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Letters, 7/8: Help trim waiting list

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Tuesday, Jul 08, 2008 - 12:33:19 am CDT

The June 30 editorial (“Conscience dictates trimming list”) is absolutely correct.

The Legislature has ignored these people since 2001. The special legislative committee studying the issues at the Beatrice State Developmental Center cannot do that without looking at the total developmentally disabled requirement. To do so would perpetuate the lack of activity since 2001.

The $83 million is a lot of money. If $5 million were put against the list today, that is 100 people, more or less. And the list will grow by more than twice that number in the next year! So that is not the answer.

The state has a responsibility to help those who cannot help themselves. The developmentally disabled cannot help themselves and cannot be their own advocates. They are citizens, require help, and we have ignored them for too long. And the problem neither goes away nor solves itself.

The governor, the Legislature and we taxpayers must recognize the cost and find the money. That is our duty!

By the way, we have two special needs daughters on the list, so we have more than a casual interest in what the governor and the Legislature do. And we are just beginning to make sure our representatives know the score.

Norma and Jim Bailey, Lincoln

Cause for concern

Working for a newspaper must be a challenge these days, what with flooding on the Mississippi, a bloody election in Zimbabwe and a presidential race heating up. But never fear! Brigitte Dale and Cara Pesek offered readers across southeast Nebraska in their “Catty Girls Advise” column (LJS, July 1) advice as to what sort of hat is stylish while boating.

Not only did they offer sound advice on choice of boating hat, they took this pressing issue a step further by correlating their hat recommendation to the sort of alcoholic beverage consumed by the boater. To the lay reader, these connections are deep and mysterious, so Ms. Pesek offered this crystal-clear example: “These hats (black or white straw) seem very dressy and would look out of place on a motorboat at Branched Oak Lake. Probably if you’ll be drinking can beer out of koozies, you can wear whatever hat you like.”

I’m so relieved to know that, but if I ever had the honor of meeting Ms. Pesek, I’d ask her why she chose to tacitly support illegal behavior. Consuming alcohol is illegal in state recreation areas. Furthermore, boating under the influence is illegal, not to mention deadly. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, one-third of recreational boating fatalities are linked to alcohol.

Eric Mooring, Lincoln

Larsen project explained

This letter is in response to Gary Gilliland’s concerns about a project in Larsen Park (letter, June 24).

In 2005, the Parks and Recreation Department partnered with the Watershed Management Division of Public Works and Utilities to stabilize the banks of a drainage channel in the southern portion of Larsen Park. A comprehensive stormwater management plan for Beal Slough identified the need to replace a failed concrete channel liner. The project was funded by the voter-approved stormwater bond issue, not park funds.

Neighborhood residents were invited to review and comment on plans as they were developed, and modifications were made in response. A natural approach was chosen, and we believe the project is successful in stabilizing the drainage channel from further erosion.

Vegetation has been planted along the length of the project, but it usually takes several years to get a good stand established. We’ve been monitoring the detention pond at the lower end of the project and will do additional planting later this month.

This channel stabilization project is a good example of cooperative efforts between city departments to manage Lincoln’s urban stormwater drainage system.

Gilliland said he believes our department has an “uncontrolled budget.” The fact is that over the past 15 years, the amount of city park land has increased 64 percent, yet the number of employees in our department has dropped.

J.J. Yost, planning and construction manager, Lincoln Parks and Recreation


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Mindless Robot wrote on July 8, 2008 1:53 am:
" You're missing the point. Catty Girls is purposely brainless. "

 Mark wrote on July 8, 2008 7:52 am:
" The catty girls have no clue, period. They have no idea what their talking about half the time anyway. (today's column is another good example.) No one listen's to teenagers anyway in everyday life because they think they know it all, but in fact have know very little.
As an avid boater, I can say people wear all sorts of hats. No hat is better or worse than the other. To think people actually think style is important on the lake goes to show how out of touch with reality these girls are with their advice. "

 Julie wrote on July 8, 2008 8:10 am:
" Why is it the state's responsibility to care for those who cannot help themselves? Why doesn't the family take responsibility or turn to the church? Why must everything be funded by government? Before long, the government will have control over those things that you didn't want to give up, but because we have slowly ceded everything else to it, it will be an even more powerful force and then we'll all wonder why we don't have a say . . . "

 JB wrote on July 8, 2008 8:37 am:
" Lighten up Eric. The Catty Girls were HIRED for this type of column. Although I'm sure they're capable, their job isn't to write about the world news. And with the heading "Catty Girls Discuss" I guess I'm unsure how an intelligent reader would think they're going to open up a column about the lowering value of the dollar on the world market, or tax subsidies, or genocide in Rwanda.

And I HAVE actually met Ms. Pesek. In fact, I've talked to her on more then one occasion while running endless miles getting ready to run a FULL marathon. She's a delight. Attractive, smart, well spoken, and in great shape... everything a guy like you could only wish to converse with. Too bad she wouldn't give you the time of day. "

 Matt wrote on July 8, 2008 8:51 am:
" There's also the possibility that she didn't know that Branched Oak was a state park, as many of its drinking visitors must not know, as well as the thought that maybe OTHER people on the boat were drinking, not the driver. What a worthless complaint letter. "

 Sean wrote on July 8, 2008 9:20 am:
" OK Eric. What do you really expect from the "American Idol" generation? Deep thoughts? Most of the Millenials can barely make it through a 60 second TV spot let alone a newspaper column. "

 dish wrote on July 8, 2008 9:23 am:
" Do you think maybe the reason for the catty girls column is to break the monotonous depressing everyday news? "

 Gene wrote on July 8, 2008 9:28 am:
" I hope Mr. Mooring can continue to find richness and meaning as the city of Lincoln's moral compass. "

 Well wrote on July 8, 2008 9:38 am:
" I've asked why my taxes take care of the unfortunate, not because I'm
greedy but I've struggled all my life to put a roof over my head. What
disturbes me is, the people that put their challenged children in a facility for all of us to pay for, while they are buying top of the line
new cars, live in much nicer homes than I do, pay to belong to golf clubs
and other clubs, take nice vacations and tours (something I have NOT had
in my whole life & never will) live wonderful social lives, and all the
while I'm stuggling to pay these out of sight taxes and help provide for
their children!! Financially I'm a very giving person, but it always
brings to mind the responsibilities of a neighbor when I was growing up,
who she and her family lived on a tiny farm in a tiny house with 9
children, one with multiple sclerois in a wheel chair, unable to leave
the wheel chair day in and day out, their farm produced barely enough to
survive, the mother was crippled from polio and yet cared for those 9
children, always happy, in a tiny two bedroom house, the parents and
invalid son slept in one room and the boys in another, and the girls "got"
to sleep in a tiny make shift board floor attic, which as a kid then, I
thought was neat!!! Years later the father (who never worked) died and
she was left to care for her son on her meger income, and did this until
he was 49 and she died and he was put in a nursing home and a year later
he died. No state financial help, she never had a vacation in her life,
yet she was very happy and raised all those children to be responsible
happy people. God will sort this all out one day, but it seems we rely
to much on the government rather than taking our own responsibilities.
We've been forced to learn, if things don't turn out like we want it to,
then dump 'em and force the public to pay, whether its a hardship on them
or not, they could care less!!! My neighbor lady of days gone by, will
surely have a gold star in her crown!! "

 Hey Matt wrote on July 8, 2008 9:52 am:
" You cannot enter Branched Oak or any state park without passing a large sign stating it is a state park and that alcohol is NOT permitted. That means everyone in the park and on the water and not just the boat driver. "

 JB wrote on July 8, 2008 10:41 am:
" Oh, that's right Sean... chalk it up to "todays generation" not being as intelligent as your generation. That's hillarious. I'd sure love to roll my eyes through this comment box. Or maybe, as I said before, it's because Cara and Brigitte were hired to do a column like that. In the ten years I've lived here, the "holier then thou" crowd of Lincoln has never ceased to amaze me. "

 Lighten Up Much wrote on July 8, 2008 10:47 am:
" Eric, I can't believe you have wasted this valuable time writing a comment to Catty Girls when you could have been saving the world from all of it's ills. Or that you spent the time reading the column to begin with! What kind of wasteful sloth are you?

Lighten up! A certain amount of airhead humor is required or we'd all go mad. There are a lot of horrible things going on in the world from which everyone needs a break. Your break may be more highbrow... but... Catty Girls is just a lighthearted column. I'm assuming you don't read the comics or the advice columns either? "

 Waste of Time wrote on July 8, 2008 11:21 am:
" The sheer fact that someone would waste time writing a letter and mailing it to the paper about the Catty Girls Discuss blog is mind blowing. I often times think that what they say is stupid, trivial and pointless; but that is what it is supposed to be. "

 DG wrote on July 8, 2008 11:26 am:
" Mr. Yost... Maybe if the supporters of the City Parks, i.e. all of the fund raisers and backers of the failed park bond a year or so ago would stop and think FUNDING MORE PARKS = MORE FUNDS NEEDED TO MAINTAIN, maybe, just maybe, the Parks department would be able to continue to fund themselves! Where are all of those "public" figures you used in the campaign?

Take this for a fact.. PARKS are a LUXURY item! Not a necessity, or core services such at a Fire Department, or a Police Department.

You wanted more land, you got it, now in the words of Mr. Svoboda, DEAL WITH IT! "

 Yup wrote on July 8, 2008 11:32 am:
" I can't believe the selfishness of some of the comments. Lord help you if you ever need help with a disability and find no one cares any more. It's too bad you don't want your precious tax dollars to go to anyone less fortunate than you. But thankfully, most aren't as selfish as you and are willing to help with the monumental and financial task of caring for the disabled. "

 Focus Eric wrote on July 8, 2008 11:55 am:
" Eric, dude, what with "flooding on the Mississippi, a bloody election in Zimbabwe and a presidential race heating up," you're all wound up over a fluff column in the living section? Prioritize, man! "

 Agatha wrote on July 8, 2008 12:15 pm:
" To Well - I can't say how I would deal with the responsibility a special needs child, but I am not sure you can't compare the situations of the past with today's situations. I believe your examples of today's families are extreme abuses within the system. Perhaps if the govenors would not continue to cut the budget for the caseworkers who supervise or verify families' claims there wouldn't be as many abuses!

What kind of government support really existed all those years ago when that woman took care of her family? (It had to be a while ago if she had polio.) Don't you think people wondered why her husband didn't work? (You didn't say he was incapacitated as well.) They may have received some help from their church or a charity that you didn't know about. What happened to the son in the nursing home? Who paid for that year he was in the nursing home? Maybe he didn't get the care he deserved becaause the home considered him a "charity" case.

As many flaws as there may be in today's system, I rather support it than the lack of a system in the past. That mother had to have gone to bed many nights worried about how she would take care of her family the next day. The Lord provides, but sometimes His provisions can come in the form of Health and Human Services, I believe. "

 Dave wrote on July 8, 2008 12:30 pm:
" The Catty Girls discuss is indeed ridiculous. But it's no more ridiculous than Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, American Idol, Brangelina, television shows, commercials and Celebrity news.

So why is it in the Newspaper? Because people like the distraction. Why do all the magazines at the grocery store check-outs have above mentioned celebrities and topics splashed on the cover week after week? Because people buy it. Reading about flooding, Zimbabwe, and politics requires thought and effort, and frankly, it can be a little depressing. Many people are (surprise, surprise) too interested in themselves to care about what's going on around the world. Besides, if you knew about the problems you might feel compelled to get off the couch, turn off the television and act.

I don't think there's anything wrong with Catty Girls Discuss/Advise. If that gets people reading the paper, or if it gives folks a little break from their real problems, then it can only be a good thing. "

 Lindsay wrote on July 8, 2008 12:41 pm:
" After reading the day's events...likely someone doing a suicide bombing in Pakistan, another earthquake/typhoon/hurricane/tornado in some different city, county, state or country, I like heading over to Catty Girls to enjoy the lighter side of life. I don't think that discussing the latest trends automatically makes someone an ignorant bimbo, and I'm trying very hard not to believe that someone who takes 20 minutes out of their day to express their outrage at a column on boating hats is a boring square. But seriously if you are attacking Cara and Brigitte why aren't you complaining about Kent Wolgamott watching movies and listening to cd's all day and writing about them? Now I'm trying REALLY hard to believe that you aren't a misogynist. "

 wally wrote on July 8, 2008 12:48 pm:
" Not only does the Journal Star allow a column like "Catty Girls" to go on; they also devote an entire page to non-sensical cartoons! How can any self-respecting paper waste valuable space on a cat that eats lasagna and an old viking husband? Clearly, the younger generation and the newspapers that serve them are morally bankrupt and useless to the greater public. (Sarcasm Off) "

 to Eric wrote on July 8, 2008 2:16 pm:
" Do you often wonder why nobody goes to Branched Oak or any other state lake? It is because you can't drink on a boat or shore. The driver should never be drinking(obviously) but for the state to make it illegal for others to drink not only on the boat but on the shore is plain extreme. Leave it to Nebraska to take the fun out of pretty much every thing. Every wonder why nobody goes camping? You guessed it you can't drink one drop at any state lake or campground. "

 Matt wrote on July 8, 2008 3:06 pm:
" Well, that sign's obviously stopped all of those many people who drink there anyway, right? "

 DR wrote on July 8, 2008 6:25 pm:
" I had friends who came to visit Twin Lakes...once. They couldn't beleive the "no alcohol" law. Other states without extreme laws attract all of thier camping business every weekend of the summer. Nebraska loses again, I think? Maybe not. Some Nebraskans can have plenty of fun without alcohol. "

 Eric Mooring wrote on July 8, 2008 8:52 pm:
" This is the writer of the “Cause for Concern” letter and I am, in fact, 17 years old and a student at Lincoln Southeast High School. (If you don’t believe me, do a Google search on my name.) I must say that I find it unfair to lump all teenagers and "millennials" into one group, but I do understand why many of you seem to hold that stereotype. I, too, am often appalled by the conduct and poor decision making exhibited by many young people in this country. (See today's front page story on drinking on college campuses for an example.) For what its worth, I recognize that not everything in the newspaper can (or even should) be a serious policy topic. However, I see a clear difference between pointless yet harmless fluff (e.g. a cartoon with a cat eating lasagna or the Catty Girls most weeks) and a column that perpetuates a cavalier attitude toward a pressing but largely unacknowledged public health and safety issue. "

 Yup wrote on July 8, 2008 10:00 pm:
" Sorry boys, but the campgrounds at the lakes are full every weekend. Drinking is going on within individual campsites, it's just the overly drunken party that gets asked to leave. And why would anyone think it's OK to get in a boat, and drink and drive. With jet skis and water skiers cutting in front of you, you need to have a sharp mind not to run over people. We camped for years and never had a problem drinking in our site, just had a coozy over the can, or poured it in a glass. Of course, we didn't get drunk and obnoxious either. "

 CS wrote on July 8, 2008 10:59 pm:
" Appalled as you may be, Eric, college students are, for the most part, adults. They are free to make their own decisions. I would focus your efforts on your peers. College students don't just go to school one day and *PoOf* decided to drink. I would suspect that many of your classmates can't honestly answer that they have never drank alcohol, and the stats for HS alcohol consumption are just as bad as those for college students. "

 Well response wrote on July 9, 2008 1:20 am:
" Your tax dollars support more than children with disabilities. Tax dollars also support adults with disabilities & that includes veterans, elderly in nursing homes, people with financial problems (such as single parents), mental disabilities, etc. You also must hang out in a different circle than what I do. I've worked for several years in schools & in residential settings with disabled people. During that time, I've yet to see their parents/guardians live high off the hog. Most of their own personal money (not the social security checks that they get for their family member) goes to supplement what your tax money doesn't supply such as therapies, paying respite caregivers, providing basic necessities (furniture, rent, transportation to work & medical appointments, clothing, personal supplies such as wipes & diapers--& that's just a small list of what I've seen parents pay for), etc. In this day & age, families can't or won't pitch in like they used to. And I'm not blaming the families because they have their own lives to live too & there's a lot more distance between families (such as living in different states) than what there was several years ago. Most churches help out when they can but what the parents need is respite care & most church members can't be that unless they're adequately trained for the child's needs. Also, I've seen parents of disabled children struggle to find jobs where they can work around their child's schedule (school, work, appointments, etc.) & it's not easy to find that. I've seen parents lose jobs because of excessive absences. They were gone or had to leave work in order to take care of their kid or kids. I'm glad your neighbor was able to take care of her son. But I'd like to know why didn't 1 of the siblings step in to take of her son after she died? Why did he have to go to a nursing home? Probably for some of the reasons that I listed earlier. This is a different era & it's not fair to compare today's parents with disabled kids to those in the past. "

 Eric Mooring wrote on July 9, 2008 9:10 am:
" CS-You are absolutely correct regarding illegal high school alcohol consumption. In fact, the younger people are when they start drinking, the more likely they are to develop an alcohol abuse disorder. I cited the story on college drinking simply as one of many possible examples of the problems in our society linked to alcohol. "

 Nina wrote on July 9, 2008 12:49 pm:
" I question why any recreation in a public place should need alcohol to make for an enjoyable time? What happened to our characters, personalities, etc. that we cannot have a good time without drinking booze? Mercy, we as a general society are lacking! I hope I never have to resort to drinking to have a good time, or that the availability of liquor would ever govern my choice of where and how to have fun. My life priorities do not include this behavior, and it concerns me that so many others' do. It's not mentally or emotionally healthy to put such importance on liquor when there are so many opportunities and blessings to be had without it, I think. "

 Todd Mooring wrote on July 9, 2008 10:48 pm:
" Hi, I'm Eric's brother. It appears that the reference to serious events in his letter has misled people into thinking he's critical of the Catty Girls' silliness, instead of their endorsement of dangerous criminal conduct. What if, for example, the Catty Girls had discussed what sort of hat to wear while smoking marijuana? How many angry letters would the Journal Star have gotten for their implicit endorsement of drug use? "

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