I am writing because I take issue with Dick Sparrer's column, "There was a time when we didn't lock our doors."

Yes, there was a time when we didn't lock our doors. Yes, he is right when he says "We were more trusting of others," but he is wrong when he says it's "because we could be." In reality, we can trust each other more than we ever did—we just don't believe we can.

Crime rates have changed very little in this country over the last 50 years. What has changed, however, is the frequency with which crimes are reported and dramatized. The TV news media know that fear sells and so they use it to hold their ratings up. Also, savvy politicians have learned that fear can drive people to the polls, so they use it as an election tool. In truth, we can still trust each other as much as we always could, but we are being brainwashed into thinking that we can't.

Think about it—if you watch TV at all notice how we are taught fear: fear of our fellow men, especially black, shirtless men—thank you, COPS! Fear of road rage, despite the fact that I see many thoughtful drivers every day who wave me through stop signs. The media is constantly reminding me that there is a road-rager out there looking for me. Fear of escalators—oh yes, one news program says they can tear limbs off! Yet our life expectancy continues to increase and I still have all my fingers and toes. People are living longer and healthier lives. Hey, if we're in more danger, how come we're living longer?

I really think Dick misses with his message. It is not that we are less safe now than we were 50 years ago. It's that we're being told, repeatedly, that we're in danger. We're being told by the media because it's good for ratings. We're being told by politicians who shamelessly use fear tactics to help them get elected. The worst part is, we're letting it happen.

We should be aware that we're letting fear take over our rational thought process. Poor decisions are made when people act out of fear and anxiety. I don't know about everyone else, but that's the part that really frightens me.

—Marty Dart, Los Gatos


West Valley taking the brunt of budget cuts

For the past few weeks, I haven't been able to sleep or eat, and I feel feverish. I've caught the Budget Blues. Due to the state's unprecedented deficit, the West Valley­Mission Community College District must slash $15.2 million from its budget. Since 90 percent of our budget is allocated to salaries and benefits, the decisions on where to reduce services are agonizing. The seven trustees each make $400 a month and we plan to reduce our salary, but that won't save even one class or instructor's salary.

When I was elected as a trustee, I never imagined the state would turn its back on community colleges. In the governor's budget, community colleges are being cut 11 percent, while K-12 schools and the California State University and University of California systems have had their funding reduced by about 2 percent. And prisons are actually getting increases! The state has threatened to remove all of our child-care funding and slash disabled student services by 45 percent.

This disproportionate treatment follows a long history of unfair allocations. Community colleges receive a third of the money per student that UC gets and half that of CSU. We receive about $4,000 per student from the state, even less than K-12, which gets about $5,000. The governor's proposed 118 percent fee increase would not benefit our bottom line because the funds go to the state, not community colleges.

It is ironic that the state is cutting the community college budget at a time when we are the solution to many of California's problems. Over the past week, the board has heard from hundreds of students, graduates, and faculty and staff members about the incredible difference the colleges are making in people's lives and their anger about this budget situation. These are just a few of the stories we heard:

* People who were homeless got job training at our colleges and are now living in houses and employed in high-paying careers;

* Disabled students can now function independently thanks to adaptive physical therapy classes;

* Laid-off high-tech workers are retraining for new careers and can't afford to go anywhere else; and

* Single mothers may have to drop out of school if college day-care centers are closed down due to state cuts.

Our colleges are giving many students the only chance they will ever have at achieving a higher education, and studies show that students who complete college obtain higher-paying jobs. We have been so successful with our minimal budget perhaps the governor now thinks we can continue business by waving a magic wand and making millions of dollars disappear from our budgets.

Let's stop contributing to the growth of our prison population and focus on what is really important—education. I urge the governor and Legislature to reconsider these draconian cuts and support the only investment that is currently paying dividends.

—Chris Constanin, President, West Valley­Mission Community College District


Reaction of readers is a surprise to participant

I was surprised by the reaction of some Saratoga residents regarding the photos of the Every 15 Minutes program recently printed in the Saratoga News. Having agreed to participate in this wonderful and eye-opening experience along with my daughter Dana, I have to share with those that object that I would do it all over again.

The image of my daughter was on the cover of the Saratoga News. That photo revealed the emotions she was experiencing when she heard me read my letter to her about what life would be like without her. Seeing Dana's photo brought back that moment for me again. I know seeing that photo brought back that moment for every single student, teacher, administrator and volunteer that witnessed that moment. Every time she drives away, I think of that moment. More importantly, as a teenage driver, it brings back that moment for her as well. All of those photos were a "reality" at that moment.

The whole concept of the program is based on shock value. It is based on putting yourself in that moment. Without those graphic images the message is lost. I feel the Saratoga News has provided its community with a great service by showing the reality of what the program is about. To report about a "real" tragedy is not the same as reporting about a program that focuses on preventing those tragedies. But that day everyone involved felt like they were experiencing a tragedy. Maybe the lack of understanding about the power of that day is lost to those that did not participate.

Our community, adults and children alike, needs to get real about what is important in life. I want every parent and every child to think for a moment what life would be like if this kind of tragedy occurred in their own life. We are not invincible. Drinking and driving is not just a teenage problem. As a society we must sometimes face harsh realities—showing those images did just that.

—Brenda Hammond, Thompson Road, Los Gatos