Letters, 8/13: Budget priorities a concern

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I am certainly happy that the City Council and Mayor’s Office worked out a solution to the StarTran budget so that services would not be cut during the day. Thank you to all involved and to the Journal Star for your Aug. 11 editorial in support of the compromise.

However, I am compelled to express a concern for the strange priorities of this budget and the idea that public transportation costs should not be shared by the entire community.

The taxpayers share in the cost of police, fire and rescue, infrastructure needs, human service needs and parks. It is recognized that these are services that a community needs to invest in if we expect to remain an inviting and viable community. However, when it comes to public transportation, it is considered an expense and not an investment.

The energy crisis is not a new issue. Since the early ’70s our nation has faced increasing fuel costs. Instead of giving incentives for people to move out to the suburbs and increase their commute, we should be giving them incentives to take the bus, walk or ride their bike to work, school and entertainment. Many of these items are part of the comprehensive plan, but it seems this community-generated document is no longer adhered to.

I understand the idea that rider fees should be increased, even though this seems to be another disincentive to ride the bus. We pay fees to participate in parks and recreation activities. We pay fees for building permits and for health services; perhaps it is only fair to raise the rates for bus service.

On the other hand, our roads are subsidized both personally and through taxes. If you calculate the cost to own a car, insure a car, fuel a car and to build roads, it would become even more obvious why the community must invest in public transportation.

Additionally, if our leadership advocated for a “green” city, it could be a huge economic incentive for new and innovative business. Finally, to raise the bus fares by 40 percent seems excessive. In a multimillion dollar budget, surely StarTran can find $73,000 to avoid an increase for those who need the bus to get to work, medical services and shopping.

Terry Werner, Lincoln

Time for policy change

On July 27, the Journal Star featured articles about the foster care system in Nebraska. While the major focus of the stories was the relatively high rate of turnover in case workers, it is clear that the system is simply overloaded with children.

The Health and Human Services System policy of excluding gay and lesbian foster parents makes even less sense now than when it was first implemented. Just as the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy discards valuable personnel, HHSS policy restricts the supply of potential foster parents. In the interests of children caught in an overburdened system, it is time for the state to change its policy.

Vernon Williams, Lincoln

Congress let people down

What is Congress waiting for? They left Washington without addressing the current energy, climate and oil situations, all of which are extremely discouraging.

They failed to renew clean energy tax credits, so government incentive programs to support the solar and wind industries will expire at the end of this year, resulting in job losses and lost opportunities to promote the generation of electricity from clean sources.

We the people are ready to go greener, to quit depending on high-priced foreign oil, to ride cleaner mass transit, to go with affordable wind and solar power, and a healthier climate. Congress let us down.

Glenda Dietrich Moore, Lincoln