There is a bright side: Bush was too young, or not well enough connected yet, to be president during the 40 odd years of Cold War when the Russians had missiles pointed at us - or the whole planet would be a cinder under his rash, hawkish and simplistic leadership.
John Cooker
Rohrersville
Roads short of funding
To the editor:
I am responding to the June 8 letter to you entitled "Here, anything is possible," by Daniel Moeller.
I certainly understand and appreciate Moeller's obvious frustration with the condition of our highway pavements. Frankly, it has been very frustrating for many of us to see the inevitable and not be able to stem the tide of degradation. My comment regarding the county being "strip-developed to death" was not intended to excuse these conditions that we are experiencing. I was merely pointing to the fact that these conditions only further aggravate the current situation.
Moeller appropriately recognizes that our road system has evolved from the "horse-and-buggy" days and therefore the vast majority have never been properly reconstructed. Doing so often involves enormous sums of money that have not been available to our highway department budget for a variety of reasons.
While it is easy to understand why one may lay this at the feet of public works as keepers of the system, it is equally important to understand that significant funding shortages have deprived us of the ability to properly address and keep pace with the ever increasing costs of materials to maintain the 830-plus miles of highways throughout the county.
Moeller is more than welcome to contact me for a meeting in which I would be more than glad to address his concerns and further explain our dilemma.
Gary W. Rohrer
Director of Public Works
Washington County
Friendly staff at landfill
To the editor:
On Monday, June 7, I visited the landfill on Earth Care Road with several bags of trash and yard debris. As a new resident to Washington County and on only my second trip to the site, I was unaware of the 3 p.m. deadline for entering the scales (a requirement for those not having a permit).
I arrived several minutes after the scales and books had been closed for the day. Not wanting to necessarily return to my home with the waste, only to return the next day with the same (only more odorous) garbage, I visited the main office to plead my case.
Thanks to Rodney (title unknown) and the staff at the solid waste disposal office, I was allowed the flexibility to drop my "belongings" with the promise to return and purchase my permit (accomplished on Tuesday). Another example of a warm new welcome to my new home in Washington County. Thanks to the very helpful and friendly staff at the site.
Dave Redding
Hagerstown
Child welfare a tough issue
To the editor:
The compelling story of the abandoned 3-year-old girl and her parents reported in The (Baltimore) Sun and in the national media showed the public that the work of departments of social services and the courts is much more complicated than the news stories often portray.
Social workers and courts deal with complex cases like Akasha's every day. There are no easy answers when deciding whether public servants ought to award custody to one parent or the other - or none of them. The system deals with society's most dysfunctional families, with placement decisions much easier made in hindsight than they are on the spot.
The news reports on Akasha's family show many of the problems that caseworkers and judges confront every day: stability, substance abuse, criminal histories, charges and countercharges. This seems like an extraordinary case, but aside from the national hunt, this is typical for caseworkers and juvenile court judges and masters.
We don't know what lies ahead for Akasha, but many good people have asked to adopt her, both because of her national celebrity and the fact that she is so adorable.
Thousands of other children caught up in the same child welfare system because their families have broken down are not so lucky, but their stories are just as complex.
C. Richard Miller
Chairman
Maryland Association of Social Services Boards
President getting the job done
To the editor:
