Published: October 08, 2009 07:53 am      

Letters to the Editor: October 8, 2009

Band together to save Soccer Hall

It would be an absolute shame for the Oneonta community to lose the Soccer Hall of Fame. A potential gold mine for the local economy is seriously threatened due to alleged mismanagment, too many employees and a top-heavy staff.

If privately owned and operated baseball camps can be profitable in this area, then so should a state and locally subsidized operation. The Soccer Hall of Fame has a large, untapped potential for events, camps and tournaments, but hasn't been able to bring these to fruition.

Oneonta is Soccer Town USA and we need to ensure that it stays that way.

Some 80 years ago Oneonta saw the value, prestige and potential of an Oneonta-based Hartwick College. The community did what needed to be done, and the rest is history. Let's do the same for the Soccer Hall of Fame.

P. R. Holleran

Maryland

Boys show goodness in our community

Around the first of June, I was taking a stroll in Wilber Park when my hip dislocated and I fell to the ground. There were three boys playing basketball and they came running over to see if they could help. One immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. Another came close to my face and asked if he could get a blanket or pillow from my car. When I was settled, I told them that there was nothing more they could do so go back to their game. One boy said "those hoops will always be there _ we're staying with you until the ambulance comes." And that they did.

Maybe it was your son _ a neighbor, maybe? They are the sons of Oneonta and they represent the goodness that is present in this next generation.

I will forever be grateful to them and the village that raised them.

Pat Wilson

Oneonta

Take another look at red/blue map

In a recent letter to the editor, Jean Jones of Afton asked, "Where are the people the poorest, crime/corruption the highest, and the Democratic Party the strongest?" Jean then claims it's "California, New York, Chicago, etc.; where the map is blue." Jean invites the reader to "Take a long hard look at that political red/blue map!" and to "Be honest."

I took a long, hard look, Jean. Using the results of the 2008 presidential election, the map breaks down into 22 red and 28 blue states. Correlating those states with statistics from the U.S. Census website, I found that for the period 2006 through 2008, the highest poverty rate was in Mississippi, a red state, with four of the next five highest rates being in red states. The lowest poverty level was in New Hampshire, a blue state, with five of the next seven lowest levels being in blue states. The average poverty rate was 13.4 percent in red states, and 10.8 percent in blue states.

For violent crime, the highest rates occurred in red states. According to the FBI, the highest rate of violent crime in 2006 occurred in South Carolina, a red state, with 765.5 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest rate of violent crime occurred in Maine, a blue state, with 115.5 incidents per 100,000. The average rate of violent crime was 420.5 in red states and 402.4 in blue states.

Further, the 2000 U.S. Census reveals that people from blue states are better educated. Of people 25 years of age or older who have at least a bachelor's degree, the top 13 states are all blue, and seven of the bottom nine are red with the bottom four being red.

Conclusion: People are the poorest, crime the highest, in red, not blue states, Jean. Honestly.

Michael Perry

Davenport