LETTERS TO THE EDITOR New mission for Carmelites

Give handicapped a break

Many elderly and handicapped fairgoers depend on renting electric scooters at the State Fair.

Without the scooter rental, attendance would be limited if not eliminated for this group of people. It’s not their choice that they can’t walk and enjoy the fair like everyone else can.

A lot of the fairgoers who have to depend on the electric scooters are on a fixed income. The rate to rent a scooter for the day is now up to $55. Of course, an entrance ticket and parking are extra.

Can’t the fair venders show a little compassion and put themselves in our shoes? Some day they may need assistance walking. If a person has a state handicap sticker, can’t they give that person a price break?

The fair offers deals and promos on a lot of other items. Why doesn’t the fair offer deals for handicapped people? The fair is supposed to be a fun time, not a financial hardship.

James Lorbiecki

Jim Stingl wrote a beautiful article on the Carmelite Home for Boys in Wauwatosa and the sisters who run it (“Carmelite Home for Boys is changing its mission,” July 30).

The Carmelite Sisters deserve our thanks and praise for 100 years of working with troubled boys. Could their new mission be their old mission — running an orphanage? But this time it would be for today’s virtual orphans — inner city children who have no parents at home and grow up turning to gangs and drugs to fill the void.

These children need a safe haven to grow up in that the sisters could provide. We ignore the plight of our inner city youths at our own peril. Could a new kind of orphanage be the answer?

Rev. Thomas Eichenberger Milwaukee

Trim those branches

I think the idea of planting new trees and shrubs throughout downtown Milwaukee is a good one.

One thing I would suggest, though: Make sure that the lower branches of said plants are regularly trimmed.

The other day I almost poked my eye out walking close to a tree on one street. (I’ve had the same thing happen to me previously.) I’ve sometimes broken them off after near mishaps, but I don’t want to be accused of damaging property.

So if city officials don’t want to risk multiple lawsuits directed toward them, it would be advisable to regularly cut the lower branches off where they stick out over walking paths, especially in busy areas, such as downtown.

James J. Grimm Brookfield