Ignorance

Why does the Chesapeake Bay Foundation refuse to take seriously the threat posed by the Conowingo Dam's inability to hold back Susquehanna River pollution? With respect to the effect of Susquehanna River pollutants, the bay foundation has taken an inexplicable U-turn in its long-held doctrine regarding pollutants and the Chesapeake. In August, the U.S. Geological Survey reported last year's Tropical Storm Lee contributed 39 percent of the sediment, 22 percent of the phosphorus and 5 percent of the nitrogen flowing through the Conowingo Dam over the entire previous decade.

As an 85-year-old senior citizen who has been a frequent visitor to Robert E Lee Park for more than 20 years, I feel compelled to respond to Maris Baker's commentary about dog walkers in the park ("Off the leash and out of luck," Nov. 12). I have walked in many parks and trails in Maryland and have never seen dogs off leash except in Robert E. Lee Park. To the best of my knowledge, it is state law that dogs must be on a leash in public areas, including parks and trails. Ms. Baker's feels she is somehow exempt from this law. Before the county took over the trail it was not unusual to see dog waste in plastic bags hung from trees as if they were holiday ornaments, or deposited in piles along Falls Road.

Let the news sink in: The University of Maryland is headed for the Big Ten Conference in 2014. Even 72 hours after it became public knowledge that the school was negotiating to join the Big Ten and a day after it was made official, that's still pretty hard to believe. Hook up with those football powerhouses in the Midwest? Wasn't Maryland a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference? What happened to six decades of tradition? Small wonder that many Maryland fans, students, athletes and boosters are angry about what can only be described as an abrupt decision.

For years, Maryland has been giving generous rebates to families to install solar photovoltaic panels, geothermal systems and wind turbines. That's great, as far as it goes, but the rebates typically go to Maryland's wealthiest residents. Finally, Maryland has included the little guy of the renewable-energy world: wood and pellet stoves. The Maryland Energy Administration has just started the Clean Burning Wood Stove Grant Program, which could ultimately help thousands of rural Marylanders get a new stove or upgrade from their older, polluting stoves.

Leave it to The Sun. Having failed to mention my candidacy even one time during the entire campaign season despite numerous press releases and e-mails, The Sun finally mentions my campaign for Congress and erroneously identifies me as an independent ("Now, it's all about turnout," Nov. 4). I am a proud Libertarian who has been campaigning aggressively for months, having started my radio advertisements in September. The Sun then goes on to identify a Green candidate on the ballot in my district who, in fact, is not on the ballot.

The Sun's editorial board apparently does not read its own reporting ("Obama for president," Nov. 4). Investigations and conclusions of the various reporters and responders have written dissertations that are the polar opposites with the campaign sound bites displayed in "The Record. " Moreover, the board is ignorant of the Constitution and just how it is supposed to work. Any president can push, prod, cajole, and even legislatively bribe to get what he wants but he can not command it to be done and have it done only his way. One would think that with majorities in the House and Senate for President Barack Obama's first two years that crafting and passing a budget would be a first base kind of project.

Ellen Giles and Janet Siddiqui are both very good friends of mine. I had the honor, pleasure and privilege of serving with them on the Howard County Board of Education for four years. They are smart, dedicated, knowledgeable, hard-working, caring and conscientious. They are both running for re-election to the Board of Education based solely on their desire to serve the best interests of our children. Throughout this campaign, Ellen and Janet have been negatively criticized and personally attacked by some of their opponents and their followers.

Congrats to Marta Mossburg on her great job of illustrating how our lame duck governor's quest for national fame and fortune supersedes his ability serve the citizens of the state that put him in position to seek it ("Is O'Malley annoyed that he's still governor?" Oct. 10). Any additional proceeds realized should Question 7 be passed will go to the state's general fund, not to public schools. Yes, the same general funds that Gov. Martin O'Malley has earmarked for the three counties that got him elected as governor twice.

Some may be shocked by Steve Kilar's recent story highlighting the fact that one in four Baltimore residents live in poverty, and that many more struggle just above the outdated official poverty line ("Baltimore's poverty rate unchanged at 1 in 4 residents," Sept. 20). The 28 organizations that comprise the Maryland Alliance for the Poor see the impact of widespread poverty every day in their programs and clinics. The realities of poverty in Baltimore are stark: 11.1 percent of the labor force is officially unemployed, and even those who work full-time at the minimum wage have incomes below the poverty line.

When women have pre-wedding jitters they shouldn't ignore them, according to researchers at UCLA . New research shows that doubts, particularly the woman's, predicts higher divorce rates and less marital satisfaction years later. “People think everybody has premarital doubts and you don't have to worry about them,” said Justin Lavner, a UCLA doctoral candidate in psychology and lead author of the study, in a statement. “We found they are common but not benign,” he said.