Priorities

It certainly is comforting to know that the state legislature is focused on the really important issues facing the citizens of Maryland: legal gambling ( "Md. panel rejects racing proposal," Dec. 22) and home delivery of wine ( "Time for wine by mail?" Dec. 22)! I'm certain that once these issues are resolved everything will be fine! Tony Seitz, Glen Burnie

Foreclosure protections would expand for service members, their widowed spouses and certain disabled veterans under an amendment that overwhelmingly passed the House last week. For U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Baltimore, it was a sweet victory. He offered the amendment with two co-sponsors and has made foreclosure prevention a key focus in recent years, pressing for investigations of mortgage servicer abuses , holding massive foreclosure-prevention workshops and putting together a document trail that calls into question claims that principal reduction would be a financially bad move . He was heartened that his proposed amendment to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act passed 394 to 27 in the sharply divided House, and the Democrat said Tuesday that he expects the Senate to follow suit with a similar proposal.

Hairston doesn't seem to realize the important role that open-minded principals and qualified teachers play in a successful school It is evident that Baltimore County School Superintendent Joe A. Hairston has his head in the sand when it comes to the school system's need for school administrators and support staff ("A $1.9 million blunder," July 28). He doesn't seem to realize the important role that open-minded principals and qualified teachers play in a successful school.

It would be nice to think the true litmus test that determines whether the Orioles have really turned a competitive corner this season would be a bushelful of victories over the big-money Yankees and Red Sox. If only it were that simple. The real test is taking place behind the curtain, where owner Peter Angelos is undoubtedly enjoying his team's recent resurgence and deciding whether he's willing to double down on the two players who have a chance to be the cornerstones of a new era of Orioles baseball.

Thank you, Susan Reimer , so much for saying what most of us Catholic folk think but won't say ("What would Jesus do? Not stuff like this," April 30). Your column was right on point. When is enough, enough? Jesus put all of us down on this great earth for a purpose. You are right. He has no bad ideas. And He blessed us with common sense to live this life He gave us to the best of our ability. The Catholic Church needs to stop making us feel that we are just never good enough or that we cannot make good decisions concerning our own lives.

If Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy would exert one-half of the effort in prosecuting criminals that she puts forth in attempting to have Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III investigated, Baltimore would be significantly safer.   Joseph Menning, Marriottsville

I believe that your Jan. 26 issue says it all. That you would put the governor's proposal to raise taxes and stick the county with $10 million of pension money on Page 13 while some argument on the name of a street on Page 1 speaks volumes on what this paper is about. Pete Berlowitz Columbia

If the Catholic church spent the time, effort and resources on resolving the priest abuse of children issue as they do in restricting and preventing a woman's freedom of choice, the abuse issue would have been resolved long ago. Joyce Kelly, Ellicott City

Democrats and The White House are in shock over the loss of the Kennedy Senate seat in Massachusetts, and the blame game is in full bloom. Many trace it to confusion over health care, over its contents and concessions made to bring it to the table. As important as it was made to be, the economy was placed on the back burner at a time when money in our pockets surpassed the state of our health as the citizens' primary concern. Those who profess to be concerned about us need to take another look at what matters to us and not to them.

It's been less than a week since Baltimore City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake learned that she would become mayor next month, and it was clear in an hourlong meeting with The Sun's editorial board Monday that she does not yet have all the answers for solving the major challenges the city faces. To her credit, she doesn't pretend to, either. She gave definitive answers where she could -- for example, that she plans to retain Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III -- and otherwise conveyed a solid approach to setting priorities and making public policy.

Let's be honest and place Baltimore City's budgeting and spending problems into proper context. The lavish spending of public funds to fix up the offices of Jerome Oberlton, chief information officer for Baltimore City schools, is really nothing new. Neither is the recently announced closing of four Baltimore recreation centers. Frankly, the underprivileged children and families of Baltimore City are only too used to such things. Schools CEO Andrés Alonso called the spending by Mr. Oberlton a "bad judgment call," but the fact is, we have a governmental culture in this city that has a recurring history of similarly bad calls.

Thank you, Susan Reimer , so much for saying what most of us Catholic folk think but won't say ("What would Jesus do? Not stuff like this," April 30). Your column was right on point. When is enough, enough? Jesus put all of us down on this great earth for a purpose. You are right. He has no bad ideas. And He blessed us with common sense to live this life He gave us to the best of our ability. The Catholic Church needs to stop making us feel that we are just never good enough or that we cannot make good decisions concerning our own lives.

The State Board of Education was right to reject Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold's attempt to evade the spirit of a law that prevents local jurisdictions from slacking off in their support for public schools. Protest though he might that he had done nothing wrong, Mr. Leopold's budget for the current fiscal year provided less money to support classroom education than in the year before, and had his effort been allowed to stand, that difference - amounting to about $12 million a year - would have been cemented into perpetuity.

Tigerfest, the annual spring concert, typically means hordes of Towson students and live music (this year's headliner is Cleveland rapper Kid Cudi). Last year, that combination resulted in 42 charges of "civil or criminal offenses during the neighborhood patrols," according to a new press release from the Baltimore County Police Department. In order to combat such problems, county police will partner with Towson University during this year's Tigerfest, taking place April 27-29.

Thank you for your reporting and keeping the citizens aware of the General Assembly's activity in regards to taxes, fees and revenues, and subsequent speculation on how tax and fee revenues will be managed. The eyes of the nation's finance reporting were on the behavior of the Maryland governor and his proposed tax increases. While other states are developing processes to reduce citizen and business tax burdens, Maryland is the subject of reporting in financial publications. As a state, we're fortunate the General Assembly was able to hold the tax increase line and not increase taxes and fees.

On April 17, I will be protesting war taxes at Baltimore's main post office. I realize that taxes fund many good programs - education, environment and diplomacy. But sadly when 57 percent of the federal budget goes to the Pentagon, the government's priorities are out of touch with the pressing problems facing its citizens. Instead of investing in a clean energy future and prioritizing human and environmental needs, we are somehow still caught in the outdated and dangerous thinking of the past.

As the baseball offseason rolls on and free agency heats up, the Orioles are still, for now, without a top executive. Whoever replaces Andy MacPhail, whether it's former Monteal Expos and Boston Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette or someone else, will be handed the keys to an organization that hasn't had a winning season since 1997, then immediately will be faced with the inevitable question of why he would want to take the helm of the Orioles....

The expansion of higher education opportunities should be the top priority in Harford County through the next decade, according to a task force's report issued to County Executive Eileen M. Rehrmann last week.The Futures Commission, a 30-member volunteer board appointed by Mrs. Rehrmann in January, was asked to identify and set priorities on key areas of concern to residents into the 21st century and to recommend strategies for dealing with those concerns.Issued in a public ceremony at Harford Community College on Tuesday, the board's report narrowed an initial field of 50 issues to six.The other strategic priorities, in order, were:* Increase attention to providing quality child care services.

Maryland's top transportation priorities should include widening the Baltimore Beltway, making Route 295 six lanes near BWI Marshall Airport and building the city's Red Line light rail, a national transportation group said Wednesday. The recommendations were part of a 40-item wish list compiled by TRIP, a nonprofit research organization sponsored by the construction industry, insurance companies and unions. "These are game-changing projects," said Frank Moretti, TRIP's director of policy and research.

Bob Voelker ("What's important, birth control or the economy?" March 20) seems to disbelieve that "…with all the difficulties we face every day ... birth control and the roles of women in combat are what women voters are going to remember when choosing a candidate. " You're darn right we will, Bob. A candidate who writes off the deep personal priorities of 51 percent of the population is in dire trouble when it comes to asking for their votes. As Betty Freidan famously said, "The personal is political.