The writer is president of an actuarial consulting firm who helped design Baltimore's variable pension benefit plan for police officers and firefighters.
Let legislators deal with budget woes
State Comptroller Peter Franchot's call for a bipartisan group to undertake a "critical review of state revenues and spending" is indeed (sorry, Jay Hancock) a dumb thought, an idiotic attempt to, literally, pass the buck ("Bipartisan budget-cuts panel deserves consideration," Oct. 22).
One would think that as comptroller, Mr. Franchot would know there is already a bipartisan body that deals with state revenues and spending.
This motley crew is called the Maryland legislature, and they are the folks we elect and pay to deal with state revenues and spending.
John Lofton, Laurel
Slots take the most from those with least
Slot machines in Maryland are a bad idea ("Slots advocates build cash lead," Oct. 25).
One-armed bandits prey on people who can't afford to gamble. They provide a way for politicians to create more ways to keep themselves in office without the pain of making the budget decisions they were elected to make.
Both parties should be ashamed of themselves for creating the travesty that is the slots referendum.
Any money that slots might make available for education is at least a couple of years away.
And why should horse racing get to suck money from the public feeding trough?
Ralph W. Geuder, Ellicott City
Wall St.-style bailout for racing moguls?
If you liked Washington's $700 billion bailout of Wall Street tycoons, you will love using slots to bail out Maryland's racetrack moguls and should vote yes on Question 2 ("Slots advocates build cash lead," Oct. 25).
However, if you did not like the Wall Street bailout and don't want to see a repeat performance here in Maryland, like me, you should vote no.
Herman M. Heyn, Baltimore
