‘Evacuation Strategies’

The front-page photo of Monday’s edition of The New York Sun showing a traffic queue miles long as motorists sought higher ground is indeed a frightening one. With this once-in-a-lifetime catastrophic event looming, people were seen standing next to their vehicles, perhaps resigned to their fate and the coming storm surge. Yet somehow, the opposite side of the highway into New Orleans is inexplicably car-free.

I ridiculed the absurdity of a similar scene in “Independence Day,” when Jeff Goldblum raced uncongestedly into downtown Washington, D.C., as everyone else is driving out bumper to bumper, thinking that could never happen, given the efficacy of our preparedness-planning even in the 1990s. But that movie is nearly a decade old, years before the realities of our current security concerns and extreme caution.

The potential tragedy of such a scene today is that, knowing Hurricane Katrina was slowly making its way northward and hours were available, contingency traffic-evacuation plans may have either not been declared, or worse, were not in place at all. Such plans are required for and practiced with the public in the event of an “incident” at a nuclear power plant, so one would think similar evacuation strategies would be appropriate in areas affected by hurricanes.

Either way, not making use of available resources such as untapped roadway capacity in the face of an impending massive storm borders on moral outrage.

STEVEN P. SCALICI
Staten Island

‘Double Dippers’

Re: “Lessons From the Double Dippers,” Andrew Wolf, Opinion, August 26, 2005. Thank you, Andrew Wolf, for your column. I feel that we too harshly punished both instructors. However, as an actor singer (I previously played Lionel on the TV series “The Jeffersons”) I was particularly saddened with Dorrit Matson’s example. Our public school system is starving its students with curriculums devoid of artistic expression and appreciation. We especially need practitioners of these disciplines to convey to young minds, and hopefully future audiences, the true value of artistic creativity in our society. The truth is that we cannot afford to lose good and qualified instructors in any field. Thank you so much for bringing to the public’s attention these two people who I feel were unfairly judged and disciplined.

DAMON EVANS
Manhattan

‘Sharapova’

Re: “Is Sharapova a Worthy No. 1?” Tom Perrotta, Sports, August 26, 2005. I read the first few paragraphs of Mr. Perotta’s article on Maria Sharapova. This is silly, to say the least; perhaps stupid.

The rankings reflect how consistently a player has been over the past year. It’s simple. At this moment, the most consistent player has been Ms. Sharapova.

That’s all there is to it. Now, as to whether Ms. Sharapova will maintain that position, we must wait and see. It is too early to pass judgment on her long-term ability to hold that position.

At 18, neither Williams girl, nor Kim Clijsters, nor Justine Henin-Hardenne had posted so impressive a record as Ms. Sharapova has. Take note that she is still growing, and that has hampered her play of late. Nonetheless, hers is the best record at this age since that of Martina Hingis.

DOUG MESSENGER
Los Angeles, Calif.

‘Private Accounts’

I must express disappointment with Jack Kemp’s op-ed “To GROW the Majority” [Opinion, August 20, 2005]. Social Security faces two problems. First is the congressional raid on the trust fund, which Mr. Kemp rightly notes GROW accounts would fix.

But the problem is also demographic. Without substantive reform, Social Security will not be solvent, and GROW accounts do nothing to address solvency. President Bush advocates solving the twofold problem of Social Security at the same time. He should be commended for tackling both the popular reform, stopping congressmen from selling our retirement on the congressional floor, and the more difficult reform, changing the inherent demographic problem of Social Security.

Personal accounts address both issues, and they bring instruments of wealth creation to all Americans. That’s something to be commended. Mr. Bush should stay strong in demanding comprehensive reform until the last possible moment.

CHRIS SCHRIMPF
Deputy communications director
Students for Saving Social Security
Cornell University
Ithaca, N.Y.

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