I am a taxpayer and homeowner in Allegheny County. I also enjoy a night out from time to time during which I have a cocktail or a glass of wine. We have recently been assailed by interests of the bar owners who have raised a hue and cry against a tax on drinks served at their places of business. They have by and large blamed one official for this tax: county Chief Executive Dan Onorato. I have a question for these folks: Who among you has offered an alternative to Mr. Onorato? He has begged and asked anyone to give him an alternative tax. Anyone, anyone?

The tax that has been enacted was suggested as an alternative to an increase in property taxes. I am asking all of those in the quiet majority of beneficiaries of this tax to step up and be counted. If you agree that Dan Onorato has done the right thing, then open your mouth and say so! Sitting back and just being quiet is wrong in this case. Mr. Onorato needs to know that we support his attempts to help us. Let the tax prevail.

LORETTA McDERMOTT
Scott

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While the problems encountered by letter writer Cecile Chi ("Now I Know What a Hassle It Is to Get State-Issued ID," May 18) might go beyond the pale of what most individuals would likely encounter, they might not.

In any case, the attitude she encountered, an attitude that could all too well describe "the bureaucratic mind at work" is reason enough to object to a requirement for "state-issued ID," all other things being equal, which by the way, they aren't.

For instance, push coming to shove, the following question needs to be considered: Are we willing to allow ourselves to be reduced to being the slaves of a "state-issued ID" regime? I would think not, but I've been wrong before.

ALAN SCHULTZ
McCandless

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Regarding state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe's new bill targeting election fraud ("Metcalfe Introduces Pa. Voter ID Bill," May 13 Web): I don't have a problem with his concerns eliminating voter fraud or illegal aliens who take jobs from Americans. However, I do have a problem with his inability to prioritize the needs of our district.

It is my belief, as well as many others in the district, that we are in a recession, lack the infrastructure to accommodate the growing population and are watching the prices of our homes go down while the prices at the pump go up. What has Mr. Metcalfe done regarding these issues? Nothing!

Rather, he addresses voter fraud when there has been none in the district and chases illegal aliens in other areas of Pennsylvania. Mr. Metcalfe is out of touch with the here-and-now needs of families in the district. He has not been responsible or accountable and has not provided results for the 12th District. It is time for him to go!

My family cannot afford him in these hard economic times! Can yours?

KEVIN CARIDAD
Seven Fields

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The president's Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, which gives $300 to $600 to qualifying individuals and couples (and more to families with dependent children) to stir the economy, may help a little, but it is no more than a Band-Aid.

I understand that this package is costing billions. I believe the money would have been better spent by putting half of it into the Social Security fund and the other half into Medicare. The funding crisis projected for Medicare and Social Security in our future needs to be addressed. I think the president should have gone in that direction.

HOWARD R. HERRINGTON
Stanton Heights

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My husband and I were privileged to attend the police academy graduation ceremony May 16. The ceremony itself was extremely well organized and executed with bagpipers, an Irish tenor and speakers who spoke both well and succinctly. The love of the speakers for the officers who have given their lives in the line of duty was evident. It's hard to understand the commitment of men and women who opt to become police officers in our cities today until you have a child in the department.

We appreciate the preparation and training my son received and the support of the mayor, police chief and many other dignitaries who gave their time and kind words to the graduates.

Thank you and God bless these new graduates as they go to the streets of the city of Pittsburgh. May their hearts and minds be alert and their compassion for others be evident as they perform the duties of the career that they have chosen.

BONNIE L. DODGE
Northampton, Pa.

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It is nice to hear of good things going on in this city because we are bombarded with negative news. I am referring to the recent promotion of the city Redd Up Campaign manager Kevin Quigley to assistant director in charge of properties in the Public Works Department ("Quigley Promoted," May 20). Congratulations to someone who deserves the promotion.

The Redd Up Crew works very hard in the city to keep things as tidy and safe as possible. These workers are not noticed enough for the great job they do. Sometimes the naysayers like to pick on those who do a good job cleaning up our great city. Our mayor is moving this city in a very positive direction. Of course it is moving more slowly than some of the impatient people would like. Nonetheless it is going forward, and the creation of the Redd Up Crew by the late Mayor Bob O'Connor and the decision of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to keep the program intact is yet another positive move for all concerned city residents.

I am sure Mr. Quigley will continue to do the great work he has done since being appointed the manager of the Redd Up Crew and now he will step up and do even more for the city.

Thank you to Mayor Ravenstahl, Public Works and, of course, Mr. Quigley and his crew -- keep up the great work you all do for us.

JOE BROWN
Brighton Heights

The writer is a volunteer and community leader in Brightwood/Brighton Heights.

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Thank you for the May 18 letters on veganism ("Another Being, Gone" and "Vegans' Goals"). They are very enlightening to me. I have been so involved in reading about the mundane things that are troubling in life, like gas prices, the housing industry decline, health-care costs, pensions in doubt, earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorism, that I never considered how important eating was.

Now after reading these letters, I have thought about how awful it is to be consuming animals and how they have to die to give me food. This has increased my sensitivity to the point of making me think of the vegetable side of the diet.

Now I am beginning to imagine how the mother pepper plant must feel when her babies are ripped off her branches and chopped up into the sauce. Think about the poor carrot whose skin is literally peeled from its body and dropped into the soup or the poor pod of peas being ripped open and all her little babies dropped into boiling water.

Forget about man having dominion over all the animals and think about your diet. The ultimate would be to feast on nature with your eyes and breathe in the sweetness of the air. Life may not be very long on this diet, but we would all have a clear conscience that we haven't offended any side of nature.

RALPH J. FOSTER
Grove City

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Thank you, Sen. Clinton, for running a good race. You've been a pioneer -- a strong, intelligent, capable woman who's charted a course for other women.

Now it's time for you to bow out, to persuade your supporters that Sen. Barack Obama is the legitimate Democratic nominee and that they should work as passionately for him as they have for you.

You can concede gracefully, acknowledging yourself bound by the rules you and Sen. Obama agreed to play by, the rules -- however flawed -- set by the Democratic establishment. It's not good for you, for your future as a leader or for the Democratic Party for you to insist that you will fight by other metrics to a sour finish.

As in a war, in this contest for the Democratic nomination the loser must concede for the winner to declare victory. We're all grateful to you, and our gratitude will increase as you accept what has occurred.

LIANE ELLISON NORMAN
Squirrel Hill

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