The wrong environment for this piece

Why was “Bricks, Mortar and Our Values” [by John Balzar, March 9] in the Calendar section? It is more worthy of front-page placement -- further evidence of the Bushies’ and their right-wing religious supporters’ belief that the Rapture is coming soon and will save them from the huge deficits, the increasing nuclear threat, global warming, mercury-, arsenic-, lead-, PDBE [polybrominated diphenyl ethers]-poisoning and deteriorating infrastructure. The rest of us will just have to be personally responsible for our own tiny piece of the “ownership society.” And if the bridge under us collapses or our child develops learning disabilities because of the lead, mercury or PDBEs, we must accept responsibility for our choices.

Norma Arbisser

Los Angeles

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Why is John Balzar deployed to the dark reaches of the Calendar section? This fine, serious journalist belongs on either the front page or at the least the op-ed section. Your average movie-struck, celebrity-enamored, into-Michael-Jackson Calendar readers must wonder what he is concerned about. Perhaps “Eroding Infrastructure” is the name of a new horror movie?

June Maguire

Mission Viejo