Trees Bien!

Dear Editor:

(In response to "Looking for the Lorax" in the Sept. 2-8 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

StopTheChop! PreserveTulsa!

The destruction of those mature trees is short sighted. No, they cannot be immediately "replaced," as Mr. Caldwell says, and "forgotten."

Tulsa was once known as America's Most Beautiful City. No longer. No kidding.

Thank you for this thoughtful and informed article, UTW.

-Jane

Who exactly is this decision short sighted for? The people that have to maneuver the sidewalks? The disabled citizens that walk the sidewalks on a weekly basis after church is out? Or is it short sited for the birds that will miss the trees once they take nest in the new ones? Yes, they will be replaced with new trees. Will it be the same? No. Will people remember the trees that were there? Yes. Have you seen the outdoor, treed and planted space that is being created by this new facility? My guess is no.

You want a real story? Go ask the Central Park Home Owner's Association why they just voted to chop down THEIR decade old trees (Yeah, the ones that are much older and larger than the ones that WILL be replaced on this site). Let's revisit this article in 2 years and see how many people have "forgotten" the "replaced" trees.

-rkitect

Editor's Note: The first thing construction workers like to do is get a good parking space and then get all the trees out of their way. It happens in neighborhoods, it happened all over the campus at TU, it continues to happen today in downtown which is more and more desperate for trees. If a healthy tree needs to be removed, someone with a lot of money (or the people they pay off) will always have an excuse.

Crossing Safely

Dear Editor:

(In response to "Big Biddness" in the Sept. 2-8 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

"The plan also calls for the creation of traffic-calming measures through the corridor, a move intended to make it safer for motorists...."

The word conspicuous by its absence from Mike's otherwise accurate article is 'pedestrian'.

While the traffic calming will indeed make Peoria safer for motorists, the primary objective is to make it safe for pedestrians. Pedestrians are considerably more vulnerable than someone insulated by two tons of steel. Too much emphasis is placed on the well-being of people who happen to be sitting behind a wheel. Of much greater importance to the social and economic future of the Pearl District -- or any neighborhood -- is the pedestrian's experience of the public realm, including children, people in wheelchairs, the elderly and people who choose not to -- or can't afford to -- drive. Taken together this accounts for 30% of the population, and the proportion is growing.

The first step in making a neighborhood livable is to create a dignified, safe, enjoyable, attractive public realm for the pedestrian. It is key to economic revitalization too: a successful 'public realm' (for the pedestrian) is essential. Pedestrians spend money. People sitting in cars don't.

-Jamie

Unintentional Comic Relief

Dear Editor:

(In response to "The Banksters Strike Again" in the Sept. 2-8 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

As tiring as Rall's rants are, there is a modicum of comic relief about them. And it really hard to feel sorry for people who bring problems on themselves and then whine because no one else is willing to help fix them.

Rall rarely misses an opportunity to remind us how much smarter he is than everyone else: Columbia grad, world traveler, genuine know-it-all. So tell me, how is a guy this smart with a stellar education -- one who worked in banking no less -- apparently unable to save or invest? If he had any useful skills, I guess he'd have more time to spend plying a trade of some sort, instead of hoping he can find a bureaucracy to fix his problems for him, with someone else's money.

As a die-hard Marxist, Rall thinks nationalization of markets is a good idea. Does he really think this is going to make bureaucracy any more responsive or efficient?

I can tell from reading this (and past) columns, he pays twice what he should have to for his mortgage, and three times what he should for insurance. Suggestion. Do what millions of others are having to do now: downsize to affordable lodging and insurance. Maybe find a nice affordable trade school. Even if he still can't find a job, he can at least take solace in knowing he finally learned to do something useful.

Because when the value of what you produce is zero, you shouldn't complain about your compensation.

-Todd Kreigh