LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

Those who claim that the recent Anne Arundel County raids targeting illegal immigrants imposed unnecessary hardships on their spouses and children should remember that this is usually the case when folks are arrested for breaking the law.

Does not a $100 traffic ticket impose a hardship on a person making $8 an hour and his or her dependents? Does not a stint in the county jail for a drug offense create a hardship for the spouse and children of the offending breadwinner?

The situation is not to unique to illegal immigrants. All those who break the law, and who are responsible for supporting others, find themselves in the same situation.

Our nation desperately needs a comprehensive immigration policy. We also need to change our strategy on the war on drugs and other crime and punishment initiatives. That doesn't mean that we should ask County Executive John Leopold to selectively enforce the law. Mr. Leopold did the right thing. And he did a service to Maryland's law abiding contractors and their families. Many now less often have to compete with companies that use cheap, illegal labor.

Those who disagree with the laws should work to change them, not criticize those who are sworn to uphold them.

MICHAEL P. DECICCO

Severn

Care for disabled

I commend your recent series on the issues facing those agencies that serve the developmentally disabled. You have brought to light an area that is often overlooked but needs to be understood as a community concern.

The most recent article featuring our direct-care staff (Maryland Gazette, June 14) was particularly important to our group of agencies. The care our workers give is priceless and, if state funding would allow it, we would offer higher salaries.

At Providence Center, we work hard to find other ways to retain our staff, offering comprehensive benefit plans to meet the needs of all our employees, a generous vacation package and other incentives, such as flexible work arrangements.

Working with those with developmental disabilities can be challenging, but it is also very rewarding. It is why I started my career working in direct care some 35 years ago.

And it's why our staff members - a group of caring, committed workers - continue to come to work each day with a smile and a desire to enrich the lives of our participants.

With the right support, the men and women who come to Providence Center can be more independent. They can be artists, carpenters, gardeners, dancers, employees, small-business owners and so much more. They enrich our community with their work, creativity and presence.

I cannot imagine what life would be like for these individuals if Providence Center and similar organizations did not exist. I am so proud of our staff and the many others in our industry who are making such a difference in our community.

CHUCK COBLE

Executive Director

Providence Center

Waterfront dining

Thank you for your article on waterfront dining (Maryland Gazette, July 12). I just moved to Glen Burnie about three months ago and was told there were decent bars along the water, but hadn't found any yet.

I'm looking forward to trying out some of the places you wrote about. I'm very happy to have had the opportunity to read your article.

ROY BIRK

Glen Burnie

Low-cost housing

A recent article (Maryland Gazette, June 21) indicated that Anne Arundel County plans to build six low-cost, single-family, owner-occupied houses on county-owned property in Glen Burnie.

No doubt, this is highly desirable from a political point of view and will probably involve ribbon-cutting ceremonies, many photo-ops and much political congratulatory back-slapping. Maybe it will even involve some people from Congress.

However, with the exception of providing waterfront McMansions, this is the least effective approach to low-cost housing that one can conceive of. It is the equivalent of spitting into the ocean to raise the sea level.

Whatever happened to townhouses and apartments, both owner-occupied and rented? Whatever happened to building conversions, as at the former site of Anne Arundel Medical Center in downtown Annapolis?

I have a Ph.D. in engineering. For 15 years, before moving to Annapolis because of a job change, I was perfectly content to live in a townhouse development in Gaithersburg, along with many other professionals having relatively high incomes.

It appears Anne Arundel needs to re-examine how it can most effectively utilize its resources to provide low-cost housing.

DAVID WAKSMAN

Annapolis