Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 52

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2004 ROB ROGERS iputsburcil) )ost-6a2cttc Founded 1786 Paul Block, publisher. 1927-1941 Paul co-publisher. 1942-1987 William Block co-publisher. 1942-1989 "this is the Marquis de rrs soins to be AND I APPROVED THIS MESSAGE. UoNQ, PAINFUL 2 CAMPAIGN.

William Block Jr. Chairman John Robinson Block Publ is her and editor-in-chief David M. Shribman, executive editor and vice-president Madelyn Ross, managing editor Tom Waseleski, editorial page editor DaxidM. Beihoff. president and general manager Power and light Pennsylvanians deserve a lobby law LETTERS TO THE EDITOR These cowardly attacks are a waste of valuable energy maintain an unholy alliance against lobbyist disclosure.

That may change because of an election-year effort toward civic responsibility On Wednesday, the State Government Committee approved the Lobbyist Disclosure Act, a measure backed not only by lawmakers of both parties but also Common Cause and the American Civil Liberties Union. The bill would require lobbyists who spend at least $2,500 a year to report their expenses on things like printing, advertising, phone banks, letter-writing campaigns, salaries and food, gifts or entertainment for public officials. Lobbyists would have to register every two years with the state Ethics Commission and be subject to penalties for violations of the law. That's how it is in other states and how it should be in Pennsylvania. If anyone thinks lobbying is done with a few phone calls and a couple of bucks, they should know that under the state's short-lived disclosure law, 700 registered lobbyists spent $81 million in 2001 to influence public policy Any legislator whose name is on the 2004 ballot should get behind the new bill and see that it reaches the governor's desk.

If not, they will be responsible for the continuing shame of Pennsylvania and they deserve to be called on it at the polls. Pennsylvania, which now takes pride in its "state of independence," is under assault. Not by some foreign adversary or marauding neighbor-state, but by powerful forces whose impact on government is real but not quantified. This isn't about black-market weapons. We're talking lobbyists.

Pennsylvania would not be in this predicament if it were like the other 49 states and had a basic law that requires lobbyist registration and disclosure. Not a ban on lobbying, mind you just regulations that force lobbyists to report how much they're spending to influence which state officials and on what matters of public policy This state had such a law, briefly, until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court neutered it in 2002 by saying only the judiciary, not the Legislature, could regulate the activities of lawyers even when serving as lobbyists. It's high time to put a workable measure back on the books. Since lobby interests come in all political flavors (pro-environment, anti-abortion, labor union, small business, medical society, trial lawyer, gun owner, gun hater, religious right and radical left), charting the depth and breadth of their activity should be of interest to any party That's why Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly can no longer to hear it spoken with distinct nuances and a delightful accent without traveling all the way across the Atlantic. JUDD JENKINS Mt.

Lebanon Editor's note: The writer teaches French at St. Edmund's Academy. The Post-Gazette welcomes your letters. Please include your address and phone number for verification. Pseudonyms or anonymous letters are not published.

All letters are subject to editing. Pnonty is given to letters that are concise and exclusive to the PG. We regret that we can neither print nor acknowledge all the correspondence we receive. Send letters to: Letters to the Editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh PA 15222.

E-mail: Fax: 412-263-2014. I read Dennis Roddy's March 7 front-page article about right-wing attacks on Teresa Heinz Kerry from start to finish Zooms in on Heinz But I did it with the morbid fascination of rubbernecking at a car wreck. And afterward. I felt compelled to wash the slime off my hands. Granted, this is politics.

But why must the party of Newt Gingrich, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh expend so much energy on personal character assassination? Aren't real issues important enough? These cowardly attacks are even more craven by their willful oversight of continuing infractions within their own party and administration. Republicans should publicly repudiate these malcontents so that we can get on with the important issues of our times. TIM PRESCOTT Morgantown, W.Va. Bloody Kosovo Despite U.N. oversight, a Balkan conflict rages on Get it together I admit it.

I bought the hype about Pittsburgh being a bustling mecca of economic redevelopment. I moved to the area from Atlanta last April, and I am more amazed with each article I read about Pittsburgh's misaligned views on local government. Maybe it's because of the city's longstanding commitment to division among its various ethnic groups, but I just can't understand why Allegheny County needs to be separated into 130 different municipalities. How can the region be expected to recover from its economic and social woes when its municipalities can't even be united? Consolidation of resources has to be somewhere on the to-do list, even if it means the loss of jobs not just at the city level, either, but throughout the region. I realize there have already been examples of this taking place, i.e.

the 911 call center, but. really, what are we waiting for? This is a case of too many chiefs, and not enough in-dians, and the tribe is suffering. TOM HUMPHRIES Ambridge Necessary project Regarding the March 10 article pertaining to the building of a new addition at Sterrett Classical Academy to Expand Sterrett Draw Fire in Wake of School The students of Sterrett deserve a new addition. Unlike some of the schools, which are underpopulated, Sterrett is at full capacity. As a teacher there, I see teachers and students having to make accommodations daily, teachers sharing classrooms, students having to double up, sometimes triple up, to share lockers, having to make do with a gym that also must serve as a cafeteria, having to go elsewhere to take part in intramural activities, etc.

The parents of the Sterrett Par-" ent Teacher Organization are to be highly commended for working and lobbying so fervently for this new addition, knowing that their children will probably not benefit from it, but being concerned enough about future students to promote and invest their efforts into this effort. I'm sure those who voice their disagreement would not hesitate to support the proposal if their own children were at Sterrett having to learn in sometimes overcrowded conditions. A field and a community landmark are admirable, but should that take precedence over the quality and environment of a child's education? FLORENCE FONG Point Breeze In fact, it was augmented on Thursday with 1.100 additional troops, including Americans, brought over from Bosnia-Herzegovina to try to put the lid back on. Kosovo presents a formidable challenge to any peacemaker. Its population is divided into roughly 90 percent Muslim Albanians and 10 percent Christian Orthodox Serbs.

The Albanians naturally want independence for Kosovo with them in charge. Serbia is not about to hand it over without guarantees, first, of the rights and safety of Serbs living there, and, second, of the security of the major historical and Orthodox holy sites. The problem of Kosovo was important enough for the United States in 1999 to intervene militarily, including bombing Belgrade, the Serbian capital, and to keep thousands of troops there ever since. It is, however, basically a i European problem, a neighborhood problem, and the United States has been working ever since to withdraw itself and put responsibility for the future of Kosovo firmly in the hands of the Europeans. Last week's events represent no reason to change that policy, but the new violence demonstrates clearly that the problem of Kosovo is by no means solved.

Violence broke out again last week between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo, part of the former Yugoslavia, resulting in more than 30 dead. It then spread to Serbia, which still has title to Kosovo. In both places, the violence quickly took on a Muslim vs. Christian character. The Albanians are mostly Muslim, and the Serbs are mostly Orthodox Christian.

The trouble started in the city of Mitrovica, where a river divides the two communities. In addition to attacking people, the Albanians went after Orthodox churches in Kosovo while the Serbs targeted Muslim mosques in Serbia. The United Nations has been responsible for overall guidance of government in Kosovo since 1999 and NATO forces, standing now at a level of about 19,000 including some 2,500 Americans, are responsible for maintaining order between the two groups. The latest attacks in Kosovo were also directed against UN. vehicles and installations.

These unfortunate events indicate that U.N. ministrations have hardly put the majority Albanians and minority Serbs on the path toward peace. The rapid breakdown into burning and killing also demonstrates that the NATO force cannot be dispensed with. Disgraceful tactics As I read Dennis Roddy's story "Right Zooms in on Heinz Grants," (March 7), I was not surprised to find Teresa Heinz Kerry on the Bush-Cheney hit list, the ideologues who support President Bush and Vice President Cheney led by Richard Scaife, prove again that nothing is beneath them in their quest to retain power. Many Western Pennsylvanians find it sad.

however, to watch them try to desecrate the Heinz family and its legacy of charity and grace, so eloquently exemplified by Teresa Heinz Kerry. Democrats and Republicans honor the memory of her late husband, Sen. John Heinz, and we admire the Heinz family for its unequaled generosity. We salute Teresa Heinz Kerry for her willingness to make a positive difference not only with money, but also with words and deeds. I am saddened by George Bush's obvious attempt to trample on such a legacy for political advantage saddened, but not surprised.

After watching the images of Sept. 11. 2001, crassly injected into Bush's campaign advertisements, and hearing victims' family members talk of reopening the wounds of that day, I realize, once again, that Bush and his henchmen will stop at nothing to retain power, even if it means lying about the widow of one of the finest public servants in Pennsylvania historv STATE REP. FRANK LaGROTTA Ellwood City Editor's note: The writer is a Democrat representing the 10th District, A taste of Europe In his March 7 Forum commen-taty "Why Quebec?" Christopher M. Jones of Carnegie Mellon University was right to point out the error of Conan O'Brien's mockery of Que-beckers.

In full support of his view, my wife and I have visited and taken some of my middle school students to Quebec City and found the people and cu Iture most pleasing. Quebeckers are hard-working, fun-loving and warmly welcoming of American citizenry. Quebec, with its long and rich history, does more than parallel our own growth and independence here in Western Pennsylvania. It provides even the least adventurous traveler with a taste of Europe in a modern, North American setting. I have attended one of the lectures, "Where the River Narrows," offered at the University of Pittsburgh as part of the Quebec Festival running here through May 15 and plan on attending another in April on "Contemporary Quebec: A Unique Society." It was a pleasure to meet Michel Robitaille, Quebec's delegate general from New York.

If you love the French language, as I do, you can have an opportunity An alternative As an alumnus of Sterrett school and a former Point Breeze resident, I read with interest and some dismay about the plans to expand the Sterrett building. I am, however, surprised that one compromise solution seems not to have occurred to anyone or at least it was not mentioned in the article. Why would the gym have to be built off the back left side of the school? Why not use all of the basically idle lawn space on the Reynolds Avenue side, bringing the addition forward toward Lang Avenue? Such a solution would not be aesthetically ideal. It would disrupt the lines of Sterrett's facade and would obscure the Reynolds Avenue approach and entrance, which do have a certain architectural magnificence (that tunnel of stairs leading up to the door), but at least it would preserve the baseball field which the neighborhood needs. WILLIAM GUY Squirrel Hill Asides Radical help Teresa Heinz Kerry a Well, her Heinz Endowments have been a major hinder of the 4 Kids Early Learning Network, which to date has served more than 1.000 young children in the Mon Valley some of Pittsburgh's poorest neighborhoods and the results have certainly been "radical." Our local school district's average elementary retention-in-grade rate (those who must repeat a grade) is 21 percent; for 4 Kids "graduates," it's less than 1 percent.

The district's average special education referral rate is 23 percent; for our kids, it's less than 2 percent. These kids are succeeding in school, and they're headed for success in life. What's more, the school district is seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars in avoided costs. Our kids' parents can hold jobs (and pay taxes) because they have no child care worries. Our network has created 60 jobs.

We cycle dollars through the local economy Our facilities enhance local property values. And communities and school districts across the state are looking to 4 Kids as a model of cost-effective excellence in early learning. If this is what "radicalism" accomplishes, this region needs many more radicals. ROBERT M. GROM President and CEO Heritage Health Foundation Braddock ment that it needs $3.3 billion for maintenance and repairs.

And it could drive more travelers away from the turnpike to free alternate routes like Interstate 80 to the north and Interstate 68 to the south. The chairman of a key House committee said recently there will be no action on a pair of bills that would block the toll increase, so it's likely that the higher rates will take effect on schedule. Not that we want the Legislature to control even more of the state than it already does, but the bills were a way to stop a user fee from becoming a loser fee. WE'RE NOT USED to thinking of lawyers as losers, but if they're named in a messy lawsuit they may feel that way. That's why there's some talk at the Allegheny County Bar Association over whether its Pittsburgh Legal Journal should stop publishing legal cases in which bar members are plaintiffs or defendants.

The idea is to spare them potential embarrassment from a personal legal entanglement. We'd say if the journal wants to be respected for printing opinions that clarify the law or set precedent, without regard for "the identity, profession or community status of the litigant," then it should adhere to its own code. That means including the most illuminating cases, even if it means a red-faced lawyer or two. Otherwise at the journal, then, less is less. IN THE HOPE that less is more, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced last week that they will charge less for season tickets in 2004-05 in the hopes of filling more seats.

Sounds like a plan to us, since hockey is the steepest major-league ticket in town. The franchise, which has seen slumping attendance lately due to sputtering play and the departure of stars, is doing its best to run its business in a league where economic chaos reigns. Full-season plans will be slashed by an average of almost 16 percent, making the average cost of a ticket $36.34. the lowest since the 1992-93 season. That means next year's season tickets will run between S15 each in Section and $60 in Sections A and B.

The team admits that it needs to boost its league-lagging attendance of 11,769 per game in a Mellon Arena that can hold 16,940. It will get additional help on that if, as promised, it announces a later cut in single-ticket prices. Now if the team can only muster more wins, then maybe more will be more. ANOTHER ARENA where more is more is the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which tries to keep ice skating to a minimum. The Turnpike Commission, which is the autonomous body that oversees the historic 400-mile toll road, is planning to raise rates by 4-1 percent on Aug.

1. That's quite a wallop, despite the commission's argu On gun laws, the PG gave its usual misguided response Regarding the March 7 editorial "Bang, Bang: Responsibility Is the Victim in the Senate Gun It is no surprise to read yet another Post-Gazette editorial ranting against guns and in favor of additional gun control laws. I actually look forward to more misguided diatribes from the PG that are sure to follow, as those alleged "villains" from the National Rifle Association descend upon Pittsburgh for their annual convention next month. Perhaps a few editors of this paper would benefit from attending. There they could learn that the 19 types of "assault weapons" they speak of never left the market at all, and other gun facts this page conveniently misconstrues and ignores.

Weapons manufactured before the 1994 law went into effect arc still on the market; postban weapons had some minor cosmetic changes made to them so that manufacturing and selling them would still be legal. MATT NORTH South Side.