To the editor:

A few comments on recent topics:

¢ Chicken owners should be allowed to keep their chickens if the accommodations are safe, clean and sanitary. If there must be an ordinance, set standards for the above. Leave the birds alone unless they are neglected or abused.

¢ Applause for publishing the “green” cemeteries article. Settlers traveling west in their covered wagons often buried their dead by the roadside. Other cultures observe funeral rites honoring their dead that have never included satin-lined caskets or a motorcade. Let us have real choice in our end-of-life decisions, please!

¢ The T’s future depends on all Lawrence citizens, not just the city commissioners. True, federal transportation subsides are down, money for many local public services is limited. Routes are too long and inefficient for the general public or daily workers to utilize the bus and leave cars in the garage. What if the city established a “public transportation pool,” where citizens could “donate” a percent of income (now used to gas and maintain their personal vehicles) to fund expanded routes and bus purchases. Local companies could establish voluntary paycheck donations to the city bus fund or an optional donation could be added to the city’s water bills. Does public transportation qualify as a “non-profit” since it receives public funds? Are citizens permitted to subsidize it? What can we do to help keep the buses on Lawrence’s streets?

¢ Lastly, Baldwin’s “deaf-mute” baseball player was “hearing and speech impaired.” His disability should not have been in the story’s headline.

M. Roy,
Lawrence