracize them, gay people have quickly become a recognized facet of our society, and the momentum toward acceptance is obvious. The eventual success of this pursuit is evinced by the fact that opponents of gay rights have to resort to constitutional amendments to codify this kind of discrimination.

In his letter, Dr. McMahon quotes Jesse Jackson as saying that "gays were never called three-fifths human in the Constitution." Ironically, in his support of the so-called Marriage Amendment, Dr. McMahon wishes to do just that.

MATTHEW RUSH
Ypsilanti, Mich.

The writer is a Pittsburgh native.

A great deal of the problems in the economy apparently stem from a lack of consumer confidence. People are fearful of the downturn in the economy and of their future in it.

For a number of past years, the citizens of this country have been fed a steady diet of fear -- fear of terrorists, weapons of mass destruction and possible attacks on our country. It is not surprising that this ingrained fear now makes itself apparent in a way that the government finds less desirable.

JOE F. STIERHEIM
Ligonier

Paul Krugman's "Loans and Leadership" (March 29) reminds me why he remains my favorite columnist. What he did with the candidates' health-care plans he does with their plans to address the current mortgage crisis. He objectively assesses and critiques their proposals based on their merits. He contrasts Hillary Clinton's "surprisingly bold and progressive" proposal with Barack Obama's "cautious and relatively Orthodox" proposal and John McCain's, which "offers neither straight talk nor originality."

In so doing, Mr. Krugman resists the trend of many of his media colleagues who praise all things Obama and castigate all things Clinton. Mr. Krugman bases his assessments on policy differences and does not resort to ad hominem attacks. Kudos to Paul Krugman!

KIM SMITH
Brookline, Mass.

The writer is formerly of Point Breeze.

Every year, thousands of professional men and women work to maintain and improve the Pennsylvania highway and bridge system. The work carries risks. Last year in Pennsylvania, 19 people were killed in work-zone crashes. Most of these deaths could have been avoided if motorists would have slowed down, used caution and showed respect for employees in the work zones.

Work Zone Safety Awareness Week is April 7-11. I ask everyone to make work-zone safety a top priority in their everyday travels and to remember the three R's of work-zone safety: recognition, reaction and responsibility.

Learn to recognize a work zone. Watch for early-warning signs that work may be beginning soon in the area. Read your local newspaper, especially articles by transportation columnists. Contact your local PennDOT office and ask about upcoming projects or visit the PennDOT Web site, www.dot.state.pa.us. Look for orange barrels, signs, lane restrictions or highway equipment.

Learn to react in a work zone. Always stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Anticipate lane shifts and don't be distracted by ongoing activities. The sheer fact that cars, heavy equipment and workers are in proximity to each other could result in disaster. Don't tailgate and always expect the unexpected.

Learn to take personal responsibility for your actions. It is everyone's responsibility to drive with caution in a work zone. Don't let discourteous drivers cause you to become impatient and take needless risks.

By following a few common-sense guidelines, you can significantly reduce the number of fatalities and injuries that occur in work zones every year.

JOSEPH P. DUBOVI III
District Executive
PennDOT Engineering District 10
Indiana, Pa.

While I haven't lived in Pittsburgh for many years and am able to get back only a few times a year, I remain a proud Pittsburgher. "You can take the boy from the city, but you can't take the city from the boy."

While Pittsburgh has a great history, the future has the potential to be even greater. Pittsburgh is blessed to have great natural resources, medical facilities, universities, etc.

However, most important, it has great people. To have Pittsburghers -- of all ages, genders, races -- working together for the common good, taking pride in their city and translating great dreams into reality is critical to the future of the "best hometown" in America.

ROBERT J. WALKER
Lansing, Mich.

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