The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 22

1Mb CC Pes Moines Sunday Register March 2, 1997 Letters Etc. ESoayTcpics Tune out 'schlock' radio Keep it simple OUfl SO00lS r2? "1 I OUR. COURTHOUSE I'll I 'll 1 me know which radio stations to avoid. NtdRmtttfi 2104 75th St, Des Moines. I guess I need to get an address or phone number for KXTK so I can be the first to give negative feedback on Don Imus.

Imus is a decent interviewer and has interesting guests, but his endless shilling for his boorish brother and the utter, abject sycophancy of the toadies he surrounds himself with render the show antiperistaltic. James Jones, 9557 University, Clive. 7n cgarding the article, "Shock 7 Radio," in the Feb. 16 Regis-z- 'll ter: Schlock radio pollution of the mind and soul! Karon Herwff, Perhaps your lead article, "Shock Radio," in the Sunday Register pub-r Ushed Feb. 16 was newsworthy; per-: vtJiaps it wasn't i M') Assuming it was newsworthy, it I h.didji't rise to the level of being printed on the front page of Section rn! A above the fold.

isri; I expect more from you than someone else's inane gossip. 'd However, I do thank you for letting jC olleges, trying to come up with catch phrases to market them-J selves to prospective students, need to focus more on being straightforward rather than clever. In an article on Feb. 25, The Register gave us a few samples of what some believe will do that job to Add a Little However, the best I've seen is the marketing phrase once used by Morningside College: "College, the way college ought to be." Sort of says it all doesn't it? j. Ceorgi WySe, 2125 Polk Ames.

BUILD A Do we want to Dakotize Iowa? i i. register reveaiea on ounuay, e.b. 9, that only two states sur- Wrong continent Reading the article on Mount Everest in the Feb. 23 Diversions, I was surprised to learn that the world's highest mountain is in my home state of Washington. Throughout my 30 years living in Seattle, I spent many weekends hiking in the Cascades and Olympics, including an ascent of Mount Rainier.

Yet, not once did I see the peak of Mount Everest. I guess I should have done more camping on the famous Tibetan plateau near Spokane. -WKw Spate 908 Eighth Grundy Center. DAN WASSERM ANBoston GiopE sas? Low taxes do not bring prosperity and good living if we consider life in Minnesota and Wisconsin. For starters, the Legislature could give back to the poor the money it has taken in higher sales taxes, a 25 percent increase, rather than distrib-ute the excess tax money to the rich those who pay income tax because they made money and those who own property because they have money.

Let us not get swept away by lower taxes, decreasing our standard of living and taking from the poor and giving it to the rich. Ron Spears, 228 Prospect Waterloo. 8ilNo.l? rounding Iowa have higher taxes Minnesota and Wisconsin. is little doubt in my mind that those two high-tax states would my choice of places to live. You get' what you pay for in this life.

South Dakota, the last I was aware of, was paying teachers a starting salary of $13,000. That could be higher but, nevertheless, they are on the low end of every possible living I scale in the states bordering Iowa. '-I it being promoted that we should become like our poor sister state to the west? Need we lower our standard of living so we can be like Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois and Kan Iowa schools, rqyutation, crumbling Quit coddling murderers Twain country At first I was offended, like most other Iowans, by Minnesota Gov. Ante Carlson's comments about Des Moines and Iowa. But after reading Randal Damon's Feb.

23 letter suggesting the people in the tower two tiers of counties in Iowa belong to a "shallow gene pool" such as found in Missouri, I've decided to campaign for secession to Missouri where I can consort with the descendants of such shallow characters as Mark Twain and Harry Truman, thus possibly raising the intelligence level of both states but certainly not the arrogance level of the northern three-fourths of this state. Chuck Lund, Corning. cable TV to criminals, including murderers, rapists and others of their ilk, so they may continue to enjoy the most popular television programs. The governor's plan not only would be a more justifiable penalty, but it would make certain those guilty of the most unpardonable of crimes could never get out "to do it again." Moreover, it would give other potential murderers and rapists "cause for pause." HerbPlambeck, 2909 Woodland Des Moines. rThe Register's Feb.

9 editorial, titled "The Machinery of Death," suggested Governor Branstad is alone in advocating reinstatement of death penalty for those most heartless of criminals. I disagree with you. -There are many Iowans who feel time has come to stop coddling 'criminals and for the "worst of the worst" murderers, rapists and drug dealers who prey on the innocent to pay for their heinous crimes. r' Recently a Register article told of plans at the State Penitentiary in Fort Madison to continue to provide M.D.S have nothing to fear Fine tribute Thank you for Rekha Basu's Feb. 9 column, "Carlton Goodlett: A man to Emulate." In Iowa, where he spent his last three years, he was unknown but for a two-line death notice in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Basu's column was a beautiful tribute to an outstanding African-American leader. Clarence B.Luvaas, 2567MeadowbrookDr.S.E, Cedar Rapids. Why not address the state's infrastructure problem and allocate the additional revenues from the 1-cent sales tax to local infrastructure for the next five years? Any tax-reduction plans could then be phased in. Perhaps the state allocation could be tied to, local matching authority. lova schools, cities and counties then could address the not-so-hidden infrastructure problem left over from the fiscal crisis of the '80s.

If we did that, we could tell our neighbor to the north we dp not intend to move shabbily into the next century. 1' Edgar H.Bittle, 3801 West Des Moines. I sincerely doubt a state run by women would tolerate more at-risk, poverty-stricken children being educated in rundown school buildings just so the well-off could have their tax cuts. Pur patriarchal state government is shortsighted, coldhearted and politically gutless. Diane Leonard 2190 290th AdeL v.

I'm astounded and disgusted with the Feb. 23 editorial, "Untold Story at School: Poverty." Apparently you consider that just because you are on reduced or free lunches you need special attention in school. I know many people on this who get better grades than people who aren't. I am on the reduced lunches, and I do very well in school. Poverty may be an indicator of reduced opportunity, but not an indicator of intelligence.

Katie Burman, 1644 Timber Hampton. As a schoolteacher, I applaud your attention to Iowa's aging schools through your "Schools Under Siege" series. Education is truly a critical priority for our state today. However, Tuesday's sub-headline, "The running joke in town about our oldest building opened the year Ge-ronimo was captured caught my eye. Please don't encourage readers to assume all "old" school buildings are a joke.

One needs to come to Carroll and see the 1908 St. Angela Center of Kuemper Catholic Schools. Last summer, with the help of several thousand volunteer hours, this renovation received a first-place award in the governor's Iowa Community Betterment Program. Kuemper students attend classes in a beautiful, up-to-date historic structure built when Teddy Roosevelt was president and Geronimo was still alive. This school building now meets extensive fire-code requirements and includes a modern computer lab with Internet access and an ICN fiber-optics room all in an "old" building where nuns used to teach and live.

We do not look at our old building as a "joke." We at Kuemper Catholic Schools are extremely proud of our 1908 school building. Perhaps more communities in Iowa need to get together, roll up their sleeves and try harder to find cost-effective solutions for school buildings like at Kuemper, and look more seriously at preserving more of our historical structures, not make fun of them. John Steffes, 4J5S. Main, Carroll. fl the Iowa Legislature listening'? Iowa supposedly prides itself in offering a "best-U in-the-nation" education to its children, and yet the Feb.

25 editorial, "Iowa's Aging Schools," reminds us that many districts' buildings are beyond repair and not feasible to update for today's technology; What good is a fiber-optics network if the school buildings are unable, to handle the technology? The Legislature is drooling over a surplus in the state treasury with visions of tax cuts while Iowa's school buildings are beyond Why hot transfer the "surplus" into the education budget for grants and loans to districts that need to "catch up to keep up" with facility needs for the future of Iowa's children and supposedly best-in-the-nation educational system? Jerry R. Killer, Box 446, Lake Park. Linda Lantor Fandel and The Des Moines Register provided a great service to the state of Iowa, its cities and citizens at large with the alarming and accurate essay regarding the impact of poverty on the schools of Iowa. A few individuals and agencies alike have been standing alone singing this song for a good number of years. Just in recent months the ranks of the chorus have begun to swell.

It may be too late to reverse the apparent trends, but, I hope, not too late to make a difference. On behalf of the 125,000 students, their teachers and support staffs of the Urban Education Network of Iowa, thank you for getting the message out. AU children, including those from low-income families, are the future of Iowa, and they need to be supported and recognized for what they are our greatest economic resource. The return on this type of investment could position our state as a model for all of America. Let's hope our Legislature and the governor will be willing to join the chorus in the not-tco-distant future.

James Wise, executive director, Urban Education Network of Iowa, 1800 Grand Ave. Des Moines, "Iowa, the Cheap State!" The politicians under the golden dome didn't like it when the governor of our neighbor to the north spoke an obvious truth it takes money to buy infrastructure, and good infrastructure is an important part of the quality of life in the state. Iowa hasn't been spending on its infrastructure. Crumbling schools, public buildings, bridges, streets and sewers prove it. When the state was broke, it was understandable that repairs, maintenance and new construction were deferred.

That day has passed, yet the state continues to collect the additional 1-cent sales tax that was passed to resolve the fiscal crisis of the '80s. Now it is time to continue to use that 1-cent sales tax to resolve the problem of deferred maintenance. Georgia recently passed a 1-cent sales tax that is earmarked to build and improve school buildings. What an interesting idea! Perhaps our governor and legislators should look at "the rest of the story" before launching the pre-1998 election campaign with a tax reduction. As trustees of the public purse, they are also trustees of the public infrastructure.

Regarding "When It's a Matter of Jl Life, Death" (Feb. 16): As a physi-y ian and surgeon, I found the report 'l devoid of enough pertinent medical information to even begin to form a 9r reasonable and logical opinion about the actions of the physician in-Evolved. The report certainly did not generate any shock in my thinking, and I 'very much doubt whether it did in the medical profession at large. treat literally tens of Shousands of terminally ill patients tally. One is generally not incarcer-r ated for such activity.

As a matter of fact, treatment and care of the termi-1 jially ill should never be neglected. Physicians have a moral and profes-sional obligation to care for these patients in a reasonably humane but yet burdensome-free and useless-ness-free manner. Nonetheless, a physician has no right to impose his or her beliefs on any patient. The rights and duties of the physician are correlative to those of the patient. The physician, in fact, has no separate or independent right where the patient is concerned.

In general he can take action only if the patient explicitly or im-. plicitly, directly or indirectly, gives him permission. I don't believe many in the medical profession would quarrel with this well-accepted principle that has characterized the practice of medicine in America for centuries. Romeo S. Berardi, M.D., 916 52nd PL, West Des Moines.

On your side Hey, Griswold citizens! Try directing your anger and energy toward the perpetrator of your problem, the person or persons responsible for the crimes Accused of Bully Tactics," Feb. 16). The troopers are behind you; it would be you and the troopers against the bad guys. The silent majority could brush up on that quote about what happens when good men do nothing. LbSoenen, 418 S.

Commercial, Eagle Grove. ill Register inconsistent on taxes WE'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Mail your letter to Letters, The Des Moines Register, Box 957, Des Moines, Iowa, 50304. By fax: 515-286-251 1. By Internet: kttersdmreg.com. Please include your complete name, address and daytime telephone number.

Because of space limitations, letters may be shortened. The Des Moines Register editorial staff can't seem to make up their minds when it comes to taxes. The Register spent the vast major-'''ity of 1996 shamelessly promoting the local-option sales tax increase in Des Moines. One of the arguments against this tax is that it falls more heavily on the poor. But The Regis-Jj ter seemed to ignore this fact, i iff Now we have discussions about "cutting income taxes, and the editori-al writers are preaching about how unfair it is.

They also seem to forget "that the richest 22.6 percent of the people in the state pay 57.8 percent -of the state income taxes, i- It seems, according to The Register, that it is OK to raise a very re-r'gressive tax since The Register was supporting it, but try to provide tax relief to the people who really do pay the bulk of the taxes and it screams foul. rw -BiUHendershot, The Feb. 16 editorial, "Taxes: Do the Right Thing," once again attempts to pit the poor against the rich. It implies that only the poor and middle-income Iowans struggle. How about those who have worked hard and provide opportunities for others to have jobs? I have never worked for a "poor" person! Is it really true that "the lower your income, the more of your income is taken in I believe there is a pretty good base one can earn before paying tax dollar No.

1. It's true, if a flat percentage tax relief is arrived at, the wealthier will receive a larger share of tax relief. You failed to mention that those same people also paid a larger share, so it's fair that they receive a larger return. What you say is "right" is not essarily so. And certainly is not fair! Jadyn Fleming, 6 150 Terrace Johnston.

Spies Among Activists Time to end the Pork Producers checkoff? 745 40th St, West Des Moines. Jl was recently reported that the National II Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has spent over $45,000 of checkoff money to hire a Washington, D.C., public-relations firm to "spy" on groups that are challenging the NPPC's support of large-scale hog factories. I am a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, one of the groups that the NPPC is concerned about. I am also an independent family-farm hog producer, a person that NPPC is trying to eliminate. I think it's disgraceful that the NPPC spent my checkoff money to spy on Iowa CO and other organizations that are aggressively working to keep family farmers in business.

I always knew NPPC was wasting my money, but this is ridiculous. It is time to make the pork checkoff voluntary so that producers who do not agree with the NPPC's support of factory-style hog farms can get their checkoff money back. We also need a USDA or congressional investigation into the NPPC's use of checkoff money in recent years. Roger Larson, 1 149 Haivaii, Bode. tion problems will be self-correcting.

The state could then use tax dollars to clean up existing environmental problems instead of using those dollars to try to ward off the increasing mess created by the unbridled freedom the hog factories now enjoy. To give our state legislators a little backbone on the issue, how about a statewide poll to see if the people don't support local control and nuisance liability for hog factories? F. Forbes Olberg, i 308 Nassau St. S.E., Cedar Rapids. N.

William Hines No. 1 in Neighborli-ness or Hogs?" Feb. 9) has added one more voice of sanity to the ongoing hog-factory debate. When are our Iowa legislators going to wake up and smell the coffee, as opposed to the rest of the state waking up to the smell (stench might be a better word) of ever-increasing hog confinements? In the past few weeks, The Register has given us much food for thought about the dangers of the hog industry the loss of the family farm, the real possibilities of ground-water pollution, the stench. Is this what Iowa is all about? Marlene Fitzpatrick, 921 First St.

Mars. Community Improvement and other family-farm groups that are fighting large-scale hog factories? I'm proud to be an Iowa CO member and an independent pork producer. I'm embarrassed to be a supporter of the NPPC, but because of the mandatory checkoff I have no choice in the matter. Where does the NPPC get the authority to use my checkoff money to spy on organizations that support independent family-farm hog production? In 1996, NPPC received about $45 million in checkoff funds from more than 80,000 producers nationwide. However, over half of this amount ($24 million) came from the 40 biggest producers in the country.

What does this tell you about NPPC and its support of the corporate agribusi-ness giants? Dan Richardson, 29654 Twilight, Coon Rapids. Unfortunately, House File 519 passed by the Legislature allows hog factories immunity from local zoning laws and, for all practical purposes, liability for creating a nuisance. This puts the taxpayers at a great disadvantage because tax dollars must now be used to clean up the environmental mess they have created. Let hog factories be subject to the same zoning and nuisance laws as other factories, like grain processors (who add more value to corn than hog factories) or manufacturers (who pay better wages than hog factories), and the odor and pollu- to fOLlTICAL- yM Action- 3 Committee- 1 1 Once again the leaders of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) have proven that they are paranoid, irresponsible and out of touch with the vast majority of independent hog farmers. How else would they explain spending over $45,000 of checkoff money to investigate Iowa Citizens for 1IARIXYSC1IWADRON.