Love Letters/Hate Mail

Letter from the Editor:

Rectification: Dave Simpson, an award-winning, nationally syndicated former editorial cartoonist with the erstwhile afternoon daily Tulsa Tribune, and then with the morning daily Tulsa World, began drawing cartoons for Urban Tulsa Weekly some several years ago. His cartoon for the Oct. 20-26 Issue on Page 7 depicted what UTW was told was his original conception of the city of Tulsa's ongoing dispute and angst with the taxpayer bailout of Great Plains Airlines.

Some of Simpson's peers in the editorial cartoon business noticed a similarity of this piece to a cartoon the famed, Pulitzer Prize winning Chicago Tribune cartoonist Jeff MacNelly drew in the late '70s depicting former President Jimmy Carter's contrived bailout of the B-1 bomber.

Simpson apologizes to Urban Tulsa readers for his using of the late MacNelly's original cartoon to illustrate a concept he would have liked to have called his own.

At the same time, Simpson has resigned from his contracted weekly gig at UTW and said he is retiring from the editorial cartooning business.

We respect his decision and appreciate the forgiveness of Simpson by Jeff's widow, Susie MacNelly in this matter.

Letters to the Editor:

Pass the Buck

Oklahoma should be bold and try eliminating all income, property, and sales taxes, and institute a business tax -- a tax on all transactions ("To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax," Oct. 13-19 issue). The scientists at apttax.com have developed a pretty good plan for how it could work. Less than 1 percent on every transaction would not only supply enough revenue to enforce laws, but would reinforce the idea that government should not control people, but the interactions between people -- ensuring that they're voluntary.

--Robert Murphy

Here are two areas to tax to get Oklahoma in the black ("To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax," Oct. 13-19 issue): 1. Casinos: The casinos are out of control. More money is being spent in Oklahoma casinos than any other business. Yet, we cannot tax them? Reparation is beyond fulfilled for this group of criminals.

2. College Sporting Events: Bob Stoops makes $5 million a year running this tax-free business that draws over 500 million a year in sales without taxation. None of which is required to go back to fund the secondary schools who developed the athletes being exploited for free labor in university athletics.

--C. Russell

Spouting Sense

I've lived in Dallas for 51 years and recently moved to Tulsa this past summer ("Water Works," Oct. 20-26 issue). In the beginning, the water was fine, then I noticed a change in the taste and smell. My son and I have been ill ever since. If you are going to use cities like Dallas as an example of how well it works, then get the chloramine level correct! I'm switching to bottled water until I am confident the levels are right.

--Shari Walters

Do your homework, City Officials ("Water Works," Oct. 20-26 issue). Chloramine has caused respiratory, skin and/or digestive symptoms in hundreds of people (that our citizen group knows of) in my Vermont water district, as well as in numerous other areas around the country and in Europe, Canada and Australia.

How many more people in my water district are there who have the misfortune of NOT having made the "chloramine connection" with their symptoms, who, as a result, are not able to GET BETTER like those of us who have?

So many chloramine sufferers who haven't made the "chloramine connection" go to the doctor over and over. They are prescribed steroid inhalers, skin cream, IBS treatment, etc., depending on the symptoms, whose symptoms return when they stop taking their medications -- or worse, don't get any relief from the medications -- because they are exposing themselves over and over on a daily basis to the culprit, chloramine.

I was one of the lucky ones. I figured it out. I'm fine as long as I don't touch my tap water or create steam with it in my home. Otherwise I have stinging bloodshot eyes, a pain in my chest (which I assume comes from breathing chloramine steam and aerosols in my shower, steam over the stove, or from the dishwasher/washing machines), a skin rash, and stomach cramping. Go to YouTube and type 'Chloramine In Vermont' into the search bar to see videos of Vermonters testifying to EPA and CDC officials about their respiratory, skin and/or digestive symptoms.

Then go to Google and search for Citizens Concerned About Chloramine to learn about the suffering caused by chloramine exposure in peoples' tap water that is going on in Calif. This is the real deal, folks.

--E. Powell

Building Bolster

Thank you for the article ("Meet Modern Tulsa," Oct 27-Nov. 2 issue). I too enjoy architecture and see it as an art form; to be appreciated like a beautiful song. There is no one style better than another. Thus beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We cannot preserve everything that we have left behind. But it is nice to know that there are those like Mr. Hood that are trying to at least keep a few pieces fresh from our past -- or perhaps our distant future all over again.

--Matthew Bridwell