State Street businesses do not need redesign
The Daily Cardinal's staff opinion (""State Street redesign will help Madison community,"" Feb. 5) was simplistic and did not represent the views of most downtown residents I know.
The editorial could pass for a public relations release from the State Street merchants, those businesses who are advantaged by students who take low, no-benefit wages and pay enormously marked-up prices and rents. The readers should expect more questioning of business spin.
The Cardinal's unsupported premise is that ""all State Street businesses are dying"" and nothing is being done about it. These arguments require more research than we have been given.
In recent years, many new businesses have come to State Street while the following businesses seem to have expanded: Cat's Meow, The Comedy Club, ComedySportz, Community Pharmacy, Gino's, Himal Chuli and Chautara, Jazzman and Soulman, Knuckleheads and Freedom, Madison Masala, The Orpheum, Pegusus Games, Ragstock, Radical Rye, Rainbow Bookstore, Riley's Wines, Shakti Bookstore, State Street Brats, Timeless Voices, Tutto Pasta and Spices and more. So without further research, it should not be assumed that businesses can not make it well on State Street.
Even more, the businesses just created a Business Improvement District and just received multi-million dollar infusions from the Convention Center and the Arts District. But still, businesses want more aid, more condos, fewer poor people and have eyes on our only park.
Every recent initiative on State Street has been in response to the loud voice of business interests. It is not too much to ask for more focus on the interests of those who live here.
Milwaukee infrastructure deserves public funding
This is in response to Eric Tempelis's letter Wednesday (""Norquist's complaining unacceptable today,"" Feb. 6). One could get involved in the time-wasting contest of seeing who can one-up another's tragedy, or one could more productively try to avert more tragedy.
Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist needs money to fix interstate highways at the Marquette interchange. Eric Tempelis must not have been to Milwaukee recently, because on this interchange, built in the 1970's crumbles, rebar shows nakedly up in the bridges and the cement has rust marks from disintegrating iron supports underneath.
I want Eric Tempelis to remember the Hone Bridge situation from one year ago, in which a prominent bridge collapsed. How many more people must die, Eric Tempelis, before you're willing to spend money on infrastructure?
McCallum isn't challenging anyone! He's instead merely trying to prevent budget increases so he can get his short-sighted self re-elected. See through the ruse of budget cutting and elect someone who will think for the long-term health of Wisconsin, which would be almost anybody else.
