Negative-sum folly

Steven T. Jones complains that gradual bicycle-plan implementation "doesn't help San Francisco live up to its claim to being a 'transit-first' city" ("The Slow Lane," 5/18/05). But the notion his article endorses – ceasing to measure traffic congestion as a significant environmental impact, to facilitate "steal[ing] a lane from cars" for conversion to bike lanes – would be much worse.

With fewer mixed-use lanes and more congestion, buses would get slowed down along with the cars. That's transit last. The "lucky" few cyclists would suffer too, as air quality worsened.

"Stealing" lanes is worse than a zero-sum game. It's a negative-sum folly, in which everyone loses.

As a longtime cyclist and bike advocate, I offer this more effective prescription for that elusive goal of getting more bikes on the road: First, stop whining and get on your bike. (That's one more already!) Second, as you ride, watch out for commonsense improvements that could make it safer to share the road while penalizing no one.

Third, be courteous (albeit firm about your rights) with motorists – this builds respect for cyclists. Finally, smile, and look like you're enjoying your ride.

Michael Katz
Berkeley

Save CHIPPS

Mayor Gavin Newsom did the right thing last week in proposing to spend $100,000 of city money for a home-injury prevention program for seniors. The Community and Home Injury Prevention Program for Seniors was an outstanding education program run by the Department of Pubic Health until grant funding ended in February 2004. CHIPPS helped many seniors in San Francisco prevent falls and injuries. CHIPPS also provided home-safety assessments, and contractors actually installed safety devices, such as grab bars and safety rails, in seniors' homes.

The ball is now in the court of the Board of Supervisors to come up with the remaining $45,000 needed to fully fund the program this year. Sup. Ross Mirkarimi led the fight for Senior Action Network and Network for Elders to get this far. We hope his colleagues on the Budget Committee can fill out the funding of this cost-effective, life-saving program.

The CHIPPS program would literally save millions in costs of emergency room visits and long-term care. The CHIPPS program could be one piece of good news in a year when city revenues still remain low because downtown corporations are not paying for their fair share of the budget.

Betty Williams
Executive director, Network for Elders

Bill Price
President, Senior Action Network

Missing the point

Greg Shaw's opinion piece in the Bay Guardian about the missing queer agenda in the progressive community has struck a deep nerve, and many, including former supervisor Matt Gonzalez, are missing the point of what Shaw was trying to say [5/25/05]. Queer progressives are demanding that straight progressives push for and care for a queer agenda as much as they care about, say, public power. Recently, I heard that one straight progressive said, "Does that mean that the Harvey Milk Club doesn't care about progressive issues anymore?"

Besides being ridiculous, it is frankly insulting.

Shaw is demanding that fat issues, sex and S-M issues, racial discrimination in the LGBT community, and transgender and queer issues be considered progressive issues. When 70 percent of the transgender community is unemployed in San Francisco, I think it is fair for him (and me) to demand that people do something/give a shit.

And no. This is not just identity politics, and to suggest that is ridiculous and insulting.

People the straight progressive community writes off as LGBT moderates do more and care more about LGBT issues and support us on moving a queer agenda. So don't be surprised if queer progressives aren't willing to burn bridges with the so-called moderates who will work with us on a queer agenda when the straight progressive community blows us off.

And finally, but most important, I think Shaw is trying to call into question who we think the real moderates are. From a queer progressive perspective, it is hard to tell sometimes.

P.S. Someone recently told me that they thought the opinion piece was directed at them, just like everyone I have spoken to recently did. It wasn't, but then again it was. Some of my straight progressive brothers and sisters are amazing. They push a queer agenda all the time. And to those who do, thank you. But if there is doubt in your mind, well ...

Robert Haaland
San Francisco

No Crow

Sheryl Crow? Perhaps you'd consider taking a music appreciation 101 course before you offhandedly write such things about me [Local Live, 5/25/05]. I doubt very much that Sheryl Crow has ever used the tritone as the crux of a harmonic sequence, nor alternated between 5/4 and 4/4 meters, nor written lyrics about anything much more than "are you man enough to be my man." Wasn't that her? I confuse all those '90s acoustic guitar-playing singer-songwriters.

Beth Custer
San Francisco