Letters to the Editor

Bike paths needed

EDITOR: I was heading out to a meeting in Glen Ellen and thinking about taking a bicycle from my house in Sonoma. Then I remembered that there is no bicycle lane to make that trip. Arnold Drive has no room whatsoever for bike or even foot travel. I took the car.

My family has wanted bike trails in the Sonoma Valley for almost 30 years. Will Pier is a strong supporter of alternative transportation in the 1st Supervisorial District as part of his core issue of sustainability. So I am urging everyone to vote for Will for supervisor. I want bike paths soon.

BOB BAEYEN

Sonoma

EDITOR: There are lots of misconceptions about menopause and hormone replacement, and some of these misconceptions remain unresolved after reading Dr. Stacey M. Kerr's Tuesday column ("Focus on quality of life in menopause treatment").

First of all, we are all different (I say we, including myself as a man, because men suffer from andropause, a lack of testosterone, such as hot flashes, irritability and depression). One way to assess this individuality is to measure hormone levels. Hormone levels rarely dictate hormone dosing.

Second, whether a woman has the overt symptoms of hormone deficiency should not determine her use of them. Like many silent diseases, a low hormone level may not have overt symptoms but may be detrimental to health all the same.

Third, depending on other medications (Boniva et al.) to prevent osteoporosis may not be a sound approach as these drugs have problems associated with their long-term use.

Swallowing hormone pills is fraught with problems and should generally be avoided. Oral estradiol pills pass through the liver causing the production of substances that increase the probability of heart attack and stroke (it makes the blood thicker and stickier). Topically applied hormone creams or sublingual dosage forms made by compounding pharmacies are preferred for safety and effectiveness.

DR. MARK BURGER

Windsor

EDITOR: Do Sonoma County farmers and growers know there has been absolutely no crop or native plant damage from the light brown apple moth? The California Department of Food and Agriculture was forced to disclose this fact during two court cases they lost in Santa Cruz and Monterey.

Have farmers and growers heard that CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura finally admitted that the light brown apple moth has been established in California for six to seven years? This tidbit leaked out in May on Angie Coiro's "Green960" radio show.

Do growers and farmers realize that draconian state and federal quarantines penalize California producers, yet allow importation of Australia and New Zealand's light-brown-apple-moth-exposed crops once inspected? Or that the entire European Union doesn't restrict trade based on light brown apple moths?

CDFA must be compelled to do its job and protect our farmers and growers by reclassifying the light brown apple moth. One must wonder what would happen to CDFA's annual $74.5 million gravy-train should the "eradication" program be downgraded to appropriate monitoring.

From the beginning of this ill-conceived and dangerous program, the responsibility for protecting human and environmental health has fallen upon average citizens. Tell your elected officials, once and for all, that you will not tolerate needless exposure to untested pesticides for a pest that isn't.

LYNN ELLIOTT-HARDING

Oakland

EDITOR: I found the Associated Press article on Thursday, "House Democrats oppose Prop. 11," to be a bit humorous. Is it any surprise that these progressives led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi are ticked off at the idea of losing their total control over the drawing of districts?

Last time a redistricting measure was placed on the ballot it was caught up in the "no" frenzy when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger placed a number of measures on the ballot. I hope this time voters will take a more sincere look at redistricting. The Democrats, at least in the Bay Area, really have no worry about any opposition for any seat from a Republican.

I find the possibility of having representation in the state Senate by a person from the North Bay, and a person more in touch with the needs of our distinct, rather than someone from San Francisco, a very positive and exciting possibility. Isn't it finally time to stop the tail from wagging the dog?

Please take a good look at Proposition 11. Sonoma County has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

MIKE ZENONE

Petaluma

EDITOR: Charlie Howard threw a lot of numbers around in his Wednesday letter ("Derail this train"), but he missed the mark with his conclusions.

He suggested that the SMART train and pathway project will operate with multi-million-dollar annual deficits, when in fact the opposite is true. SMART's 20-year funding plan shows that existing revenues and a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax will pay for the construction, operation and maintenance of a 70-mile passenger train system and parallel bicycle-pedestrian pathway without the need for additional money.

Robert Eyler, director of the Center for Regional Economic Analysis at Sonoma State University, has examined SMART's funding plan and calls it "reasonable and conservative."

SMART makes prudent use of limited taxpayer dollars by utilizing an existing public asset -- the dormant Northwestern Pacific Railroad right-of-way -- to create an alternative transportation corridor to Highway 101.

Because the public already owns the rail line, building SMART is cheaper than building new highway lanes. The investment in SMART will create the backbone of a new transportation system for the North Bay.

More of the same is not an acceptable answer to our transportation problems. It's time to get on board SMART.

PETER O'BRIEN

Healdsburg

EDITOR: One can see clearly at gas stations how prices go up and down. But when it comes to food prices, it isn't always this obvious.

At Safeway, I've always bought an 8-ounce yogurt for 50 cents. The other day I wanted to buy it again, but noticed that the container was somewhat smaller -- 6 ounces -- but cost the same. Well, if one puts two and two together, this is an increase of about 33 percent.

Hello Safeway, nice try!

KURT BACHNIK

Santa Rosa

EDITOR: In response to Bill Berliner's question ("Obama trip," letters Monday) about why the media is paying so much more attention to Sen. Barack Obama's Mideast travels than Sen. John McCain's, it's just like why people would watch HBO rather than Fox News. The programming is a lot more interesting and substantive.

JEFFREY KAHN

Santa Rosa