Regarding Joe Wessels’ column “Cutting the Safety Net” (issue of April 8), I’d like to respond to his comment “handing out money over and over again to those who take and never think about changing themselves is flat-out criminal.”   

It was great to see the CityBeat article "Leveling Appalachia" on mountaintop removal (issue of March 3). This is an issue that has enormous ramifications for all in our country, particularly those in this region who depend on water from Appalachian mountain streams and whose energy is obtained from these destructive practices, which have been referred to by some as terrorism.  

In his editorial Bad News and the Media (issue of March 18), John Fox wrote about a frustration my wife and I have experienced since moving to the city almost two years ago: a lack of positive news from local media. Where we used to live, watching the news was part of our morning ritual before work.  

I really enjoyed Larry Gross’ last Living Out Loud column about the suits (“Greed, Suits and Bailouts,” issue of March 11). I think he nailed it when he said not to expect the suits to have any kind of common sense or not know that it’s not business as usual.   

Kevin, you can choose whatever side you want on the debate and you can even charge Republican politicians with being unnuanced thinkers and knee-jerk cries of “socialism” (or “fascism” from the left) or being mindless, but whatever flaws the free market may have it really does provide more nuance and choice to the individual than any healthcare system dreamed up by even the most sophisticated policy maker.  

I always look forward to Larry Gross' Living Out Loud columns. Like a lot of them lately, "Mandolin Rain" (issue of Feb. 25) was a moving story. I can't help but notice that in many of Gross' columns he's looking back at his life in trying to move forward.  

City Councilwoman Leslie Ghiz is correct in that the present (council appointment) process is undesirable, but I would suggest some alternatives. First, the elections should be by districts and the replacement should be by the district.  

Kevin Osborne's interview with Greg Harris, newly appointed to Cincinnati City Council ("At Home on City Council," issue of Feb. 11), included a few incorrect or misleading statements. The article quotes an increase in Section 8 Housing between 1994 and 2004, but methodology and dispersal, not quantity, changed.  

Most Cincinnati (residents) have no idea as to these funds or these neighborhood organizations, and that is a problem.  

I hope you don't have to be a young dude to read the Living Out Loud column. I'm in my sixties, just like Mick Jagger, but I feel young at heart.   

My hero in the Cincinnati world of responsible journalism has been CityBeat until I read the article “Being Neighborly” (issue of Jan. 21), which contains many inaccuracies and misleading statements about Invest in Neighborhoods (IIN).  

Kevin Osborne's Porkopolis column on the Founding Fathers' religious beliefs is excellent as well as little known.   

The streetcar proposal is an economic driver for our city. Businesses will want to locate on the route, and citizens will want to live close to it too. The addition — I should say reintroduction — of streetcars will be a boon for visitors to our city by connecting our various destinations on an easy-to-use and well-laid-out route.  

Thanks for the article about Dr. Richard Wyderski and his support for medical marijuana via Ohio Senate Bill 343 ('Docs for Dope,' issue of Dec. 17). He has thousands of other doctors on his side.  

Regarding Joe Wessels’ column “Looking for Help That Helps,” well said! I got more than blank stares the last time I encountered the suburban church group literally two inches outside our church door on the sidewalk handing out sandwiches while our worship service was going on, leaving only litter besides nothingness in their wake.