Law school's successes apparently mean nothing

From the day I first walked into the law school at Duquesne as a student in August 2006, I was challenged and made to feel at home. While cynicism runs rampant through the legal profession, I was challenged by Dean Donald Guter to stay true to myself and the principles upon which our society and great country are founded.

What disappoints me more than the nature of Dean Guter's ouster ("Law Dean Ouster Spurs Outrage at Duquesne," Dec. 11) is the reliance by Duquesne spokeswoman Bridget Fare on rankings regarding the "level of scholarship" at the law school. It highlights how the attitude of the university leadership is at odds with the overall interests of the law school and its students. The improved atmosphere of the law school and the achievements of the students paying nearly $30,000 a year to attend apparently mean absolutely nothing.

What shows the ineptitude of the university leadership is their reliance on public ignorance of the law school rankings method. Each year, U.S. News relies on 2-year-old bar passage numbers. That means that only in 2008 -- this year -- was the law school ranking based on bar exams taken by Duquesne students under Dean Guter's leadership.

I was proud of my affiliation with Duquesne. President Charles Dougherty has stripped that from me. Maybe he can find a way to peg that on the so-called lack of a desired "level of scholarship" within the law school. For now, I will fight the ambivalence of the university leadership by doing my best. We need to build on Dean Guter's success.

ZACHARY SMITH
West View

The writer is a third-year student at Duquesne University Law School.

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Averse to change

I was not surprised to see that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl held a $500 per head fund-raiser attended by the city's main developers and political elites ("Bill Clinton Lends a Hand to Ravenstahl's Campaign," Nov. 27). Mr. Ravenstahl vetoed City Council's campaign finance reform legislation earlier this year, precisely so that he could hold such events and continue to benefit from the cozy "pay-to-play" relationship between incumbent politicians and those who do business with the city. The mayor is certainly no reformer when it comes to doing away with the cronyism, secrecy and backdoor deals that have long defined municipal politics.

I also was not surprised to learn that Mr. Ravenstahl will likely run unopposed in the mayoral primary this spring. He is building his war chest to scare off would-be opponents, and it seems that this strategy is likely to succeed after just one fund-raiser. After all, what local candidate can compete with an incumbent who has raised $1 million?

What does surprise me is that the residents of Pittsburgh accept this situation without even a peep. For the past 12 months, I have watched as Pittsburghers gathered to support the presidential candidate promising change over the status quo, progressive idealism over political pandering. Despite the fact that Sen. Hillary Clinton carried Pennsylvania in the primary, Pittsburghers turned out overwhelmingly for President-elect Barack Obama. They campaigned for and rallied behind Mr. Obama throughout the fall, helping to secure his victory in the state.

My question, then, is when will Pittsburghers demand, seek out and support the same progressive leadership at the local level?

JULIA NAGLE
Point Breeze

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A morsel for us

I was delighted that taxpayers are suggesting vouchers after the next bailout, but you can't think small. Airlines are crying and they could be next -- maybe we'll get flying vouchers.

I also feel that for the $700 billion bailout from the banks, we should get a toaster, blender or coffee maker. Last but not least, every taxpayer should get a tote bag. It could say, "Congress gave them $700B and all the taxpayers got were these lousy totes."

NANCY LORENZ
Coraopolis

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A broader picture

In the Dec. 4 letter "Obama Didn't Get My Vote, But He Has My Respect," I found both comfort and concern. Comfort because of the writer's commitment to respect our new president, but concern because he, like so many others, does not see the danger and terrible consequences of being a one- or two-issue voter.

While I share the writer's views on abortion and having a strong military, I recognize all too clearly the horrible damage to our military, innocent civilian lives, national security, economy, global respect and Constitution that has occurred in the past eight years resulting from good people voting based on one or a few issues. Good citizens are always required to watch and question their government, regardless of party.

I voted for Mr. Obama and also respect him, but as a person who also loves this country, I will continue to do my duty to monitor his performance and criticize it when I feel appropriate.

AL GALLAGHER
Shaler

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Hill tradition gone

I am a 67-year-old white man who used to go to the Hill District after attending a Pirates game at old Forbes Field. At the time I was a devoted jazz listener and would be a regular at the old Hurricane club, and I knew Miss Birdie personally. I also knew all the folks at the Crawford Grill and thought nothing about walking in at midnight or later any night of the week.

In all those years I never had a bit of trouble with anyone about anything. Where did those days go? Today I would not travel onto the Hill without an M-16 and a squad of Marines! The world has changed so much that Pittsburghers have lost a great heritage because of idiots like the gang members and people who would rather shoot you for a nickel than see the neighborhood for what it once was.

The Hill was a great place to go to eat, listen to really good music and see people from all walks of life. We have lost a great tradition that once was a huge part of Pittsburgh. Sad but true.

RON BARWELL
Finleyville

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Patrols are better

Pennsylvania police spent a lot of officers' time and taxpayers' money Thanksgiving weekend to arrest five people for drunken driving out of hundreds of cars stopped and inconvenienced at a DUI checkpoint ("Troopers Nab Motorists at Sobriety Checkpoint," Nov. 29).

In the fight to get drunken drivers off the roads, Pennsylvania's law enforcement agencies would likely make far more arrests if they spent their available patrol time roaming the streets looking for drunken drivers, rather than standing at roadblocks waiting for these drivers to come to them.

Because they are highly visible by design and publicized in advance, roadblocks are all too easily avoided by the chronic alcohol abusers, who comprise the core of today's drunken driving problem.

Conversely, the number of DUI arrests made by roving patrol programs is nearly 10 times the average number of DUIs made by checkpoint programs, according to testimony by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation official.

SARAH LONGWELL
Managing Director
American Beverage Institute
Washington, D.C.

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Have no fear about hybrid technology

In a Dec. 1 letter ("Hybrid Hazards?"), William McCloskey wonders about the possible hazards with the increasing popularity of gas/electric hybrids on the nation's roads. He needn't worry. The pluses and minuses have been discussed at length in the mainstream media. But since he asked:

1) The batteries in hybrid vehicles are not the usual lead-acid batteries that conventional vehicles use. The Prius that I own uses nickel-metal-hydride cells (NiMH), which are no different than the rechargeable cells sold at your local grocery store, and pose no more of a hazard than do the more commonly encountered cells used in entertainment electronics and cell phones. The same can be said for the newer lithium ion batteries. Neither of these types of batteries poses a spilled acid hazard.

2) The "drivetrain" on the Toyota powerplant (and used as well in Ford hybrids) is actually simpler than those used in conventional cars. There is no fanbelt, transmission, alternator or starter in the Toyota hybrid, which results in higher reliability and efficiency since these parts don't have to be turned as the car moves, and it's hard for a part to fail when it doesn't exist.

3) As far as electrocution is concerned, while these vehicles do have a 200-volt battery pack, the risk to first responders is limited only to rare circumstances where the vehicle is still operating, a risk which is eliminated when the vehicle is shut down. Further, a hybrid vehicle poses less risk to rescue personnel than would any vehicle were it to be in contact with utility power lines, a situation that would require similar safety practices.

There are many myths related to the technology used in hybrid vehicles. Anyone who has these concerns should consult reputable sources to allay their concerns. There's no reason why we can't all get 40-plus mpg fuel economy using hybrid power.

BOB HABERKOST
Ross

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