LETTERS - Jan. 25

ISSUE | CITYSCAPE

Target all areas

Joel Naroff's contention that the new Philadelphia Land Bank's work should be concentrated in limited areas misses the mark ("A targeted approach to urban renewal," Jan 18). The land bank must benefit every neighborhood, using strategies targeted to specific conditions in each.

For some neighborhoods, side yards and development on individual lots are key. For others with stronger markets, assembling parcels for market-rate, mixed-use, or affordable housing will make more sense. A strategic approach combined with neighborhood-based planning will ensure that the land bank improves the quality of life across the city.

|Alan Greenberger, deputy mayor and chairman, City Planning Commission, Philadelphia

ISSUE | BASE PLANS

Willow Grove park?

The loss of the priceless former military air base in Horsham to developers is for one reason only: their profit ("Not ready to soar yet," Jan. 22). Bucks County would be better served if the Willow Grove Naval Air Station became a park and recreational area - an oasis. Once Willow Grove is gone, it will be like a loved one's death.

|K.R. Kasparian, Doylestown, kaskasparian@comcast.net

ISSUE | SAUDI KING

Some reformer

Saudi King Abdullah's country "inched forward" toward reform ("Saudi Arabia's cautious reformer," Jan. 23)? Millimeters best describes it. The other week, a man got the first installment of a caning for promoting the Internet, and a woman was beheaded.

|I. Milton Karabell, Philadelphia

ISSUE | ATTORNEY GENERAL

Kane's capable team making Pa. safer

I was proud to have worked on state Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane's election team, and I came to know Kane as a woman of compassion and action ("The case against Kane," Jan. 22).

For nearly six months last year, my 15-year-old daughter was a victim of an online predator. Local police were doing all they could, but after months, I reached out to Kane. Within a day, a top investigator was in our living room, gathering information, and taking our kid's phone to perform a high-tech dissection to find the stalker. The intercession of Kane had ripple effects - local police and county law enforcement ramped up efforts. Not long thereafter, they found my child's stalker, who is now registered as a predator.

That's the Kane I know: a caring, compassionate leader with a deep respect for law and order. My family will always be indebted and will be voting for her reelection.

|Frank Keel, North Wales

ISSUE | COMMUNITY COLLEGE PLAN

Focus on access to four-year college degrees

President Obama's idea to provide free community college tuition is confounding. Since when is community college a middle-class aspiration? I can't imagine Malia or Sasha will be applying to community college any time soon.

|Julia Bohnenberger, Wayne

ISSUE | MENTAL HEALTH

Peace of mind with community-based care

As someone who was locked up in a state hospital and lived to tell the tale, I was stunned by a journal article by three Penn ethicists that called for a return to the psychiatric facilities that I have spent the last 30 years working to close ("Penn ethicists advocate return of mental asylums," Dec. 21). Studies have shown that individuals with even the most serious conditions can be treated in the community much more effectively, and at a much lower cost.

When Philadelphia State Hospital was shut down after an investigation of abuse and neglect, the hospital budget helped create a community-based system to serve those released and those who might have been served there. Six years later, a study found that the overwhelming majority of those released were living successfully in the community.

The days of finding an oasis of "safety, sanctuary, and healing" - as the journal authors put it - within the walls of an asylum are over. We need more community-based services, not more asylums.

|Joseph Rogers, chief advocacy officer, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia