Campaign drama gets old

An article in the State Journal last week was headlined "Choice 2008: Campaign wearing on U.S. public." No kidding!

It's like watching high school kids vote for prom king and queen.

The money spent on these campaigns could be used in so many more positive ways.

It would be well worth it to shorten the whole process.

-- Marjorie L. Stern, Fitchburg

Thanks to State Journal reporter Ron Seely for bringing light to the struggles at the Madison Water Utility.

As a crew member with 29 years in, I have some insight. You don't need consultants to tell you pipes laid before 1969 needed replacing. This will only get worse with older wells, valves and hydrants. Two hundred leaks a year is not bad for all the old cast iron, especially the thinner pipes from World War II until 1969.

Regarding the manganese issue, management was not forthright and created a monster, and management and labor communication was nil. All these problems will be addressed with management and labor working together, though not as fast as some hope. With external and internal communication, conservation, work relationships, and new well information plan teams populated with varied employees, we are working to improve.

This is just the beginning of a solution to some long-standing problems. My only question to Seely is to ask what "to provide a better service" means. Please be specific. I think my 110-plus co-workers do a great job of service.

-- Jeff Thompson, Madison

Trust the voters, not some committee

Regarding Thursday's editorial, as long as you're applying the sports analogy of appointed umpires as opposed to elected umpires, let's extend it to the sports teams themselves.

Instead of actually playing the game, let's appoint a committee and let them decide who will win the game.

We would have no reason to suspect that this committee wouldn't be partial to one team or the other, would we? We could rest assured that this impartial committee, which would be much smarter than, say, Wisconsin voters, would make the right choice. So why play the game? Everybody knew the New England Patriots would beat the New York Giants.

But who gets to choose this committee? Gov. Jim Doyle? Justice Louis Butler lost a Supreme Court race, then Doyle appointed him to the court, then he lost again. Was this fair? Let's see what the committee says.

Would it be as impartial as the Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee where seven of eight members were prominent Democrats?

And if merit selection is better than elections, why not scrap elections entirely and have this committee appoint all our leaders? Other countries, like China, appoint their leaders.

I have more faith in the Wisconsin voters than I do in some star chamber committee.

-- David A. Lunde, Cottage Grove

Grad rates prove that DCTS works

The kids enrolled at Dane County Transition School can tell you about the tests of survival. For many, if not most, DCTS provided a safe and comfortable learning environment where they felt valued and supported. This may have been the first time they ever experienced those feelings.

My son graduated from DCTS several years ago, then he "walked" with his class and friends he grew up with at Belleville to receive his high school diploma. He would not have graduated from high school if he had not been given the opportunity to learn at DCTS.

The public school system produces some bright students who follow their dreams to success. But consider the kids who don't fit that mold, the ones labeled "troubled" for reasons that may not always be their fault.

DCTS offers "life lessons" not taught in mainstream schools, incorporating the basics of learning, guided by fun and adventure. The dedicated staff has the ability to keep communication open with children who are often cast off as unmotivated or impossible. Due to the efforts of DCTS, these kids become more than they ever imagined. They gain the trust they deserve, and in turn learn respect and compassion for others.

Don't sell these kids short. They need to know they are important and that society wants them to succeed. Let's give them that opportunity. The high percentage of students graduating from this alternative school should be evidence enough that it works.

-- Linda Rasmussen, Sun Prairie

Their stimulus check will go to schools

How wonderful to be given tax money and total authority on how it's spent! I feel like a member of Congress.

Since our family is doing fine for now, we can thankfully treat the federal rebate check we are getting this spring as a true windfall. We have voted here at home, and our local public school will be getting our check. We agree it's where the money belonged all along. And no worries about an executive branch veto!

Perhaps other families may want to let their local school "stimulate the economy" on their behalf as well.

-- Linda Johnson, Madison

Case shows nothing fails like prayer

The death of Madeline Kara Neumann, whose parents chose prayer over medical care, was tragic and unnecessary.

Prayer does some good in that it allows the people who are praying to feel better, because they believe they are doing something positive. But double-blind scientific studies have proven that praying does exactly nothing for the object of the prayer. Prayer only helps the psychology of the person who prays.

Once again the Neumann case proves that nothing fails like prayer.

-- Jeff Dean, Madison

Don't avoid meat because of color

I'd like to clarify statements found in the April 28 Dr. Peter Gott column titled "Grocery store meat might be red, but that doesn't mean it's fresh. "

Meat products that contain natural or artificial colorings must have a declaration on the label according to regulations set by the USDA. In many cases, such as with fresh meats and sausages, neither natural nor artificial colorings are allowed.

Fresh meat has a relatively short shelf life. Its color has historically been used by consumers to determine freshness, although it's not a reliable indicator. The red color often changes to brown long before the product is actually spoiled or unsafe to eat. This problem creates economic losses to both the meat and retail industries and often results in increased consumer costs.

The use of carbon monoxide in modified atmosphere packaging helps alleviate these problems. Although it is true that meat packaged with carbon monoxide may remain red after it has spoiled, it is unlikely anyone would consume this product due to other spoilage signs such as odor or passed sell-by dates.

Eating less red meat, like lean beef, could negatively affect diet quality by restricting an excellent source of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, selenium and phosphorus and a good source of niacin, vitamin B6, iron and riboflavin. Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide, and red meats provide a readily available and easily absorbed source.

-- Jeffrey J. Sindelar, assistant professor, UW-Extension Meat Specialist

Males, not children, should be removed

State Journal columnist Bill Wineke makes several good points in his analysis of the fundamentalist Mormon child sexual abuse case in Texas.

However, he and everyone else who has opined about this case miss one very important fact: Typically in cases of suspected child sexual abuse, the perpetrator -- not the child -- is removed from the home.

Child welfare is about immediately protecting the child victim from further harm and focusing on restoring safety and normalcy to the child's life as quickly as possible, with minimal disruption. By allowing the alleged male perpetrators to remain comfortably in their homes and instead removing the victims, separating them from their mothers, and warehousing them in the San Angelo Coliseum, Texas child welfare authorities have used Gestapo-style tactics to further victimize entirely innocent children.

Removing the alleged perpetrators, obtaining child protection restraining orders to forbid further contact and allowing the legal system to do its work of proving or disproving the charges is the simpler, more sensible approach that effectively protects and least harms the children.

Texas Social Services have it backwards; they are essentially protecting the male abusers and placing the welfare of the women and children last, which is classic "blame the victim " policy that permits sex abuse crimes to go unpunished.

-- Paula Dail, Mineral Point