Editorial

Children must be safe. Our communities should do everything possible to make sure our children are kept safe. I think most citizens would agree on these principles.

One way we ensure children's safety is to provide transportation to and from school, usually in the form of busing. In most areas in Wisconsin, current law requires a public school district to provide transportation for students attending private schools at least two miles from their homes.

Madison mayor clarifies his stand on casino referendum Thank you for allowing me to offer a clarification to an otherwise excellent editorial against having a casino in Madison. While I believe that the agreement I negotiated with the Ho Chunk Nation is a solid one that will protect taxpayers, I in no way see it as a windfall. More importantly I am against the casino and will vote no on the referendum. I believe that gambling is not the way to build our local economy or the quality of life that we treasure here in our city. I agree with the Catholic Herald and hope that on Feb. 17, the community will say no to gambling in Madison. Dave Cieslewicz, Madison Mayor

Transportation for all students. The state has an interest in ensuring that students in ALL schools, both public and private, arrive safely both to and from school. In 1967, a provision was added to the state Constitution (Article 1, section 23) to provide transportation for all students.

Most Catholic schools and other private schools attempt to coordinate their school calendars with their local public schools. There are some instances when this is not possible. Sometimes religious schools cover a wider territory and must coordinate calendars with more than one public school. Or a religious school may have days off for holy days or special religious events.

Proposed changes. Two bills were introduced recently in the state Assembly that could potentially curtail transportation services for students attending private schools. Currently public school districts must provide transportation to eligible private school students on days when the private schools are in session. AB 723 and AB 725 would limit this obligation to only those days when the public schools are in session.

The Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools and the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) are concerned about these proposals. The WCC expects that many public school districts would deny transportation on the days that the public schools are closed as a cost-saving measure.

Both bills are scheduled for a public hearing before the Assembly Committee on Education on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The WCC opposes AB 723 and supports amending AB 725 and removing language related to pupil transportation.

Parents have rights. As taxpayers, parents with children in all schools have the right to expect their children will be transported safely to and from school. Like children in public schools, students enrolled in private schools often come from families where both parents work. These parents must ensure that they can meet the obligations of their jobs as well as ensure the safety of their children.

Families with children in private schools support the public school system through payment of their property tax levy. Collectively, they save the state more than $1 billion each year by sending their children to private schools.

Action alert. The Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools has created an action alert on its Web site where interested parties can send a pre-drafted e-mail message to their state legislators. Go to http://capwiz.com/wcris/officials/state/?state=WI and click on "Advocacy" and follow the prompts.

Students in all schools - including our many outstanding Catholic schools - have the right to safe transportation on all school days. Contact your legislators and tell them you want state law to remain the way it is to protect the safety of all children in our communities.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

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Church teaching treats other issues differently

To the editor:

I would like to respond to Fr. Tony Schumacher's letter "Bishop Burke narrowly selective" in the Jan. 15 issue of the Catholic Herald.

Bishop Burke has told no one "how to vote." He has told some specific elected officials that their public stance on abortion is contrary to the teachings of the church, and because of that, they would not be admitted to Holy Communion, as provided in Canon Law 915.

The church does not teach that the death penalty is prohibited. Yes, the church teaches that it should be limited, if not absent altogether in today's world. But it is allowed: "The traditional teaching of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Section 2267).

While the pope did publicly state his preference that there not be a war in Iraq, this is not the infallible teaching of the Catholic Church.

Simply put, there are cases in which the death penalty and war can be justified, even if those situations are rare. There is never a case in which abortion can be justified.

Ewa Verhoven, Middleton

Catholic politicians shouldn't be hypocrites

To the editor:

Whenever I send pro-life material to our two Jewish senators who represent Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate, Senator Russ Feingold and Senator Herb H. Kohl, I always receive polite replies thanking me for sending materials which reflect my personal convictions. Also they level with me that they do not agree with my convictions and vote accordingly.

I respect their forthright opinions and appreciate that they do not exercise a hypocritical stance. They are acting based on their own personal convictions.

Why can't Catholic politicians express their sincere convictions and vote accordingly? Why must they hide their moral convictions in the closet? Why must Catholic politicians be hypocrites in order to win an election?

Charles J. Sippel, Waterloo

America is rich, but it's also most caring nation

To the editor:

Tony Magliano's column [print edition only] never fails to offer me a healthy dose of "shame on America" rhetoric diarrhea, but his latest attempt titled "Moment in History: How will the United States be judged?" (Jan. 15, 2004) is his best yet.

As always, Mr. Magliano tells us in his article how terrible America is and has been for the past 50 years. Mr. Magliano's message is clear: "if only America and her people would give up all of their money for the poor, the world would be perfect."

Mr. Magliano is right about America being the world's richest and most powerful country, but he left out the fact that we are also the most caring, the most giving, and the most humane country in the world. America has given away more money, food, clothing, medicine, and technology than the rest of the countries in the world combined.

If Mr. Magliano doesn't give away all of his money to the poor, then how can he tell others to? I don't understand if Mr. Magliano is so disappointed with America that he doesn't move to a country that would better suit his desires. Why does he continually bash and belittle this great country when it is his choice to live here?

Mr. Magliano should remember two phrases as he writes his column: 1. "Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone" and 2. "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all."

Jim Moris, Cassville

Selfishness, ignorance lead to gambling evils

To the editor:

As you say, gambling, is not a sin [see January 29, 2004 editorial] but I agree the evils that accompany it are. Mostly it is the lack of self-respect due to selfishness or ignorance to allow oneself to gamble away one's money that results in deprivation of one's family and self of funds for groceries, heat, and other necessities of life that causes pain to all. This ignorance and lack of self-respect for the Lord's temple (each and every one of us) in my opinion is the evil and sin.

Also, falling prey to society and advertising saying that the casino expansion is good and blindly believing it without question is unconscionable. Some opinions held state that gambling might lead to addiction. I don't believe that all of society should ban casinos but perhaps hold the source accountable and make the casino support and treat those addicts. I don't want to support them with my tax dollars.

Some politicians state how much support the local government will benefit due to casino contributions. They choose to ignore other opinions holding that the costs citizens of the area actually incur are three or more times greater than the contribution. They may be indulging in a bought and paid for ignorance and vanity, which is another sin.

Bishop Morlino should decree a mandate to all priests advising their parishioners of the lack of real intrinsic value of an expansion of the DeJope bingo hall and the sin and evil that will accompany the vice of gambling enabled by a potential expansion of DeJope. Parishioners need to be made more aware of the monkey business of politics and the sins and evil that accompany that whole process.

Eugene Hruby, Dane