Letters: Oct. 17, 2005

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(5 of 5)

"How to Spend (Almost) $1 Billion a Day" reported on the Federal Government's massive post-Katrina rebuilding effort [Sept. 26] and stated, "Most of the major Katrina contracts doled out so far have been for temporary housing, and they have gone, by and large, to companies with strong ties to the Bush Administration." Average Americans have rallied to help those who are recovering from the hurricane crisis. I am curious to know what our President, representatives and wealthier citizens have personally contributed. Recovery should not be paid for by cutting funds for health care and other vital federal programs, as some have proposed. While helping the hurricane victims, we still need to maintain spending on research, education, environment, medical care and energy alternatives.

ALISON OZER

Amherst, Mass.

The federal government cannot afford to foot the entire bill for reconstruction and relocation projects related to disaster relief. I propose that all federal funding for the war in Iraq be diverted to the hurricane-recovery effort. Then the money needed to pay for the war would come from members of the Bush Administration, Congress, private citizens and corporations who supported (and in many cases profited from) the invasion of Iraq.

DAVID W. MCCREERY

Salem, Ore.

Building homes in an area below sea level, on a floodplain or near an earthquake zone is stupid. Billions of taxpayer dollars should not be spent to rebuild New Orleans in its present location. Disasters like hurricanes Katrina and Rita will happen again and again!

JERRY MAZENKO

Garden Grove, Calif.

Water Worries

Your report "Western Water Wars," on the plans of the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to diversify its water resources, contained an unfortunate implication [Sept. 5]. The foundation of Nevada's water law is that the state's water belongs to all its citizens, not just to residents of a particular community. All the SNWA is proposing is to utilize an unused, naturally replenished groundwater supply. The SNWA has also expressed a willingness to go beyond the legal requirements to address the concerns of all stakeholders about having an adequate supply of water and ensure that their communities and lifestyles are protected. Your article did not adequately represent our commitment to be both a good neighbor and a responsible steward of water resources.

PATRICIA MULROY, GENERAL MANAGER

SOUTHERN NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY

Las Vegas

Vulnerable Borders

In "Syria Gets the Cold Shoulder" [Sept. 26], TIME reported that most world leaders were unwilling to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad at the U.N. World Summit and that President Bush blames Syria for not doing enough to stop terrorists from entering Iraq. Does no one in the Bush Administration find it ironic that it is criticizing a developing country for its inability to guard its border with Iraq while the U.S. has been unable to secure its own border with Mexico?

GABRIEL E. SARAH

Tucson, Ariz.