Borrowers must live up to their responsibilities

The Post-Gazette recently reported on efforts by the Allegheny County sheriff to hold "reconciliation hearings" in place of foreclosure notices his office is mandated to enforce by law ("County Sheriff Pushes Relief in Mortgage Crisis," July 3; "House of Cards: The Sheriff Has a Smart Idea on Foreclosures," July 6 editorial). Community banks were not part of the subprime lending mess and because of sound lending practices have very few foreclosures. We know our customers, they know us and when we make a loan, we expect to be repaid under the mortgage contract executed between the borrower and lender.

The sheriff's plan fails to recognize an overall lack of responsibility on the part of borrowers as the contributing factor to the foreclosure. Home foreclosure does not happen overnight. As mandated by law, the borrower receives at least two notices of late payment required by Pennsylvania law (such notices provide for a temporary stay of the foreclosure proceeding) before the home enters the foreclosure process. I don't know about the big banks and mortgage companies, but I know community banks are always willing to talk with borrowers to work out, if possible, a way to avoid foreclosure. The bottom line, however, is that lenders expect to be repaid on a mortgage.

Western Pennsylvania is fortunate to have many stable and reliable community banks -- again none of which contributed to the subprime lending mess. While there are, sadly, unscrupulous lenders in the marketplace, who should be dealt with under the law, there is no substitute for personal responsibility. Perhaps the sheriff should put his office's resources into reinforcing that good old-fashioned notion.

FRANK A. PINTO
President/CEO
Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers
Harrisburg

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Community builder

Regarding "County Sheriff Pushes Relief in Mortgage Crisis" (July 3): I was very pleased to read about Allegheny County Sheriff William Mullen's extraordinary plan to bring distressed homeowners, lenders and court officials together in an effort to abate home foreclosures. Many in our communities face the terrifying prospect of losing their homes to foreclosure (1,459 of all 2006 home loans in the Pittsburgh area, according to your report).

The sheriff's proposal shows concern for the community and offers a sensible avenue to ease the burden these families face. George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson reported in their seminal "Broken Windows" piece (The Atlantic Monthly, March 1982) that abandoned properties are a catalyst for the demise of communities: "A stable neighborhood of families who care for their homes, mind each other's children and confidently frown on unwanted intruders can change, in a few years or even a few months, to an inhospitable and frightening jungle." Messrs. Kelling and Wilson also offered a model for police involvement in the community: "Above all, we must return to our long-abandoned view that police ought to protect communities as well as individuals."

Sheriff Mullen's proposal would protect vulnerable homeowners and safeguard the environment of Allegheny County communities.

JOHN W. PUTZ
Wintersville, Ohio

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Try talking

Gary Rotstein's June 30 Morning File column about RottenNeighbor.com was both funny and sad ("Howdy, Neighbor! Here's Looking at You!"). Too many people have problems with neighbors and become very angry and frustrated. However, there is at least one option that is more constructive than vicious Web postings -- namely, community mediation.

Conflict Resolution & Mediation Services of the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime will contact the neighbor and set up a mediation by trained, experienced volunteers at very low cost.

Mediations are basically confidential, facilitated conversations in a safe environment. Such meetings result in satisfaction more than 85 percent of the time. Well worth trying instead of making things even worse!

MARTHA HARTY
Coordinator
Community Mediation Program
Conflict Resolution & Mediation Services of the
Center for Victims of Violence and CrimeEast Liberty

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Calling on the press

We commend your July 6 editorial "Repair the Wall" for pointing out the dangers of ignoring our constitutional guarantee for the separation of church and state. In fairness, you credit tax-exempt religious institutions for their charitable work, while citing the inherent partisanship in a government-supported Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Unfortunately, your voice on this matter was missing during the primaries when the candidates sought to win a "Best Christian" designation from evangelical voters. The faith-based dialogue between the candidates should have been seized by your newspaper as an opportunity to bring to public attention the mistakes and abuses that have occurred in the faith-based initiatives of the present administration.

Certainly Barack Obama must be called to account on his proposals, and for, as you call it, his pandering. Though well-intentioned as they may be, faith-based initiatives should not be supported by tax dollars. As concerned citizens, we look to a free press to query all the candidates on the details of their various plans and proposals, while testing these proposals against constitutional law.

KEN and LEA JONES
Jeannette

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Airline rudeness

While I understand the rising cost of fuel and the necessity for airlines to make changes, what I do not understand is the way passengers are treated. I flew recently on United Airlines and spent 20 hours in O'Hare Airport with three grandchildren.

United staff could not have been ruder to passengers, particularly elderly people traveling alone and confused about where to go. One woman was told to sit down and "stop bothering us right now." One had to try to figure out where to sleep in a filthy, cold airport.

My flight home was delayed for two hours in one airport and three in O'Hare. All other airlines were flying, so I am unclear as to the problem.

United's 800 number was not even putting people on hold, it was just ringing busy. When I got home and wrote the airline a letter, it sent four certificates for future flights, but I am sure there are not seats on available flights. I will never fly on United again, and it will be a long time before I fly again. The airlines are putting themselves out of business with their rude staff and absurd delays.

BARBARA KRAUSE
Shaler

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The oil market

It appears that people in the United States may be suffering from a misconception that oil extracted from Alaska or offshore will solve our energy woes. What they fail to realize is that a barrel of oil is traded on the world market and that we would have to compete with China and India for our own oil. Aren't China and India among the reasons we pay $4 per gallon?

The United States would have to produce large amounts of oil to satisfy India and China and create a glut to bring the price at the pump down to any degree. I doubt the oil companies would ever permit that to happen!

NICK JARINA
South Fayette

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Make kids healthier with a simple approach

I write in regard to the Page One article about statins and low-fat milk for young children ("Lipitor for Your Child?" July 7).

The article makes a point we can all agree on: There is an epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease affecting people at ever younger ages.

That this epidemic is accelerating despite use for decades of low-fat diets and statin medications indicates to me that more of the same is not likely to help. Instead, parents should try the approach that gave us healthier kids before high-fructose corn syrup and government dietary guidelines. Make sure children get lots of whole foods, including whole milk, and less sugar. Leave medications for those with diagnosed heart disease: To give them to children is to make them medical guinea pigs.

I give this advice based on my experience as a 60-year-old man who takes no meds and eats no sugar.

ARTHUR DAVIDSON
O'Hara

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Drug dangers

The American Academy of Pediatrics' recent recommendation to give a lifetime of cholesterol-lowering drugs to children is careless ("Lipitor for Your Child?" July 7). There is no data in the medical literature to support the safety of such a recommendation and sufficient data to make the recommendation dangerous.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved dozens of drugs to lower cholesterol in my 30 years of medical practice and each, in turn, has been withdrawn for toxicity exceeding benefit. The current FDA-approved group of statins and fibrates damage muscle, releasing myoglobin to insidiously destroy kidney function, a toxicity that has already removed one statin (Baychol) and will inevitably remove all. Given the history of cholesterol-lowering drugs, FDA approval is not reassuring.

Animal studies indicate recommended doses of statins or fibrates invariably damage muscle as indicated by increased serum myoglobin. Cholesterol-lowering drugs are dangerous, even to those with a short life expectancy and should not be taken without a serum myoglobin determination.

JOHN K. WHITEFORD, M.D.
Verona

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