First lesson
When representatives of all the city’s interest groups crowd
into her office and “start talking to Maggie Brooks” (“Lessons from the Johnson
Loss,” November 12), I hope her first response to that cacophony is something
like this:
           The single
most important key to the success of this or any city on Earth is parents.
Parents must be good citizens themselves and insist that their children be,
too. Parents must instill in their children a respect for law and order.
           Parents
must know where their kids are, what they are doing and with whom, especially
after dark. Parents must discipline their kids, insist that they neither do nor
deal drugs and generally stay out of trouble.
           Parents
must actively value education, keep their kids off the streets and in the
schools, and require decent grades and graduation.
           When this
happens — when in huge numbers Rochester parents really are parents and not
just sources of offspring — grades and employment will rise, crime rates and
taxes will fall, and the city will once again become safe, civilized, and
attractive to prospective employers and to people looking for a good place to
live and work.
           And,
declining therefore in size and importance, both city and county governments
will be left to do the single thing they were invented to do: govern.
           Peter Dzwonkoski,
Westmoreland
Drive, Rochester
Taxes mattered
Why should the City paper
worry about “Will the GOP screw the city” (November 12) when City Hall is doing
that to the city now? Candidate Johnson was accurate when he claimed that he
helped create jobs in the suburbs. More accurately, he helped move jobs from
the city to the suburban towns.
           While we
“315-ers” don’t get to vote in MonroeCounty and the city, we do pay enough
of your sales taxes — since so many of us work there and shop there.
Excepting OntarioCounty,
the stores are concentrated within MonroeCounty.
           Instead of
speculating on the reason for the landslide vote, did the City staff ever consider surveying suburban voters to find out why
they voted the way they did? I suspect it was taxes, not Johnson’s race, that
was the overwhelming factor.
           If I could
have voted, I would have voted for Brooks. My reason would have been an
incident at work last year, where a young black thug brought a pistol onto
school property. A security guard called 911, but the police never came.
           I just
don’t get it! Instantaneous acute lead poisoning — from bullets — is the
biggest problem the city is facing, yet City Hall worries more about lead
poisoning from peeling paint.
           Rick Nudd, Arbor Road, Walworth
Scott raves
With so much wrong
in the world, it was refreshing to see the story on Scott Wallace (November
19). I found out about Scott’s show back in 1996 by flipping through the
channels. I could not believe the plethora of music I had never heard. From
then on, I have stayed on as many Friday nights as I could to catch new songs.
Sometimes I felt as I was hearing music for the first time.
           Scott is a wealth of musical knowledge, and he knows
more history than most musicians. He is a bona fide musicologist when it comes
to old R&B and soul, often being able to tell you where and when the tracks
were recorded and what musicians were there.
           Scott is probably responsible for
about half of my CD collection. He further fuels my music-buying habits every
time I tune into the show. Keep up the work, Scott. Please continue to educate
the public on the music that has influenced me as a musician and individual as
well.
           Jason
Muskopf, East
Avenue, Pittsford
Ferry fantasy
Regarding the fast ferry: They should have a “Plan B” in
case it gets stuck in dry dock. How about a Super Summer Cruise Ship, with
special effects and events such as meetings and weddings downstairs; cars sent
for lower prices; a UPS franchise. And any
profits would be put in trust to refund all the taxpayers who are paying for
Frontier Field and maybe the soccer stadium.
           Or don’t
even do the thing.
           Ray Tierney Jr., Village Lane, Brighton
Bring dogs in
Several months ago, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph
Bruno urged his colleagues to have compassion for dogs who
are left tied up outside without proper shelter. “Around here they freeze to
death,” he said, “and they are also left out in the blistering sun.”
           On
September 22, Governor Pataki signed a bill requiring that dogs kept outdoors
be provided with a waterproof, structurally sound, and adequately insulated
shelter that allows freedom of movement and normal postural adjustments. The
shelter and area immediately surrounding it must be regularly cleaned.
           Hopefully,
concerned citizens will report violations to humane societies or
law-enforcement agencies. This law should be strictly enforced.
           The New
York legislature should also follow the example of a
recently enacted Connecticut law,
which limits how long a dog can be tethered outdoors. Even with adequate
shelter, the life of a chained or otherwise isolated dog is lonely and unhappy.
           During the
Vietnam War, dogs, hundreds of whom were killed in action, prevented an
estimated 10,000 American casualties in Vietnam.
Dogs worked themselves to exhaustion, despite smoke and dust inhalation, in
rescue and recovery efforts at the WorldTradeCenter.
Dogs are currently assisting American military personnel in Afghanistan
and Iraq.
           Those who
chain and isolate their dogs deprive themselves of the love dogs
offer. Dogs are indeed “man’s best friend,” deserving of a place in our hearts
and inside our homes.
           Joel Freedman, North Main Street, Canandaigua
,h4>Writing to City
We welcome and encourage readers’ letters for publication.
Send them to: themail@rochester-citynews.com or The Mail, City Newspaper, 250
North Goodman Street, Rochester14607.
           Our
guidelines: We don’t publish anonymous letters — and we ask that you include
your street name and city/town/village. While we don’t restrict length, letters
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once every three months.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2003.
