Cutting these schools would be a bad move

It infuriates me that Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and his executioners might place another 15 Pittsburgh Public Schools on the chopping block (Nov. 3 story).

With the price of gasoline, the economy and the safety of our children at stake this is another one of his bold moves in a city about which he knows nothing. What is to become of these displaced children? Sending them into neighborhoods where not rivals but enemies will be greeting them on that angry first day of school.

I suggest that Mr. Roosevelt take a long, hard look at the budget and the pay raise that was just approved by the school board before he takes the ax to even more schools. Maybe a cut in pay would help our troubled school system.

This is another sad day for the Pittsburgh Public Schools and their displaced students.

JANET PAZZYNSKI
Observatory Hill

Column's nonsense

So columnist Charles Krauthammer ("Obama Should Start Preparing His Three Envelopes," Oct. 31) thinks that President Barack Obama needs to stop scapegoating George W. Bush?

President Obama's critical mistake was in not summoning the killer-instinct to investigate, expose and prosecute the Bush/Cheney wrongdoings immediately upon taking office.

As a result, unchallenged conservatives like Krauthammer roll blithely on, peddling their heartless, simplistic, discredited nonsense as if the last decade had never happened.

George W. Bush was in office for nine months before the World Trade Center attacks. Blinded with grief, the nation absolved him of any blame for letting it happen. Though evidence abounds that he ignored credible and explicit warnings from his national security advisers, Mr. Bush got a pass.

President Obama, by comparison, has been in office just two months longer than George W. Bush was on 9/11. Far from giving him the benefit of a doubt, right-wing conservatives malign his slightest action hysterically, as if he were some uppity liberal Antichrist signaling the End of Days.

Actually, they might believe that. Literally.

It's unlikely that Mr. Bush and the vile, delusional Dick Cheney will ever face justice for their bloodthirst and incompetence. They bank, probably correctly, on the truth of their legacy being filed and forgotten in the books and newspapers that too many Americans are too lazy to read.

Which is why, less than a year into Mr. Obama's term, Charles Krauthammer, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and our local blowhards can continue to spin Barack Obama as the problem and not the solution.

RICH ASHBAUGH
Bloomfield

Weak supports

If you build it, they will come. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the House continue to create and refine the public option for health insurance, the American people are increasing their support, as demonstrated in "Poll: Americans Now Favor Public Option" (Oct. 20). But at what price is this support coming?

Ms. Pelosi and the House may be celebrating their growth in public favor; however, Democratic confidence in President Barack Obama's ability to lead the health-care reform is slipping.

In the midst of their celebration, the House must remember that the public option is only one brick in the health-care reform building. Is it worth having the masses come if the strength of the building is fragmented by lack of support among the constructionists?

ALYSON D. CYPROWSKI
Monroeville

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

Fish-kill coverage

I would like to recognize PG staff writer Don Hopey's work on the Dunkard Creek fish kill story as well as the updates on total dissolved solids levels in the Mon. Keep up the good work.

Now if we could only get the state Department of Environmental Protection to do something about it.

MARK LAWRENCE
Baldwin Borough

A spoiled stroll

On Sunday, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall day by taking a walk along one of Frick Park's nature trails with our grandchildren Mya and Jack.

Little did we know that, unlike Schenley Park's trail users, the dog walkers in Frick Park, with a few exceptions, completely ignore the clearly posted signs stating: "Dogs must be on a leash."

When we admonished the "rule breakers" they became indignant. One woman even called us, in the presence of our young ones, an obscenity.

We guess we'll have to do our Sunday strolls in Schenley Park.

SUSIE and JIMMY GOLDMAN

Squirrel Hill

Small-town hype

Since moving to Pittsburgh I've listened to a tremendous amount of self-proclaimed rhetoric about Pittsburgh being a world-class city. I woke up early Sunday morning to catch a local television news broadcast. I was hoping to see highlights of the World Series game from the previous evening after reviewing the more important affairs of the weekend.

After three sports segments on two different channels, there was no mention of the "big game," not even a final score. Instead I was gorged on Steelers information, yet their next "big game" was still a week away. Steelers news typically dominates the very first 10 to 15 minutes of any local 30-minute television newscast after a "big game."

Where does local sports weigh more heavily than international, national or even significant local news? Answer: small-town Pittsburgh.

DAVID YELLE
Monroeville

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