I received a survey today regarding a possible Childcare Resource Center in the city and must speak now or forever feel guilty if the plan comes to fruition. The survey was to determine how many child-care providers used child-care resource centers that offer free services such as the use of copiers, computers, fax machines, color printers, theme kits, die cuts, art project equipment, provider enrichment materials, childrens books, and educational toys.

First, I believe that children are the most precious part of our lives and our world. They are literally the future of our world.

The care and education of our children from birth forward is the most important thing in any generation. And when William Ross Wallace stated: "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rocks the world," he spoke one of our greatest truths.

I have been a state licensed family child-care and preschool provider for almost 12 years. I have certificates from the University of California Santa Cruz extension in early childhood education and in supervision and administration of childhood centers.

It troubles me that (most) child-care providers are "takers" in life, rather than "givers." It appears that they feel they deserve special considerations and free services. Everyone knows that by attitudes and words, we project our values onto the children and families that we serve.

I want the children and families that I serve to be good people, good citizens, to know the joy of giving, to learn the work ethic early in life and to know that anything worth having is worth working for.

Child-care providers each have their own business and should not be singled out for special services and free gifts any more than any other business.

And they should not be passing these values onto America's children. Our children, and the nation they will lead in the future, are worth so much more than that.

Constance Cook-Turner

Sunnyvale

Licensing business is
necessary and justified

Your reader's letter of Feb. 11, "People can do business without a license," reflects the writer's lack of understanding about the necessity to accommodate our current society's complexity and the proven misconduct of many individuals.

There certainly is a need for laws and rules in areas where we, as individuals, have little or no understanding. There are many justified needs for laws and rules to ensure we are not harmed, physically or financially, by incorrect work when contracting for services.

Though there is a less than perfect guaranty associated with a contractor's license, it is a good start and a form of protection from things going wrong. Further, it would be useless to have any laws and rules without a method of enforcement in order to cull out the incompetent thieves.

The writer also seems to lack an understanding of the meaning of freedom. If conduct were left totally to the whim of individuals, there would surely be the unimaginable chaos called anarchism.

The writer also seems to justify or base his comments on the book Whatever Happened to Justice?, which attempts to make a case for simplistic "common law" versus our current "political law." Unfortunately, the book is an abstract and verbose collection of the old saying "figures don't lie but liars figure" 1960s-era rationalizations that didn't make sense then or now.

In summary, I'd be inclined to say, "Balderdash!"

J. W. Rowe

Sunnyvale

Letter never meant to wish women imprisoned

I wrote a letter that appeared in the Nov. 5 issue of The Sun, expressing my admiration for the appealing, ethnic, no-show dresses of Muslim, Sikh and Hindu women and urged everyone to "...to give these modestly attired women an admiring smile and a kind greeting as we pass by them."

Sunnyvalian Mary Jennings responded with a rather curt, acidic and unwarranted letter accusing me of "wishing that all the 'loose women' could be hauled off to jail ..." And she made a hateful allusion to the Taliban.

I made no such wish and had Jennings read my letter more clearly, she would not have made such false accustaions against me unless she was in a dominating provocative state of mind.

Yousef Salem

Sunnyvale

Dentists make difference in health of children

On Feb. 12, some dentists in Sunnyvale opened their offices and their hearts to children from low income families throughout Santa Clara County and provided free dental exams and treatment. Their generosity gave these youngsters a happier smile for Valentine's Day this year.

We want to thank and commend these dentists and their staffs for participating in "Dentists with a Heart."

There are an estimated 120,000 low income children in our county who are not getting the dental care they need, so we have a long way to go. But these dentists efforts are helping this community tackle this significant health problem for children.

The residents of Sunnyvale should be proud that dental professionals in your city have stepped forward to take care of kids in need. They are making a difference.

Gary B. Allen

President & CEO
The Health Trust

In the front-page article of the Feb. 11 issue of The Sun, the statement that City Manager Bob LaSala had been on administrative leave for three months was incorrect. LaSala was put on administrative leave in mid-December. The article should have said it had been three months since the election and that LaSala's contract specified that he could not be terminated until at least 90 days after a new council was seated.