TO THE EDITOR:

I am again amazed at the intellect of columnist Peter Bronson. In his column ("City's law on pit bulls is a toothless Chihuahua," June 26), he suggests that if the city bans pit bulls, then the drug dealers will go away.

Why didn't we think of this before? Perhaps if we ban ink, then narrow-minded columnists who use illogical reasoning will go away. Throughout his column, Bronson has repeatedly shown himself to be less than animal friendly. Vicious pit bull dogs are a result of the drug problem; they are not the problem itself. The city needs to crack down on drug dealers, not use breed-specific legislation as a feel-good, toothless panacea.

A pit bull ban will not stop drug dealers from using the dogs or selling drugs. What happens when the dealers start using Dobermans, German shepherds, mastiffs or Rottweilers? Are we to ban those dogs as well? The problem is not the breed of dog; the problem is the owner. Yes, even your loveable golden retriever can be trained to be a vicious attack dog.

Wasting time, money and energy on breed-specific legislation is ludicrous. The city should not engage in this doggie profiling, and Bronson should do some community service work at an animal shelter.

Kim Adams, Edgewood

Quality not improving with tuition increase

I'm in my fifth year at UC, and I'm not surprised at all that the tuition is increasing. But I thought economics that teaches us higher prices for better product. The sad part is that for the raised price, the quality of the education is obviously not getting any better, and has actually gotten worse over the past four years due to the distractions of construction. Around campus signs say, "We're building a better UC for you." Who are they kidding? For the past three years, most of the campus has been under construction, and it probably will be for another three years. Note to the administration: You can't be building a "better UC" for students there now, cause it won't be done by the time they graduate.

Anthony Fehring, Batavia

Race didn't need to be part of hit-and-run

In reading the story ("Man hit by car left to die," June 25) that described how Chante Jawan Mallard allegedly ran into a homeless man then ran and left him impaled in the windshield of her car to die, one sentence in the story jumped out as not belonging. The sentence read the victim was white and the driver is black. Since we live in such a "diverse" society, I wondered why that sentence was necessary. Then I recalled a comment that was made on the Catherine Crier program on Court TV. One attorney said, "I can understand why a young black woman wouldn't want to call the police after running down a white man."

I believe both statements are totally racist, and I am deeply offended. I guess soon we'll have to excuse crime based on affirmative action cases.

Debbie Bolen, Price Hill

Stopping litter is everybody's problem

I, too, would like to make some comments regarding the editorial ("Litter: undermines neighborhood; Tougher Enforcement," June 21) and the letter to the editor by Kathleen Rainey ("Litterbugs need to take pride in neighborhoods," June 24).

Seems to me it's more than bad parenting and getting the police to enforce this law. We all need to get more involved and let litterbugs know that we care enough about our community to say so to them.

Years ago there was a car accident in front of my home that took out the community trash can for the bus stop, and it has yet to be replaced. I have witnessed Metro riders get off the bus and throw their debris into our yards while the Metro driver watches. And most every day others and I will clean up the mess. Now, whose fault is all this? The police? Maybe, if they saw it happen, the city official.

It's too easy to blame others and let it go than to get involved enough to stop what isn't right. I'd talk more, but I just heard a Metro bus take off and need to check my yard.

Richard Biggs, Norwood

Assault on tax cuts missed the mark

The guest column by Gerald E. Kerns, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Dayton ("Only the wealthy benefit from tax cuts," June 20), trumpeted the dogma of socialism. In assailing President Bush's tax cuts, Kerns asserted tax cuts equal revenue reductions, which is demonstrably false. The Reagan era saw massive tax cuts simultaneously with a doubling of federal revenues. Kerns also linked jobs lost during the current administration to tax cuts. Again, the analogous Reagan tax cuts were accompanied by the creation of 20 million jobs.

If one keeps more of one's earnings via tax cut, one is still free to send that money to Uncle Sam for the purpose of sustaining charitable programs. I believe most of us would rather give voluntarily to organizations such as the Red Cross, etc., which provide services to people in need far more efficiently than does our bloated government bureaucracy. If our various government agencies are the charities of choice for liberals, I suggest they send their tax rebates back to the feds, as I'm sure they will, and allow me to spend my money as I see fit.

Stacey G. Woolley, Clifton

Commandments offer words to follow in life

These are commandments to live by. Suppose we left out the word "God" and posted commandments to live by:

• You must not steal.

• You must not kill.

• You must not commit adultery.

• You must not lie.

• You must not have illicit intercourse.

• You must love your neighbor.

Getting the messages across is the main idea. Peace be with all of you.

Bob Alexander, Mount Healthy

Train accident will haunt helpless crew

The tragedy that took place at Maher Road in Boone County on June 17 had many victims. ("Train kills mom, daughters on tracks/family car had stalled" June 18). The family, friends, and co-workers all share the grief of the terrible loss of a mother and two children. There were other victims as well. Victims who are seldom recognized are those who have to deal with the tragedy every day for the rest of their lives.

The crew aboard the train saw the car stalled on the tracks and had few options at their disposal. Trains cannot stop on a dime; it can take as much as a mile to stop a train moving at 50 mph. The crew had to helplessly watch the events unfold before them. All the train crew could do was slam on the brakes, blow the horn, and say a prayer. For information on rail-crossing safety, visit Operation Lifesaver at http://www.oli.org

J. Erik Landrum, Fairview Heights