Prisons must have a safe level of staffing

The Oct. 27 story "State Hopes New Prisons, Early Release Cut Crowding" is an excellent look at the difficulty our state prison system is having with a prison population bursting at the seams and the attempts being made to reduce it.

Unfortunately, no one can say for sure whether the state can reduce the population, and the opening of new state prisons is still several years away. Hope is one thing. History tells us the population goes only one way -- up. While the state prison population is zooming past 47,000 inmates, the Department of Corrections is planning on adding nearly 1,500 beds to accommodate prisoners who have had their parole blocked by Gov. Ed Rendell.

Right now work is being done to create more space in gymnasiums, day rooms and smoking rooms -- such scenarios that present clear security challenges. Currently, two long-scheduled classes totaling about 500 cadets are on the books, but these will do nothing but help to replace retired officers and literally will have no impact on our overall numbers.

It is incumbent upon the Rendell administration to make it a top priority to protect the corrections officers who keep our state's prisons in order by putting new cadet classes together immediately.

These certainly are difficult times, but we are in the inside of the state prison system. We deal with the state's most dangerous criminals every day. We've already seen how the state is cutting back on hiring state troopers. The state budget knife has no place in public safety. Lives are at stake and we're already outnumbered.

DONALD G. McNANY
President
Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association
Harrisburg

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Mellon's mishaps

How happy I was to open my morning papers and to be greeted by the wonderful news that BNY Mellon has been chosen to be in charge of $700 billion of our taxpayer money ("U.S. Hires Mellon to Manage Bailout," Oct. 15). In light of the fact that it has recently lost the personal data (Social Security numbers, names, home addresses, etc.) of more than 12 million people (including myself and my husband) whose investment securities are supposedly being cared for by it, one can only say "Good job, Henry!" (as in Paulson). I will not even go into the scandal of the shredded U.S. tax returns from a few years ago at this bank.

Is this more of the same good old "Skull and Bones" frat boys taking care of each other and not having any sense of responsibility for or accountability to their fellow citizens, their property or even our beloved country? I wish all of us good luck because we are going to need it.

MARY C. CURLEY
Ross

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Strip club blemish

As a resident of Pittsburgh Council District Two, I am writing in opposition to the proposed strip club in the 1600 block of West Carson Street ("Residents Worried About Strip Club Plans Near Station Square," Oct. 28). Pittsburgh's neighborhoods are what make us truly someplace special. The proposed strip club would negatively impact the neighborhoods of West End, Mount Washington, Duquesne Heights and Esplen. This property could be better used for housing, bike trails, commercial development or other uses Pittsburghers can be proud of.

When I envision spinoff West End development from the casino, I picture community-driven development that recognizes and respects our neighborhoods. For years, the city of Pittsburgh has worked to beautify our riverfronts; the fact that the strip club would be located just a stone's throw from the river and directly across the Ohio from the casino and the Carnegie Science Center undermines efforts to make our riverfronts and neighborhoods safe and clean places for people to work, visit and call home.

I urge City Council and city planning to vote against this strip club proposal.

ROBERT FRANK
Duquesne Heights

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Energizing support

Congratulations and thanks to the Pittsburgh Promise and the foundations that have awarded the money to the scholarship program to encourage bright young people to go on to post-secondary academics ("Scholarship Program Gets $6M More," Oct. 29).

Pittsburgh city schools have always been held in high esteem in the urban school districts in the United States. It has been rewarding to watch how Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and others have taken the flak and held the course to achieve what they feel is necessary. Having worked in private and public schools for more than 37 years and having used funding from local foundations for various programs, I can say that local foundations have been exceptionally positive about aiding educational and cultural projects better than most sections of the country. They are to be commended.

Let's hope Pittsburghers support these programs and encourage young people to energize the city and bring it into the 21st century .

CAMPBELL WITHERSPOON
Valencia

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Use excess for care

The Pittsburgh Promise is an extremely "promising" and important effort that has the potential of having a positive effect on young people and the community. It certainly deserves support.

But $100 million from UPMC? Where will this money come from? From overcharging patients being treated in its vast conglomerate of enterprises (bordering on monopolistic). And don't tell me that it comes from "investment income"; where did that investment come from?

There is nothing wrong with a "nonprofit" institution making a reasonable excess of income over expenses, but such funds should be used to provide free care for those in need and to advance and improve services for which the organization exists!

JOHN B. MALLON
McCandless

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Efficiency always

The article "UPMC to Lay Off 500 This Week" (Oct. 24) reported that UPMC was laying off a large number of employees in preparation "to do business in a worsening economy." While this may be the case, perhaps this move is the reactive product of inefficient business planning and fiscal irresponsibility rather than the preventive measures it claims.

Lumbering economic giants, such as UPMC, seem to have an excess of administrative and managerial positions. It would seem that the most effective and efficient companies would be ones where there are fewer administrators and higher-ups. These positions demand higher salaries and all-around financial investment from the company. Therefore, it is little surprise that this article reported that the bulk of the layoffs are "nonclinical, administrative and managerial positions."

The current financial crisis has forced many companies to rethink and reinvent their businesses in order to survive in a tougher economic environment. Maybe this is a good thing. While it is unfortunate that 500 people have lost their jobs, the fact that 500 people can be dismissed so summarily and UPMC can still report that the company is "one of the most healthy" in the nation certainly doesn't jibe. This leads me to the conclusion that many of these jobs are at the very least inessential.

Companies should strive to be as efficient, with as little overhead baggage, as possible. This means not creating superfluous administrative and managerial positions.

DAVID GREEN
North Huntingdon

The writer is a student in the health law program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

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Great anti-litter job

Even more important than visitors telling us our city looks cleaner is when our own residents say so. This has been the sentiment in dozens of notes from neighborhood leaders to Citizens Against Litter.

More than 10,000 adults, college students and younger school kids took to the streets in 80 city neighborhoods and many boroughs and townships during two Redd Up weekends in October. Their need for gloves, bags and safety vests taxed the resources of always dependable Allegheny CleanWays, Pennsylvania Resources Council, Public Works and PennDOT.

Thanks to a city full of litter picker-upper volunteers for the job you did.

BORIS WEINSTEIN
Citizens Against Litter
Shadyside

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Gulf Oil grief

I was quite pleased to read James R. Mooney's comments on T. Boone Pickens ("Pickens: Opportunist," Oct. 16 letters). I have friends and relatives who worked at Gulf Oil for many years. They were very proud to be Gulf employees.

People of Mr. Pickens' low caliber do not realize the grief and heartache they cause because of their greed. This country is in the shape it is because of bottom feeders like Mr. Pickens and his ilk.

W. THOMAS
Port Vue

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Be prepared for the polls

I want to alert all voters to plan for exceptionally long lines at the polls tomorrow. All expectations are that more people will vote in this election than in any election in recent memory. Add to that the fact that many are new voters and will need to produce IDs. And the new electronic voting machines will still be unfamiliar to many long-term voters.

We expect the county elections division will be ready with sufficient machines and provisional and emergency ballots. But all voters should expect to encounter long lines.

JONI RABINOWITZ
Co-Director
Just Vote Project of Just Harvest
South Side

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