Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (October 28, 2005)

C.A.R. also seeing increase in autism

Editor:

I read your story on autism ("Autism on the rise," Oct. 14) with great interest. You did a wonderful job, and I'm so glad to see that the newspaper was interested in a topic that affects so many families in our local area.

We at the Community Association for Rehabilitation (C.A.R), a nonprofit in Palo Alto serving people with developmental and other disabilities, have also seen an increase in the number of children with autism that we serve. In your story you mentioned that autism is becoming more common than Down Syndrome, mental retardation or cerebral palsy, and at C.A.R we are seeing a similar pattern.

Your readers who need more information about developmental disabilities, including autism, may be interested in learning more about our services by visiting www.c-a-r.org or calling (650) 494-0550. They can also schedule a tour of our agency to see our services in action. C.A.R's professional staff provides therapeutic, recreational and educational services for people of all ages with developmental and physical disabilities.

This is a fascinating and frightening trend, and parents and families are hungry for information, so thank you for publishing this insightful article. Wendy Kuehnl Director of Marketing Community Association for Rehabilitation (C.A.R)

Are we BART's cash cow?

Editor:

All of your letters on Oct. 14 dealt with the VTA, and were from three different perspectives. Anyone who lives beyond downtown San Jose really won't get much bang for their buck (taxes) when/if BART invades Santa Clara County -- despite the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's agenda. Bearing those realities in mind, isn't it time for the residents of Santa Clara Valley to ask a few poignant questions? Before a new transit tax is placed on the November 2006 ballot, there are some very important questions to be asked and truthfully answered.

When people board BART, will any of the fare money BART takes in be shared with the VTA? Since the VTA has already spent $8 million to buy the right of way from Union Pacific -- and will pay to build/maintain the rails, and cough up the other capital costs just to get people from other counties into our county (not to mention the possible turf wars between BART and VTA management/unions) -- will we become nothing more than BART's cash cow? Jeff Coykendall Pinehurst Avenue, Los Gatos

GOP would destroy educational equity

Editor:

Congressional Republicans would have us believe the federal programs they are trying to cut in this week's budget process don't affect most of us. But, among other things, they are aiming to cut billions of dollars from student loans, including work-study.

I have worked in higher education for five years (two of them at Stanford) and can say from experience that without low-interest government loans, many intelligent and deserving students would be shut out of the college process completely. These loans are not merely about giving individuals a solid chance at improving their own lives; the loans indicate that our government is committed to building an educated and informed generation of civically engaged community members.

Congress should reject the Republican budget because it goes against the basic value of educational equity for all. Ilana Golin West Dana Street

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