The Mon-Fayette Expressway project remains a cruel hoax
Gov. Ed Rendell asked the same old, tired politicians for solutions, he got the same old, tired answer: build the Mon-Fayette toll road ("Gov. Rendell: Give Me a Wish List," Feb. 7). The invitation-only "economic development" meeting at the University of Pittsburgh ran true to form.
But the local political drumbeat for the Mon-Fayette toll road is more than just the same old tired answer -- it is a cruel hoax on the people of Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley. Rather than create wealth, the toll road will drain money and jobs from Pittsburgh and the near suburbs, and move those jobs to areas farther out. It will destroy neighborhoods like Hazelwood, Turtle Creek and Oakland.
The toll road will render one-third of the LTV site in Hazelwood tax-exempt and nonproductive. It subtracts 50 acres per mile from the regional tax base and costs us $1 million per mile in lost real estate taxes annually, more or less, depending on the neighborhood.
According to Gov. Rendell, bond financing is the economic panacea. But to raise $3 billion to finish the toll road, bond financing over 30 years requires us to pay $200 million annually in principal and interest to the out-of-state moneylenders. We, the taxpayers, may be taxed an extra five cents per gallon in gasoline taxes to raise this amount. Bond financing is as irresponsible as capitalizing a business with a credit card.
We can fix the traffic problem without borrowing any money. A tax of 2.5 cents per gallon would raise $100 million annually. This is enough to fix continually the existing network of roads and build mass transit, with nothing paid out of state to moneylenders. City Council recently endorsed study of a detailed plan put forward by PennFuture.
The toll road is the same cruel hoax the same old folks having been foisting on the Mon Valley since the '70s, when politicians routinely promised they would "bring back steel" to the region. If Gov. Rendell really wants to create economic development in the Mon Valley, he won't get the answer from these Mon-Fayette boosters. He needs to talk to people who live in the path of the project, and experts who actually study these issues and are opposed to its completion. Unfortunately, none of these experts was invited to the governor's meeting.
JO ANN EVANSGARDNER
Hazelwood
Not crucial
In response to Joseph Kirk's Feb. 20 letter to the editor ("A Crucial Urban Project"): Just as Republicans have hijacked the terms "family values" and "tax and spend" to misrepresent themselves and Democrats, Joseph Kirk and the Post-Gazette have for too long mislabeled the Mon-Fayette Expressway as a "crucial urban project" and potential economic boon for all of southwestern Pennsylvania. It is not.
What might be good for Fayette or Washington County is not, by extension, good for the region. The highway will only harm Allegheny County and the city of Pittsburgh by dumping pollution and traffic on some of the region's core neighborhoods, encouraging outmigration and draining tax dollars from the center of the metropolitan area.
And while Mr. Kirk praises the Post-Gazette for signaling its support for the highway way back in 1987, city residents need to know that other Pittsburgh institutions recognized the highway's shortcomings at that time. For example, Mayor Richard Caliguiri registered his strong opposition to the project in numerous Post-Gazette stories. Perhaps Mr. Kirk should add these articles to his Mon-Fayette clip file.
CHRISTOPHER ZURAWSKY
Squirrel Hill
Misplaced priorities
As reported on Feb. 11 ("North Shore Light Rail Project Set Back"), the Federal Transit Administration has dropped the status of the $400 million North Shore light-rail extension from "recommended" to "not recommended," halting the flow of federal funding for the moment.
This story reflects a fundamental misdirection in transportation policy -- our undue reliance on the automobile as the means for transportation. This misplaced reliance is highlighted by the failings of the existing local mass transit system, specifically the lack of funding for expansion and maintenance.
In recent years the Port Authority has eliminated routes, stops and runs from its schedule due to funding cuts. The timeliness of buses is subject to increasingly congested traffic conditions. Reduced service combined with traffic-induced unreliability make our buses a second-rate mass transit option.
The possible end to federal funding for the North Shore light rail system illustrates another transportation policy failure. This policy failure would almost explicitly declare the automobile to be the transportation means of choice and will only exacerbate the traffic conditions in this metropolitan region. I am referring to the proposed Mon-Fayette toll road. The political support behind a transportation project with even less secure federal funding can be politely termed "misplaced."
Political and financial support should rest with projects such as the North Shore light-rail system. Light-rail systems are not subject to the vagaries of urban traffic patterns and are thus more punctual. Light-rail systems do not emit carcinogenic fumes, as do diesel buses. Light-rail systems generally to create a more efficient urban environment.
Our financial and political support should be given to modern, sustainable transportation options such as light-rail systems. Conversely, no support should be given to inefficient, traffic and sprawl inducing highway projects such as the Mon-Fayette toll road.
MICHAEL A. PARKER
Forest Hills
No mastermind
The March 2 Page One headline said: "9/11 Mastermind Seized in Pakistan." I suggest in the future let us refer to him and others like him as "megamaniacs"!
In my opinion, "mastermind" suggests intelligence above most others. Certainly he does not deserve this.
CHARLES VOGEL
Plum
Words and meaning
I'm "on the ground" and "pushing the envelope" to discover why the media are so unrelentingly sloppy with its word choices and simple-minded default to cliches.
For example, why is the newly captured al-Qaida terrorist unanimously described as a "mastermind?" If this man is guilty as charged, he is nothing but a highly educated murderous savage. Should we be admiring his intellectual powers?
For months we've been following reports of a man who died after a wedding party "scuffle" with police officers. When death results at the hands of public officials, is it really just a "scuffle"?
Mook, "graffiti artist?" What, is "tax-money-wasting-vandal" too slanderous?
WILLIAM McCLOSKEY
Regent Square
Hurrah for Linden staff
Too often the faculty and support staff at schools go unrecognized for taking good care of our children in foreseen and unforeseen circumstances. The fact is that this is what we expect from them. When they uphold our trust, 99 percent of the time we ignore them -- and when they don't, we excoriate them.
On Feb. 19 there was a gas leak outside of the Linden Elementary School in Point Breeze ("Safe and Sound," Feb. 20 Local news photo). It's a magnet school, so children from all over the city attend. Along with safely and calmly evacuating our children to Allderdice High School for the day, the faculty and staff found the time to fix the problems and personally telephone all of the parents.
Without this call, many parents would have been much more nervous once word of the gas leak and evacuation hit the news. As one of the parents, I want to thank them, especially for the phone calls, in this public forum.
To all of the responsible, hard-working staff and faculty members at all of our schools, thank you for taking care of our children.
Along with this, a special thank you from my family to the staff and faculty at Linden for handling the Feb. 19 incident as well as you did.
SAMUEL JACKENDOFF
Squirrel Hill
College 'gateway' sounds like brink of disaster
As a parent of a high school freshman, I am starting to play close attention to the process of all that is involved with making the best choice of a college for my child. It is for this reason that I was interested in reading the special section on "College: Gateway to the Future" (Feb. 11).
It goes without saying that college is a major steppingstone in the future of those who choose the path, but after reading this special section I don't know why anyone would want to head in this direction. Of the 12 articles presented, seven were depressing and negative.
These included reports on failed attempts at attaining the Rhodes scholarship; a desire for, but almost overwhelming expense of college dorm rooms; major debt incurred with college loans; exorbitant price of college textbooks; cell phone cheating scandals; high school students getting inflated grades without understanding the material or caring about learning; and the abundance of college students with multiple problems relating to mental disorders.
How uplifting! How stimulating! There sure is a lot to look forward to.
Yes, these may be some of the realities of college life, but surely there are also many positive aspects of educational life after high school to focus on in a special section. At least there are topics to report on that offer the reader a more balanced view of what awaits college students.
SUSIE GROSS
Point Breeze
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