This ruling brings us no closer to tax fairness

I understand some of the goals of property taxation are to treat all property owners uniformly and fairly. Those are also stated goals of the plaintiffs in the property tax lawsuits being heard in Judge R. Stanton Wettick's court. However, I cannot fathom how Judge Wettick's latest ruling serves that goal ("County Real Estate Review Ordered," Nov. 11).

I really think he's gone off the deep end this time. Under his plan, one-quarter of property owners will get reassessed each year for the next four years. Those reassessed in year one of his scheme will start paying different (most likely higher) school and municipal taxes, while those not to be reassessed until year four will get to coast along paying their current taxes until they are finally reassessed.

Tell me again, Judge Wettick: How is this uniform and fair? I believe that, with this absurd plan, the judge is way overstepping his bounds, and it is time for him to step aside. Far too much public money is being wasted on this debacle and Judge Wettick's court is not bringing us any closer to a viable fair and uniform solution.

ROB HENNING
Squirrel Hill

Disgusting bill

I have never been so disillusioned in the political process. It has never been so transparent that Congress is in the control of the big insurance and big pharma lobbyists. I'd like to thank Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has been consistently courageous. But how we come out of this crisis with such an awful bill I don't know ("House Passes Health Care," Nov. 8). I'm disgusted.

If we can't have a real single-payer system, this cobbled piece of dung deserves to go down. I'll keep working for Medicare for All.

ANNE FEENEY
Swissvale

Children's privacy

The individuals and families involved with the OrphanCare Ministry in Pine should be commended for their efforts in bringing children and families together ("A Ministry to Orphans," Nov. 8). However, it is not appropriate to include the histories of adopted children in a newspaper article.

If the children referenced in the article would like to share their stories, it is their choice to whom and when this should occur. The circumstances of their adoptions are none of your readers' business and a violation of the children's privacy.

LAURA ELLMAN
Squirrel Hill

Air security waste

Scripps Howard columnist Dale McFeatters describes the pain and inconvenience imposed by post-9/11 airport security ("Fix Our Farewells," Nov. 8 Forum). However, he thinks, "Everyone understands why [TSA officials] do what they do." I disagree.

The weak point in security that led to the 9/11 tragedy had nothing to do with security at the airport, and everything to do with how we treated hijackers. Common wisdom was to cooperate with hijackers because at worst the flight would be delayed or diverted by several hours. Now we know better. If a hijacker tried to take control of an airplane using box cutters today, he'd have no chance of wresting control from the crew and would be lucky to survive the onslaught of angry passengers.

We learned our lesson incredibly quickly, as evidenced by the heroic actions of the passengers on Flight 93. We could have resumed normal operations that same afternoon. Instead, leaders of both parties have told us to be afraid. Airport security wastes an enormous amount of money and even more time, considering how early everyone has to arrive at the airport to account for it. The effect on our tourism and airline industries is incalculable.

Our leaders should recognize the strength of the American people to fight terrorism ourselves. We would be far more successful here than we have been in the Middle East. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," but, unfortunately, what America's leaders seem to have learned from 9/11 is to be very, very afraid.

CHRIS MULLIN
Mt. Lebanon

Exhibit A

Kudos to the Post-Gazette for running the commentary by Douglas MacKinnon in the Nov. 1 Forum ("They Fight for Us; We Forget About Them"). I agree with him that military servicemen and women have taken, at best, a backseat in America's collective conscience. The job they are doing and their sacrifices continually get pushed to the periphery by stories the media consider to be sexier.

Proving that point, just one day after Mr. MacKinnon's piece ran, the Post-Gazette led with a story about Ladies Night Out at Heinz Field ("A Steelers Love Story at Heinz Field," Nov. 2). I know we're in Pittsburgh and news about the State of the Turf at Heinz Field trumps a State of the Union address in importance, but it is certainly not news that the Steelers have a rabid following be they men, women or children -- especially in this case as that "story" was almost a week old. Certainly there is more pressing news happening in the world, the nation or our city than a group of fans paying to tour a locker room and practice field-goal kicking.

I think your newspaper and its readership would have been better served with a piece on the wars we are involved in, the soldiers serving in those wars or even the families of those in the military.

DANIEL TATOMIR
Mt. Lebanon

Mark the battle

Retired historian Donn Neal's suggestion to rename Pittsburgh's Grant Street ("Let's Call It Steel Avenue," Nov. 1 Forum) is well taken. Over the years I have myself been struck by the incongruity of commemorating such a vainglorious, insubordinate and blundering incompetent as Maj. James Grant in this manner.

However, "Steel Avenue," Mr. Neal's proposed new name, takes no account of the pathetic human drama, desperate struggle and great loss of life that occurred here. I would respectfully suggest "Battle Hill Road," a name that captures the unique historical essence of the place without memorializing Grant himself in any way. Grant's force did in fact advance along a road or path to the site of the battle, a road that in later years became the thoroughfare we know today as Grant Street.

JOSEPH G. PIROCH, M.D.
Foxburg, Clarion County

Jealous Philly

I read the Oct. 25 Asides item regarding the Pirates and the Phillies. I grew up in Charleroi and left the Valley in 1972. I lived in South Jersey and moved to King of Prussia in 1988. I have been among those in the City of Brotherly Love for 37 years.

They are jealous of Pittsburgh. The success in sports of Pittsburgh's teams over the years overwhelms them. My hobby is to irritate the Philly fans. I always wear Steelers hats, shirts and jackets. I e-mail the sports writers from the Inquirer when they take shots at Pittsburgh.

When Philadelphia holds a victory parade, it's an event. When Pittsburgh holds a victory parade, it's business as usual.

ANTHONY BALSANO
King of Prussia, Pa.

This tricycle is getting a lot of mileage

I thought it might be fun to give a little background on how the young man in the photo on Page B-1 Wednesday ("Pedal to the Metal," Nov. 11) came into possession of a tricycle.

About three years ago I was asked to help assemble a large shipment of toys a local child-care facility had recently purchased, which I did. Among them were two retro-looking tricycles. The tricycles gave many children happiness until they began to show their age. While walking my dog, I saw that they were placed out for collection by the child-care facility after about a year and a half. One was salvageable, so I took it and cleaned it up.

It continued to be heavily used by my daughter between the ages of 3 and 5. This summer she got her big girl bike, and it was finally time to give up the trike. I put it out a few days early for trash pickup hoping that someone might be able to do something with it. I thought the most likely outcome would be that it would be collected by the metal salvagers who scour the neighborhood before trash day. It disappeared, and I was glad that someone could use it.

I opened up the paper Wednesday morning and saw the picture and immediately thought "wouldn't it be funny ..." -- then I realized that it was indeed my Sophia's trike!

To the young man who took it for a joyride down Sussex: a little steel wool will clean that chrome right up.

ROSS SWIDERSKI
Brookline

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