PNC, rolling in dough, wants a development tax break?
PNC Financial Services Group made a $1.9 billion profit last week in a deal over its money management unit, BlackRock ("Huge Swap Nets PNC $1.9 Billion," Feb. 16).
So why do taxpayers need to provide ten of millions of dollars of support to their Downtown development ("City Approves $18 million for Downtown Development," Jan. 19)?
In the Feb. 16 front-page story about PNC's windfall, a photo showed the company's CEO smiling. Was he smiling at his firm's conquest -- or laughing at us taxpayers?
THOMAS BATES
McCandless
Send it back
A Feb. 17 article stated that the city estimates ending the 2005 budget year with a $15 million surplus ("Surprise Year-end Surplus for City").
That should be a reason to send the money back to the school district that was diverted by the Act 47 recovery board to bail out the city. Schools are closing. They need this money. Why doesn't anyone discuss this?
M. ALLEN
West End
A screed
It is neither possible, due to space limitations, nor necessary to explore each of the distortions, misstatements and half-truths used by Salim Lone in his Feb. 12 Forum piece, "They Don't Get It." The innuendo and assumptions under which Mr. Lone operates become crystal clear by the end of his screed.
Mr. Lone has decided to blame the United States and Israel, non-protagonists for sure in the Danish cartoon controversy, for the rioting and destruction the world has seen throughout the past days. Along the way Mr. Lone participates in the hierarchy of victims, denies that the perpetrators of violence have any responsibility for their actions and demands that global vision must be one shaped to fit a Muslim approval rating.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with all people who will speak on behalf of those suffering from the humiliation of discrimination and bigotry. Until all people of good will are willing to speak out against all bigotry, the sting of hate will be felt. No victim stands above another.
Mr. Lone has excused the rioters and arsonists from responsibility for their actions. We stand for the proposition that the most potent response to "bad speech" (these and other offensive, troublesome cartoons and articles) is speech that condemns them.
Finally a world vision should rest on ethical reciprocity -- thc Golden Rule -- and other principles, not on the acceptance by one group of people. In fact, different groups might have differing world visions. As long as these visions are based on respect and on the principles that will help us to build dynamic and diverse communities, we should all join in their fulfillment.
You cannot build a respectful world through denigration and half-truths. It must rest upon respect and common cause.
STEVEN IRWIN
Pittsburgh Council Chair
HERBERT WARNER
Regional Board Chair
Anti-Defamation League
Ohio/Kentucky/Allegheny Regional Office
Cleveland, Ohio
Mammogram help
In response to Eileen Anderson's Feb. 12 Forum piece, "The Adventures of a Health Care Consumer": I agree that navigating the complicated and sometimes confusing roadways of health-care costs, insurers and health systems can be a daunting task.
When it comes to getting a mammogram, however, the uninsured or underinsured residents of our region can rest a little easier, thanks to the Mammogram Voucher Program. It is funded by proceeds from the Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure, held in Schenley Park each Mother's Day.
Seventy-five percent of the funds raised from the race stay in our region to support research, education, screening and treatment. The other 25 percent is allocated directly to the Komen National Grants Program, which funds cutting-edge breast cancer research.
Anyone who needs a mammogram and is uninsured or underinsured can call 1-888-MVP-0505 or go online (www.mammogramvoucher.org) for more information about the program and eligibility. You can also learn more about this program and other breast cancer initiatives at our Web site (www.pittsburghraceforthecure.org) and register for this year's race.
JO ANN MEIER
Executive Director
Pittsburgh Affiliate, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Squirrel Hill
Eye-opening
The Upper St. Clair School Board is voting tonight on whether to eliminate the International Baccalaureate program in the district. IB is a prestigious educational program, highly respected by colleges; more than 650 USC students are part of it.
Board members Daniel Iracki and Mark Trombetta have misrepresented the IB program. Dr. Iracki has consistently spoken out against the program, and Dr. Trombetta accused IB of promoting Marxism.
I am in the ninth grade at Upper St. Clair High School and have been in the IB program since fifth grade. I can guarantee you that I have not been taught to support Marxism. Rather, I learned what it means to be a responsible citizen of my community, state and nation. IB has asked me to be involved in my community by volunteering and has shown me the importance of taking an active role in my government.
In describing his No Child Left Behind initiatives, President Bush advocated IB programs, saying: "We must be willing to always ... raise the bar. ... Every student with the passion and ability to take an AP or IB class should have the opportunity to do so."
As a member of the USC Student Council, I have listened to student after student frustrated with the school board's questioning of IB. These students are tomorrow's human resources for our country. We are the ones who will be creating new technology. We are the ones who will be voting. We are the ones who will be contributing to this great country.
The IB program has played a huge part in teaching me to be a responsible member of society by opening my eyes to the greater issues in this world.
KATHLEEN BUEHLER
Upper St. Clair
Something's rotten
A disturbing trend has arisen in the Upper St. Clair school board. The current board does not have student interest as its first priority. In its first few months the board has managed to 1) combine committee meetings, minimizing community input; and 2) disallow students from engaging in anything political during school hours. Now it is ramming through elimination of the International Baccalaureate program. The trend seems to be "let's teach oppression by oppressing."
The first decision, combining times of meetings, was rescinded after determining law violations. The second was reversed when the ACLU became involved. The third is proof how small-minded and vindictive some members of the new board are.
Yes, three of the candidates who lost the election have children in the IB program. Yes, there were IB students campaigning for the other side. Some went door to door and went to polling booths on their own time.
Now the new board wants to get even by eliminating a program which has taken Advanced Placement course work and added an additional and higher level of sophistication and learning.
After 20 or more students and parents spoke passionately about the value of IB, two committee members made short speeches. Committee chair Daniel Iracki moved to bring the resolution to eliminate the program to the board at the next meeting. Clearly, minds are already made up without giving so much as a thought to the input of students, teachers, staff and the community. This is the opposite of what we should be demanding of a school board from Upper St. Clair.
HARLAN LOEBMAN
Upper St. Clair
Fiscal madness
It can be argued that President Bush and, by default, his supporters are Republicans in name only.
Before you take exception with the statement, compare the current president with Republican President Dwight Eisenhower. President Eisenhower kept the country safe during the Cold War and was also able to balance the budget as well.
When President Eisenhower was asked by the Pentagon to spend increasingly larger sums of money for defense he responded, "We might spend ourselves to death before the Russians even got at us." It seems that Eisenhower understood in the 1950s what Mr. Bush does not understand today -- after you win the war, the bills still must be paid.
Being a Republican is not just about being strong on defense; it is also about being fiscally responsible.
STEPHEN J. VEROTSKY
Johnstown
Pardon me, but 'Olympic hockey' was already well under way
I was surprised at what I saw on the front page of Feb. 15 Post-Gazette. All the way at the top, above the nameplate, the teaser read: "Olympic Hockey Facing Off."
Surely you are not unaware that we had already had four days of Olympic hockey? Indeed, the Sports section's Olympics coverage included the article "Women's Hockey Squad Wins, 7-3," reporting that the U.S. team beat Finland to head to the semifinals.
The implication of your headline is that women's hockey doesn't count as Olympian hockey. It's an implication that I thought would have been relegated to the 20th century.
BEV SMITH
Wheeling, W.Va.
First Published: February 20, 2006, 5:00 a.m.
