Helmetless riders 'free;' society pays

I hope I never read another column like Friday 's guest column, "Our freedom 's death by a thousand cuts, " on the loss of "freedom " but which doesn 't discuss the consequences.

Seat belt and helmet laws exist because I and all other taxpayers pay for stupidity. Flying through the windshield can result in traumatic brain injury, months in the hospital with likely permanent disability, state disability and Medicaid payments.

It would be one thing if the person who claims, "I 'm an adult and this is none of your business " paid all the costs. But in reality society pays and pays through higher taxes.

In 1992 California passed the mandatory helmet law for motorcycle riders. Within a year Medicaid payments for traumatic brain injury decreased by a third.

Do I support primary enforcement of seat belt and helmet laws? You bet, because taxpayers pay.

-- Mary Dechene, Madison

Thanks to State Journal reporter Ron Seely for explaining so clearly why we 're overdue for a review of Lake Mendota 's target levels in Sunday 's piece, "A touchy Lake Mendota issue. "

City and county governments and residents can debate the issue until the cows come home, yet nothing will change until the Department of Natural Resources agrees to review its policy. Madison 's engineering division requested such a review a year ago, but the DNR has taken no action.

The spring rains have barely begun and already Lake Mendota is over its target summer maximum. With a formal review that includes public input and an environmental assessment, the DNR will have the data to set a policy that benefits our environment and local residents.

-- Jan Axelson, Madison

Davis off on turkey preference

Jerry Davis ' March 23 column, "Who wants leftovers?, " overlooked a minor point on the preference system for turkey permits, but it 's a major point for some landowners and property taxpayers.

In the preference system, after "all other residents " and before "nonresidents " come "nonresident landowners. " This is a largely overlooked group in Wisconsin, but they have not been ignored by the Department of Natural Resources when it comes to issuing turkey permits.

Nonresident landowners pay taxes, maintain habitat and protect wildlife no differently than residents. They deserve to be given even greater recognition for their wildlife contributions in other license and fee categories (and even a nominal mention every once in a while in the State Journal Sunday Outdoors section).

-- Nick Kaufmann, Madison, executive director, Wisconsin Seasonal Residents Association

Keep juveniles out of adult justice system

In the March 23 article, "Juvenile arrests on the decline, " Journal reporter Chris Rickert reports on the significant drop in juvenile arrests. These statistics are actually in line with national trends.

The problem is that media coverage highlights the isolated incidents. As Wisconsin 's law prosecutes many youths as adults, children are being thrown into adult jails and the adult criminal justice system.

On June 9, 2005, our son celebrated his 17th birthday. On June 18, his choices created a tragedy for our family, which resulted in his detention in the LaCrosse County Jail for seven months. On Dec. 27, 2005, Kirk died by suicide due to the "lifestyle of trying to fit in to an adult environment. "

We request U.S. Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, and U.S. Rep. Thomas Petri, who all sit on key committees in Congress, to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.

The law, designed to protect youth in the justice system, has worked for over 30 years to ensure youth are not placed in adult jails. Our congressional delegation needs to close the loophole in the federal law to ensure that all youth are not in adult jails, like our son Kirk, so that other families don 't experience similar tragedies.

-- Kermit and Vicky Gunderson, Onalaska

Don't put all power in Federal Reserve

If nothing President Bush has done thus far or has proposed to do has supplied enough data to scare Americans, his administration 's latest proposal regarding our monetary system should.

The all-knowing, all-seeing and all-too-powerful Federal Reserve would be given carte blanche in all facets concerning our monetary system. All checks and balances would be removed.

America is free because of checks and balances. Why remove them? Whose cause would be served? Certainly not mainline America.

No one entity deserves to have that much power. The Bush proposal would give yet more potential of control to the executive branch, as it is the president who picks the person who heads the Federal Reserve.

-- Brian Brown, DeForest

Let CEOs share pain when companies fail

Perhaps lawmakers should live up to their obligation to protect the public interest from fleecing by lucrative CEO retirement and compensation packages that go way beyond a person 's basic needs.

The public is becoming increasingly involved in the transactions of the stock trading markets, and is subjected to losses not shared by the leeches who are responsible for them through their unprofessional actions.

There should be regulations that would not allow a listed company to offer securities to the public without paying at least a dividend that shares the profits and earnings equally between the investors and executives.

If there are losses only, there should be no compensation and the executives should be placed on unemployment compensation at the minimum wage level and be laid off with no link to any company compensation packages.

However, if they have any means to sustain their lifestyle without compensation, no public funds should be made available for their support during such layoffs.

If the company is on the verge of bankruptcy, written notice to the stockholders must be given by the board of directors at least six months in advance of the filing.

The burden of failing companies goes to the taxpayers and those who nurtured the business. Checks and balances are in place for taxes. It is time that the large producers and financial corporations listed on the exchanges have checks and balances in place also.

-- Wolfgang Risop, Madison