Copyright 2000 The Baltimore Sun Company
THE
BALTIMORE SUN
May 22, 2000, Monday ,FINAL
SECTION: EDITORIAL ,16A LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
LENGTH: 1152 words
BODY:
Preakness party: a shameful waste of public resources
I was shocked
and disgusted reading that taxpayers spent $140,000 so Gov.
Parris N. Glendening and legislators could eat like fat cats at the Preakness ("
Legislators get free day at track," May 16).
At the same time, homeless
people and drug addicts are being neglected, our streets are not safe or fit to
drive on and we see boarded up houses all around us.
This is a very
bitter pill to swallow.
When will the day come when we as taxpayers have
a say about such waste?
Dolores Buckand Elaine Blackwell, Baltimore
Shame on Gov. Parris N. Glendening for hosting a Preakness party to the
tune of a $140,000 expense to the taxpayers of Maryland. What a
waste of money.
This money could be spent on such things as education,
medicine or homeless shelters -- imagine how much food and clothing it could
have bought.
I think that the guests of this party should be ashamed of
themselves for accepting such a gift, which takes away from the people of
Maryland.
Shirley V. Holgate, Baltimore
Expanded trade with
China could help American farmers
Human rights advocates, religious
leaders and reformers in China support permanent normal trade
relations between the U.S. and China.
And family farms in Maryland and
across the country continue to suffer economic losses because international
trade markets are not open to our products.
Changes in China have caused
a phase-out of price supports for their farmers. They are looking to outside
suppliers.
Chinese officials have agreed to lower tariffs, increase
imports and control their exports to the United States.
The question is,
will we allow American farmers to sell their products to the Chinese or deny
them that opportunity -- and force China to buy from the European and South
American producers who are willing to take over that market.
American
farmers stand to gain as much as $2 billion per year from trade
with China. There is really no other untapped market that can provide as much
return.
To improve conditions on our farms and in China, Congress must
approve normal trade relations with China.
Stephen L. Weber,
Randallstown
The writer is president of the Maryland Farm Bureau Inc.
Marching mom just wants guns kept away from kids
As one of the
moms who walked in the May 14 "Million Mom March," I want to clarify that I am
not trying to take away anyone's right to bear arms.
I merely want to be
able to allow my child to visit a friend's home without fear the friend will
show off a gun he found in his or her parents' night stand.
I want to
know the friend's parents are practicing gun safety, using a gun lock or, in the
future, have a smart gun that only the parents can operate.
I don't want
the National Rifle Association to come to my child's school and show children
responsible gun handling. The responsible way for children to handle guns is not
to handle them at all.
I heard a passerby at the march say it was all
about parenting. But, outside of locking them in the house and never letting
them go to a friend's house, I can only do so much to protect my children .
All I can say to the parents with guns is please be sure your child
understands that the gun is not a trophy to show his friends or to play with
while your parents are out of the house. Don't think that they are old enough to
know better.
Joyce C. Fairfield, Towson
More gun restrictions
make us more vulnerable
I am not afraid of the legitimate hunters and
shooters in my community, but I am afraid of the politics the Rev. Jesse L.
Jackson Sr. revealed in his column "Mother of all mom marches can stifle gun
lobby" (OpinionCommentary, May 14).
Reverend Jackson conveniently
forgets the essential criminality of all the gun tragedies he mentions.
Did the shooters at the National Zoo care that Washington has banned
handguns since the 1970s?
Lawbreakers will simply ignore more gun laws.
One might as well wave a stop sign at a charging bull.
Until the
criminal roots of violence are addressed there will be no safety for anyone.
And, if Reverend Jackson and the million moms have their way, no means of
defense from the predators in the world.
Erie Sundell, Reisterstown
Control city's dirt bikes before more tragedies ensue
Bravo to
Baltimore City Councilwoman Catherine Pugh for her stand against dirt bikes
("Officials resisting fire station closings," May 16).
As any city
resident knows, these dirt bikes and their reckless riders are like some lawless
terror from the Wild West.
It is inevitable that we will witness more
tragedies if these bikes are not reined in. Benjamin Feldman, Baltimore
Same-sex couples have right to legal recognition
Depriving
same-sex commitments of legal recognition is unconstitutional.
Under the
First Amendment, there can be no state church. Consequently, no religious body
has the right to dictate any state law, including civil marriage laws.
Nevertheless, it is religious beliefs, from those of church coalitions
to religiouslybased individual biases that are among the greatest impediments to
same-sex marriage.
Furthermore, under the 14th Amendment, no state can
deprive any person of life, liberty or the equal protection of the laws.
Accordingly, the right to marry should not be denied because of one's race,
religion, sex or sexual orientation.
Same-sex couples contribute to
society -- obey the law, pay taxes and raise children. Why shouldn't they and
their children enjoy the same treatment the law affords married couples and
their children?
They are not asking to be treated better than other
married couples, just treated equally.
They are asking that their
constitutional rights be respected -- not by a religious community, but by the
government.
R. Navarro, Baltimore
Tiny nature preserves don't
make growth 'smart'
In Cambridge, 350 acres are going to be redeveloped.
A generous 3 percent, or 12 acres, has been set aside as a wetlands preserve
("Cambridge expects windfall from new resort," May 5).
Developers take
pride in reserving postage-stamp size natural areas for flora and fauna.
Is this what we call Smart Growth?
Susan E. Mannion, Baltimore
Early antibiotics a must in treating Lyme disease
Thank you for
the recent article "Lyme disease warning sounded," (May 9). Something else that
people need to know about this serious disease is that there is no good test to
diagnose early infection.
The available tests measure antibodies the
body produces to fight bacteria. They seldom reach detectable levels before the
patient has been ill for about two months -- and sometimes they never do.
If treatment is delayed until this time, the disease is much harder to
cure.
Despite valid concerns about overprescription of antibiotics, this
is one case where it is better to be safe than sorry.
Leslie Starr,
Baltimore
GRAPHIC: ILLUSTRATION(S)
LOAD-DATE: May 23, 2000 
