For the most part, I thought "United They Fall" (Paul Belden, May 28) was a very well-written article, but I think Mr. Belden might have lost track of what problems the owner of Kitchens of the Oceans might have had. The story mentioned that there was a proposed $1.50-per-hour salary increase, but if there are 175 employees working 40 hours a week, that's $10,000 a week plus social security payments [owner] Brad Margus has to make. That's a bitter pill for a small-business owner to swallow. I think the story would have been better if you had presented his financial situation in a better light. I'm not saying that his employees don't deserve to make a living -- we all do, but on the other hand, as a business owner myself, I know that every time your expenses go up, sometimes there is not a direct way of recouping those increases in your costs. You're always stuck between a rock and a hard place. Again, I thought it was a good article, maybe just a little too one-sided.
Brad Cohen
West Palm Beach
Quit Bitching About Our Differences
I just wanted to say a few things about a letter I read in the May 21 issue of New Times. (See Rene Theriot's letter, "Viewing Racism in Black and White.") I am a 24-year-old white woman married to a black man who is also the father of my 5-year-old son. I just wanted to remind everyone that it took people of all races to build this country. If we all chose to live in our own little worlds where whites stayed with whites and blacks with blacks, this country would be nowhere today. It is the stupid and uneducated people like Rene Theriot who don't think that we can get along together. If everyone stopped looking at people's skin color and looked at what's inside, they would find that it does not matter what they look like -- black, white, or whatever. It would be nice if everyone stopped bitching about our differences and how they think the world should be and become accepting of the way it is now.
Marcy Philpot
Margate
Add Some Vitriol to the Petrol
Many thanks to Ms. Lucy Chabot and New Times for her excellent article entitled "Adding Fuel to the Mire" (April 16). In the article it was reported that over one million gallons of petroleum has leaked into the environment at Port Everglades, and nothing is being done about it.
I urge everyone to contact the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and request that this matter be thoroughly investigated before it gets worse.
Michael Graziano
Sunrise
