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Letters - March 5

ISSUE | UKRAINE Shining a light Thanks are again due to Trudy Rubin for her reporting on Russia's use of military force in Eastern Ukraine, with the goal of destabilizing and eventually seizing control of the country, and for Rubin's accurate depiction of how dangerous Russian leader Vl

ISSUE | UKRAINE

Shining a light

Thanks are again due to Trudy Rubin for her reporting on Russia's use of military force in Eastern Ukraine, with the goal of destabilizing and eventually seizing control of the country, and for Rubin's accurate depiction of how dangerous Russian leader Vladimir Putin really is ("Death of Moscow ideals," March 1). By presenting these inconvenient truths, Rubin's commentary educates the public and exerts pressure on Western political leaders to respond appropriately.

|Mike Connor, Philadelphia, mikecz50@yahoo.com

ISSUE | PA. BUDGET

Wolf's easy way out

Bold is not the word I would use to describe Gov. Wolf's budget plan; any liberal can, and frequently does, raise taxes ("Serious money," March 4). It's their universal remedy to any problem: health, education, pensions, and more. What I would call bold is to cut spending, but they never do.

Has Wolf heard of Detroit? Seen the pictures? Philadelphia is sinking fast, just like Detroit. The same criteria exist: sky-high taxes, uncontrolled spending at all levels, little savings because of inflation.

The only boldness I would attribute to the new governor is the rapidity with which he plans another tax grab.

|George Brown, Downingtown, tennisgeorgepa@yahoo.com

ISSUE | POVERTY

All together

The next mayoral administration will certainly play a critical role in breaking the cycle of poverty for thousands of city residents, but policy and budgetary changes alone will not be enough ("Reducing poverty would benefit all," March 1). There is a role for each of us to play to help lift neighbors in need out of poverty and shape the future of our region.

We can invest in education to ensure all children have the same opportunity to start school ready to learn, read at grade level, and graduate high school ready for college and career. We can invest in programs that equip adults with the skills they need for work that pays a family-sustaining wage. And we can invest in the health of our neighbors to help them grow up strong and age with dignity.

These are the building blocks of long-term quality of life. When we invest in the education, income, and health of neighbors, we empower them to take charge of their futures and strengthen our entire community for years to come.

|Jim Cawley, president and chief executive officer, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, Philadelphia

Donor certainty

I have become determined to form a private organization to provide children in poverty with a stable and safe environment ("Thinking smarter, investing wisely," March 1). However, I have encountered potential contributors who insist that money go towards programs directly helping the children, not to parents or caretakers. These contributors are not putting their heads in the sand; they just want to make a difference in people's lives with their hard-earned money.

|Rosemary Gregory, Horsham

ISSUE | UP IN SMOKE

One home's cozy while neighbors hack

With a wood stove, the concern is not so much about harming the atmosphere as it is about harming people who have to breathe polluted air, especially one's immediate neighbors ("Wood-burning comeback heats up," March 2). Wood-burning emissions of small particulate matter are thousands of times greater than those from gas or even oil burning, and they are well-known to increase the risk of developing asthma and heart disease and cause premature death in those already suffering from those ailments, and they also produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons linked to cancer. Neighbors of homeowners trying to save a few bucks a month by heating with wood stoves haven't signed on to breathing this toxic smoke.

|Joyce McGrath, Audubon

Might as well pass out cigarettes

While the heating cost reductions may be beneficial, this does not compare to the large health costs associated with wood burning ("Wood-burning comeback heats up," March 2). The risk factors of wood smoke compare to those of secondhand tobacco smoke. Families with young children should be particularly concerned about the large amounts of pollution, especially from older wood stoves.

Nor is wood burning on the same level as wind or solar energy, as the Inquirer article suggests. While wood is sometimes discussed as a green energy source, its combustion releases stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

|Mollie Simon, Clean Air Council, Philadelphia

ISSUE | ARTS FUNDING

Looking to high flyers to lead the charge

As for the shortage of funding for the region's arts, interest in the arts starts at the top ("Abundant culture, dearth of funding," Feb. 8). In the case of the Fabulous Philadelphians, they are a shadow of what they once were. The size of the Philadelphia Orchestra has shrunk significantly, it no longer has fresh recordings to market to a significant audience, there is bad blood left between management and the players from a bankruptcy, and it has a conductor who is certainly not going to make anyone forget Muti or Ormandy.

If the orchestra and other disciplines generate no interest and just continue moping, then they will get what they deserve. Which is nothing. And that's why the second tier of arts organizations is starving, because they are lumped with the leaders and suffer not by comparison, but by association.

|Jerome Zeiger, Philadephia

A home worthy of the talent

Philadelphia has two of the finest music conservatories in the Curtis Institute of Music and the Academy of Vocal Arts. But both of these institutions are relegated to performing most of their operas in glaringly inadequate facilities. I have long wondered why the two haven't collaborated on building an opera house. I hope both the Curtis and AVA boards will take up this cause.

|William A. Loeb, Philadelphia