Eyesore Drivel
The Eyesore section from the “Oh! Oh! Oh!” issue (LEO Weekly, Feb. 11) was certainly a startling bit of exposé. This “ghastly” (i.e. not very Victorian) and “unsafe” (i.e. my kids are off the hook!) property … and “on a block of impressive homes in the Highlands”?! Look around — this is pretty high-end stuff as far as the plywood-enhanced properties around the city center are concerned. Could the economic crisis be creeping problematically into Louisville’s darling enclave? I only check in once in awhile and probably missed something (like when a house on West Broadway got some ink), but thinking back to the turn of the century, I never would have guessed that the Eccentric Observer would be publishing this sort of tattling drivel. Are you asking us to call out the weed brigade?
Nathan Smith, Irish Hill
Sore History
These newer Eyesore clips need to go! Our city has long practiced whim demolition in urban areas — razing neglected but inarguably sound homes and buildings that have stood for more than a century. Neighborhoods like Portland, Shively and Smoketown have had these “eyesores” replaced with city-owned, vinyl-clad shit boxes or been left as vacant overgrown trash receptacles. These historic areas are being stripped of stock that would allow them to someday become kitschy little enclaves. Is anyone there old enough to remember when the entire Highlands was an eyesore? Please, be careful not to encourage the mooncalves at IPL to pick up the pace by drawing attention to homes already being taunted by the reckless ball. Oh, and all those old tobacco and alcohol warehouses are most vulnerable as demo allows our loathsome mayor to clear large pocket-lining commercial tracts. Come on, LEO! Help get the word out about preservation instead. Don’t play a role in its demise!
Stayce Mefford McCracken, Highlands
Church Hoppers Out
I am happy to read that the “Church Hoppers” installment in the Feb. 4 LEO Weekly will be the last. I find the whole idea of two people visiting churches and worship centers in our city simply to write pseudo-reviews rather insulting. The search for the divine is personal, and it must take place within our own hearts, and careful contemplation and deep thought must be included. For these two men to visit a church for one service and pass judgment on its message and view of God is simply absurd, not to mention insulting. In their last article, they are quoted as saying, “At St. Michael Orthodox, the lord was set apart, unapproachable. At Church of the Advent, he was a nice guy who just wants us to help each other. At Second Presbyterian, we’re pretty sure he’s boring — but since Zach was asleep, we’re not 100 percent.” Not only do they barge in on congregations they have no desire to be a part of, they have the audacity to sleep through the service!
I do not doubt the faith of these two men, and I do not presume to question their search for answers. It is unfortunate that they do not afford me the same courtesy. It is also unfortunate that this newspaper would choose to print such a story.
Lucas W. Adams, Old Louisville
Hypocrisy Defined
Billions of dollars for roads/schools/infrastructure in Iraq/Afghanistan = Defense.
Billions of dollars for roads/schools/infrastructure in our own country = Socialism.
Trillions of dollars for unnecessary international wars = Just bill us later.
Trillions of dollars for necessary domestic assistance = Where’s the money?
Massive, unprecedented spending during the wasteful Bush/Cheney years = No problem!
Massive, unprecedented spending to dig us out of the Bush/Cheney years = No way!
Controlling the ballooning national debt in the previous administration = Necessary spending.
Controlling the ballooning national debt in the current administration = Fiscal responsibility.
Most neo-GOPers and their propagandists make me laugh (and angry).
John Sodrel, New Albany
Mix and Match
It is so ironic how former President George W. Bush and the conservative Republican Party are always putting down government while at the same time extolling the Messiah-like virtues of unbridled free enterprise. Now, with the economy in the tank, the executive and legislative branches of government forced taxpayers to plug a hole in capitalism by bailing out failing banks. Unwittingly, our political leaders passed the legislation without establishing guidelines for holding banks accountable for how they used the bailout money.
We the people are the government. When politicians disparage government, they are putting down the people. If the GOP ever wants to lead again, they must learn that government is not the enemy. Greed, personal and corporate, is the enemy that threatens capitalism. A government whose economic system operates on trickle-down economics does not serve a majority of its citizens well.
Capitalism is not all good, and socialism is not all bad. We need to combine the best ideas from each economic system and forge a system in which compassion is abundant and greed is rare. “Enough is a feast” is a good economic philosophy to live by.
Paul L. Whiteley Sr., St. Matthews
Move It or Lose It
I hope that Kentuckians will take the time to review history and see that the Obama plan is a true push of what Roosevelt did in fraction during the Great Depression. Roosevelt half-stepped what needed to be done because he was worried about the deficits. That worry, while justified, slowed the recovery. Obama is a well-studied man with great advisors who has looked at history and learned from it. Obstructionists like Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning want to talk about the same old tired tax cuts. They focused on one small portion of the plan and led the people into distraction, just what they have always done in the past. Please wake up and realize that has not worked, or else we would not be in the calamitous position we are now in. While no bill is ever perfect, we need action now. How many more people nationwide and in Kentucky need to be put on welfare rolls due to job loss before we demand for our senators to act? Yes, the cost of the plan is high, but at least it will improve the infrastructure that we need to repair anyway while creating jobs.
We all know that there is nothing free in life. We can stimulate the economy and create jobs, or we can do nothing and pay out more in unemployment, welfare and food stamps. Which of those options makes more sense? Either way, we pay. Please call our senators and let them know that we understand how important action is right now. If you haven’t really looked, take a moment to look at the voting histories of the senators to see how many times they voted for things that helped the middle class and poor — which essentially are most Kentuckians. This is not the time to let them get away with voting their party agenda rather than what is best for their constituents.
Tina Scoggins, South End