Ann Cipriani's letter points to the city and county governments as the problem of Pittsburgh's deeply entrenched "status quo" mentality ("Going Nowhere," May 31).

I would say it is the large companies that have the most to gain from keeping things just as they are and not taking the lead on quality-of-life issues unless they absolutely have to. Andrew Carnegie might roll over in his grave.

For example, our largest employer, UPMC, with its nonprofit status, does not pay its fair share of city taxes. And recently, a zoning issue was given special treatment.

Other big companies have far too free a hand -- that's why the air quality is bad.

Big companies are where the problem is -- not the City Council. The leaders of these companies should be asked to do more -- not the City Council.

Most of our big companies are doing better now than they ever have; if they played fair with the city as they should, the city would be going someplace, too.

JOHN HORCHNER
Friendship

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Your paper recently had stories of various attempted happenings in our city that seem to be resisted by someone or some group. Examples: the design of the new arena to replace Mellon Arena, the proposed hotel on the North Shore, the outdoor signs proposal, the parking garage at the casino site and the big flap about the Penguins' effort to put a temporary banner on Fifth Avenue Place.

And city government wonders why people and growth are leaving, rather than flowing into this environment?

Because of this current resistance to development, I, a city resident my entire life (75 years), recommend that the city's proud name be shielded and it be named Nixburgh! That might advise potential investors of time and money of the problems they will encounter if they attempt to enhance my city.

L.J. KOCH
Banksville

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Your May 28 article "UPMC Sign's 'M' Grounded," about the new, giant UPMC sign, only narrowly addressed the public reaction to the sign's missing "M."

Completely overlooked was the much wider reaction that I have seen in so many friends and neighbors, which is that this sign is an embarrassing eyesore that has ruined our skyline.

I was simultaneously astonished and infuriated by the appearance of this sign as if I had come home to find a big McDonald's logo on my house, and was powerless to remove it.

The missing letters of much greater concern are "U" and "I." We all deserve to be angry about the flagrant lack of public input in the decisions to install massive ads on our city.

MICHAEL MECCA
Squirrel Hill

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UPMC avoids taxes so it can help the sick and injured in Allegheny County for "free." Can we complain that UPMC paid its CEO, Jeff Romoff, almost $3.95 million in compensation? I think not. All honorable nonprofits compensate their executives.

Nor can we complain that UPMC has leased space atop the highest building in town and spent $750,000 to adorn the building with its logo (despite leasing only five of the 64 floors). Honorable nonprofits must still make their presence known. If UPMC was "for profit," it likely would have built its own building.

Lastly, I have no problem that UPMC maintains its nonprofit status despite earning $618 million in profit on $6.8 billion in revenue last year. Surely, we can all suffer increases in our property taxes so that UPMC can continue its honorable and charitable mission.

My only real concern is that the poor and needy will follow the gleaming signage of UPMC and find themselves in the lobby of the U.S. Steel building looking for care. Worry not, however, as I'm sure that Mr. Romoff can arrange for a tax-deductible limo service to transport such patients out to Oakland.

Let the complaints end. UPMC is a nonprofit, just as Brutus was an honorable man.

PATRICK J. LOUGHREN
Shadyside

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Letter writer Kevin Caridad complains that state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe is not prioritizing the needs of his district ("Wrong Priorities," May 28). Let's see. One of the largest economic concerns in our area is teacher strikes, and Rep. Metcalfe is leading the fight to eliminate these strikes.

Another major economic impact is the cost of school construction. With the ongoing expansions of several local school districts, the Prevailing Wage Act adds millions to school construction costs. Mr. Metcalfe is fighting against this unfunded mandate.

Another concern is increasing property taxes. Mr. Metcalfe is fighting for a voter referendum on school property tax increases, giving the citizens the choice to vote on tax increases.

Mr. Caridad complains about infrastructure funding, but Gov. Ed Rendell took $400 million in federal highway funds and used these highway infrastructure dollars to prop up failing mass transit systems in Pennsylvania. Mr. Metcalfe is leading the efforts to fund core infrastructure.

Mr. Caridad, a Seven Fields resident, blames Rep. Metcalfe for inaction on falling housing prices. If he thinks housing prices are falling in Seven Fields, he should take his complaint to those who have voted to increase his taxes, his local township and school district. Mr. Metcalfe has voted against every tax increase since taking office. Local taxing entities in Mr. Caridad's area can't make the same claim.

Rep. Metcalfe is addressing the needs of the 12th District!

KATHY SANDUSKY
Cranberry

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Regarding "For the Blind, Money Is a Currency of Independence" (May 22): There is no need to change the size or color of our paper money for the blind to be able to identify the denominations. A small hole located one-third of the way from the left and one-third of the way from the top of the bill would denote a 50. Add a hole in the upper left corner to denote a 20, or a hole in the bottom left to denote a 10, or a hole in the upper right to denote a 5 or a hole in the bottom right to denote a 1.

These holes could probably be small enough not to affect vending machines and should not cost a lot to implement. They might even be small enough not to be readily visible to the sighted.

LARRY DUNCAN
Cranberry

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A number of names have been mentioned as potential vice presidential candidates. I, however, believe that the names we should consider are: Teddy Roosevelt (following the death of William McKinley), Franklin Roosevelt (who was vice presidential candidate for the Democrats in 1920), Calvin Coolidge (who followed the death of Warren G. Harding), Harry Truman (who followed the death of Franklin Roosevelt), Lyndon Johnson (who followed the death of John F. Kennedy), Richard Nixon (twice vice president) and George H.W. Bush (who was vice president under Ronald Reagan).

In fact, rounded to the nearest percentage point, the number of days in the 20th century in which our president had been an actual vice president or an unsuccessful vice presidential candidate is 50 percent.

ROBYN M. DAWES
Oakland

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So Rep. Karen Beyer tells us that putting a cap on cyber school budgets (a cap that no other public or charter schools must live with) is reasonable because "any parochial school will tell you they can more than educate a child for $7,000" ("Districts Seek to Fix Imbalanced Charter School Costs," June 4).

Her claim that her motives are to save taxpayer money are specious at best, considering that she is targeting schools that spend far less than traditional public schools. Why target schools that are already spending only 70 percent of what traditional schools spend if you are trying to cut costs?

I have to wonder what exactly her motivation is, because as a parent of a PA Cyber Charter School student, I am perfectly happy with the school and my daughter's education and cannot understand why a system that is working so well for so many people is coming under repeated attack by Rep. Beyer and others in Harrisburg.

Cyber education is becoming widely accepted even at the college level, and attacks like Rep. Beyer's are akin to buggy owners trying to limit the number of automobiles that can be sold. Instead of fighting it tooth-and-nail, our leaders in Harrisburg should be championing our state's role as a pioneer in this new educational frontier.

KAREN WOOD-CAMPBELL
McCandless

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