Letters to the Editor

Readers write about baseball scandals, weather-alert information, the size of American homes, and common courtesy in today's job market.

Congress should be less concerned with baseball

In response to the Jan. 16 article, "Pro baseball is urged to keep focus on antidrug policies": Just what does baseball have to do with running the country? Congress is elected to run the country, not a game – or business, as baseball is if you would care to stop and look at it.

Teams are owned by people with an eye on profit, and to achieve that they do whatever is necessary to win. So, stop making a big to-do about it and keep our tax dollars working for all the people, not just the next story to sell more hype on the tube.

M.A. Steele
Ajo, Ariz.

Need for weather-alert radio

Regarding the Feb. 7 article, "Amid destruction, new alerts saved lives": The article highlighted technological advancements that have led to improved notification of tornado warnings and have resulted in an overall decline in tornado-related casualties. I would to like add that NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is another important tool that saves lives by providing immediate broadcasts of life-saving weather alerts issued by NOAA's National Weather Service. Though a weather radio receiver is the size of a small clock radio, it plays a big role in saving lives. Weather radios are readily available at a small cost that is worth the added assurance of immediate warning.

Jack Hayes, PhD
Silver Spring, Md.

Director, National Weather Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Larger houses redefine affordability

Regarding Michael Hill's Feb. 13 Opinion piece, "Don't blame subprimes": I must add one thought. Nowhere in his article is it mentioned that, although home prices were lower (as a percentage of income) 40 years ago, houses were much smaller. I believe the average size of a home today is around 2,500 sq. ft. Although I don't have the exact figure, I know that this is larger than the average home of 40 years ago.

My husband and I purchased our first home in 1981 and it was around 1,600 sq. ft. Many, if not most, of the people we knew were buying larger homes that were more expensive.

Today's expectations are that a home should have a master bedroom suite, multiple bathrooms, family room, large kitchen, etc. This was simply not the case in the 1960s or before.

I also note that Mr. Hill's company builds luxury homes, which were relatively rare 40 years ago.

I would posit that, along with the many complex factors governing home prices, one should not ignore the apparently insatiable appetite of today's consumer for overly large homes, luxurious granite-covered kitchens and baths, media rooms, exercise rooms, and all manner of excesses limited only by the imagination.

The out-of-control consumer culture of this nation cannot be ignored with regard to housing, just as it is a significant factor in driving up sneaker prices. Do we need a new type of mortgage – or a new type of thinking?

Robin Kuc
New Haven, Conn.

Courtesy needed for job applications

Regarding the Feb. 4 article, "Older doesn't mean longer," giving résumé advice to the over-50 set: As an over-50-something looking for work, I was inspired by the article to once again scrutinize my own résumé and make some valuable changes. However, I must comment on the observation that older job seekers are somehow behind the times when "they still expect an acknowledgment." There is nothing quaint about acknowledging another human being's effort. I have hired and supervised many people over the course of my career, and every résumé that has reached my desk received a response. The technology today makes the task that much easier.

Gay B. Maxwell
Brattleboro, Vt.

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