LETTERS: Gulf seafood, mental health assistance in schools and more

Feds' seafood OK not reassuring

I was thrilled to learn that seafood from the fringes of the oil in the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat .

I believe the feds also tested the air in lower Manhattan after 9/11 and determined it was safe to breathe.

Ray Lahovitch, Port Jefferson Station

Mental health aid key to school safety

"Threat level" correctly points out that effective school-violence prevention requires mental health services as well as law enforcement approaches. Juvenile detention of would-be or actual perpetrators without appropriate treatment is a failure.

However, in this era of high-stakes testing and academic accountability in education, mental health service needs are easily overlooked. Addressing the social and emotional needs of students is important, and not only to prevent violence, bullying and other forms of aggression. Students who are distressed and distracted by worries are less able to learn and more likely to engage in risk-taking or self-destructive behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse.

Gloria S. Rothenberg, Merrick

Editor's note: The writer is a school and clinical psychologist.

Dim lights, indeed

Once again we're talking about job cuts caused by energy .

When are these big wigs going to get it? Solar energy is the key - it will put qualified electricians to work on installations and businesses will be able to keep their employees or hire more because their dependence upon the Long Island Power Authority will be nullified.

Monty Riley, Bay Shore

Real pension reform: Change in leadership

Stopping overtime abuse, as Newsday's editorial board suggests, is a necessary but partial solution to the bloated municipal pension system that characterizes state and local government in New York "Overtime overuse," Editorial, July 12].

The days are long gone when New York municipal workers received lower wages in exchange for job security and benefits. Calculating pensions on base wages - before overtime, sick time, unused vacation time and other pension inflaters kick in - is the fairest and most practical solution to this ongoing crisis.

Will it happen? The voting public should look to New Jersey, where Gov. Chris Christie is leading in the face of fierce public union opposition. I will vote for any state or local candidate who is willing to defy the special interests that control the public purse.

Christine Mullaney, Garden City