Letters to the Editor: April 22, 2015

United voice

The reason I feel compelled to write is I visit OKC often and always pick up a copy of the Gazette because I believe it is a voice for sanity in these crazy times. I am never disappointed and this time really enjoyed the letter from Bruce Good (Letters, “Fat ass,” March 25, Oklahoma Gazette) about bullies being rude to people they see as outside their idea of the norm, whether that be body shape, color, sexual preference, religion or lack thereof or something else.

All the people on the planet are our brothers and sisters, so why shouldn’t we unite and do great things rather than dividing into warring camps?

Richard Hartgrove Austin, Texas

Needs v. wants

Oklahoma City has its fair share of issues to deal with.

We are the proud home of one of the nation’s worst school districts, one of the highest national incarceration rates and, dare I say it, a slowing economy because of the stagnate oil industry.

With our nation’s oil reserves full, there is no need for new companies to spring up because the big ones that found fracking solved our “global crisis” in a matter of years.

In fact, we now have so much that we can maintain full reserves while lowering the prices enough to destroy the only economy in which our biggest international threat, Russia, had.

This, however, is not a promising sign for our own community and state.

With prices low and a stagnate money flow, OKC may soon find itself in a predicament.

I am writing this to emphasize the basic problems with how our community spends money.

Take the MAPS program, for instance. We have put hundreds of millions of dollars into downtown development when only a few streets over, we cannot afford to keep our students and teachers in classrooms because of broken or inefficient heating and air units.

How can some of these people look at themselves in the mirror and expect this community to give even more?

We have seen our downtown grow and become a national destination in these past 10 years. We are to the point where the rest of the state will have to catch up.

If oil production were to remain slow, we will have to find ways for our money to circulate.

Building new condos for the few people in the oil business that can afford them will not help us in the least, should our problems continue. An idea: If you put $100 million into the OKC Public Schools budget instead of a new convention center, I am sure we would not be having conversations about highest dropout and teen obesity rates.

We do no ask for this money because we need a new downtown rail system or new convention center.

We ask for it because we need it.

— Alex Andolini Oklahoma City

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