The editorial "Time to reverse course on Meigs" [July 27] wasabsolutely factual and to the point. There are more business aircraftbeing produced than ever before, and the senseless destruction ofthe perfectly placed, 3,950-foot runway that can accommodate mostbusiness jets is absolutely without cause! The idea of another parkwhen acres of surrounding parkland remain rarely used and offer noattractions during the winter is insane.
What readers should be aware of are the mayor's most deviousactivities regarding the planned demise of Meigs Field during thepast few years. The candy counter has been removed, there is only anancient coffee machine available, restrooms are filthy and the once-beautiful terminal building, with a never-occupied restaurant on thesecond floor, has been allowed to remain in disrepair.
Landing fees have been tripled in the past few years and fuelprices are the highest in the country. The fixed-base operator whoservices Meigs is surly, and instead of welcoming business travelers,ignores them.
All this has resulted in decreased usage so the mayor can advisecity leaders that "Meigs isn't even busy anymore." The mayor shouldnot be allowed to determine the future of the airport. The easternseawall is crumbling so badly that half the aircraft parking spaceshave been unavailable.
This beautiful airport could be restored at little expense andshould be! It is part of Chicago and is important to the ever-increasing number of business air travelers.
Charles H. Wenk, member,
Illinois Aviation Advisory
Commission, Highland Park
I suggest instituting a standardized test for Chicago Board ofEducation administrators. The first question is this:
In the midst of a critical teacher shortage (3,000 teachers shortone month before school begins), to preclude consideration foremployment a large pool of talented, dedicated teachers who alreadylive right here simply because they have suburban addresses, while atthe same time expending precious resources to recruit teachers fromforeign countries thousands of miles away, is:
a) A brilliant excuse for a major boondoggle.
b) A textbook example of brainless, bureaucratic myopia.
c) Par for the course at the Board of Education.
d) All of the above.
In the spirit of the board's "teach for the test" educationalphilosophy, here's a helpful hint: It's the first answer.
Jim Morris, Evanston
Although I appreciate the value of regular annual checkups, at myage--almost 87--my experiences with the medical profession have beendisastrous.
As every driver knows, once you have one or more accidents, yourautomobile insurance goes up. The same is true for medicalmalpractice liability policies. So the friendly family physician--already plagued with overwhelming paperwork for Medicare, insurancecompanies, government agencies and other bureaucrats--must protecthimself or herself from often frivolous lawsuits by taking out theseextremely expensive policie
s.
So two things happen: The doctor passes on some of his new extraexpenses to his patients. To avoid any suspicion that he did not useevery possible precaution when treating a patient, he refers thatpatient to a great number of specialists--nobody should be able tosay he overlooked a problem.
Over the last few years, I was told to see an ophthalmologist, acolon specialist, a cardiologist, a urologist (who diagnosed prostatecancer), and I still feel as well as before I was exposed to allthese experts. I feel that I greatly contributed to the economy ofthe United States, since my doctors are collecting a fortune, and soare the laboratories that had to work up all those tests I had totake, and the pharmacies that sold me all those medicines prescribed--not to mention the manufacturers of prescription drugs.
Sometimes I think the Middle Ages healers who put bloodsuckingleeches on people's wounds and used herbs and various concoctionswere not so bad after all. At least they didn't have to fill outMedicare forms.
Hank R. Schwab, Douglas
I was disappointed because the Chicago Sun-Times chose to ignorethe facts of Ameritech's progress in serving our customers andinstead manufactured a sensationalized headline that was not at allsupported by your own survey or the facts ("Public hangs up onAmeritech," news story, July 27).
The facts are very clear: Ameritech continues to make significantprogress in serving its Illinois customers. The Illinois CommerceCommission and Citizens Utility Board have acknowledged thisprogress. Indeed, your story detailed how Ameritech is meeting ICCstandards for service this year.
Even your survey showed that a majority of customers ratedAmeritech service as above average. Fifty-four percent rated ourservice an "A" or "B." And 74 percent said service improved orremained at the same level. According to your survey, Ameritech rankssecond in customer satisfaction out of all utilities in the area.
We promised our customers that we would improve service and wetook dramatic steps to ensure the progress we have shown to date. Ina time when the news is filled with corporate downsizing and layoffs,Ameritech added more than 1,080 employees to its network organizationin Illinois alone. Our employees work hard every single day to ensureour customers receive quality service.
The truth is our customers are not hanging up. Rather, we haveheard their call and responded in full force.
Carrie J. Hightman,
president,
Ameritech Illinois
Regarding the letter ["Get with the program: Go metric," July 29],I can't help but notice something about the metric system. If themetric system is so good, why are 99 percent of the metric nationswelfare recipients of this old-fashioned, out-of-touch country?
Jim Reitmayer,
Antioch
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