Netlets for Saturday, April 5

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman, Mark Rosenker, has himself to blame for the rough ride his committee has had investigating the collapse of the 35W bridge.

It was apparent from the outset that the investigation would be carefully watched through political as well as technical lenses. No engineer, Rosenker's background is in management and public relations, yet early in the investigation he announced that the bridge failed due a design flaw and that corrosion and poor maintenance were not factors.

The bridge design is such that failure at a single point will bring down the entire structure. That raises the question: Had every junction of bridge trusses been examined by the NTSB team before Rosenker reported that corrosion and inadequate maintenance had been ruled out as possible or contributing causes? That would have been a major task in the time available. Or did the NTSB team rely entirely, or in large part, on inspection data acquired by the Minnesota Department of Transportation prior to the bridge failure? If it is the latter then the issue is further clouded since the adequacy of MnDOT inspections is a contentious issue.

All interests would have been better served if Rosenker had remained silent until a comprehensive investigation of all possible causes had been completed and fully reported to the public.

WARREN E. IBELE, MINNEAPOLIS; PROFESSOR EMERITUS, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Fluorescent lights and digital TVs One correction to the March 29 letter from someone opposed to fluorescent light bulbs (which strikes me as one of the more unusual right-wing "causes"): The writer said we are being "forced into digital TVs that use three times as much energy as a regular TV."

While plasma televisions are relatively heavy energy users, this is definitely not true of LCD sets -- in fact, quite the contrary if you are comparing similar-sized sets. My Sony 32-inch widescreen CRT set has a maximum energy usage of 280 watts as listed in the specifications, while my Sony 40-inch widescreen LCD set has a maximum usage of only 225 watts.

JOHN EWAN, FALCON HEIGHTS

A plan to help the Earth Both U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and Star Tribune columnist James Lileks are missing the point of eco-correct lights. It is not a problem that will never be improved. The bulbs can improve. The Earth and its greenhouse effect cannot unless we help.

This is not a plan (by either party) to make you Bachmann and Lileks less pretty in the light. Trust me, they will look worse dead when the Earth dies because they cannot seem to take responsibility for something larger than themselves.

KERRY ANDERSON, PLYMOUTH

It's not health-care access if funds can be raided I'd like to thank Dr. Jack Bert for his excellent column on the Health Care Access Fund ("Health-care fund is not Pawlenty's piggy bank," March 28). Taxpayers need to be made aware of the fact that a provider tax exists and how this money, intended to improve access to health care, is being used for other purposes by elected officials.

Public officials created a sick tax to improve access to health care and then used the money for other purposes. The end result: The sick are taxed to balance the budget, health care costs rise, and health care is less accessible. It is important that elected officials take measures that hold down health care costs and improve access to care. When they don't, it's important that health care providers speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.

DEBRA D. STARK, CYRUS, MINN.

Neither Clinton nor Obama show signs of leadership I have voted consistently for Democratic candidates. But I am currently puzzled and disappointed.

Why do Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama think that a "no-holds barred" race for delegates is the only solution for choosing a candidate? Shouldn't our leaders be adept at delicate and difficult political decisions? When they both talk about making "tough decisions," why can't either of them broker a political compromise before the convention? When they talk about experience and leadership, why do they continue a juvenile and pointless race for delegates and caucus re-counts? Isn't this delegate race just a reflection of a "me first" attitude that is hardly presidential and clearly counter-productive?

I would like to think that a presidential candidate could at least broker a compromise within their own party. If they cannot do such, what expectations would we have for them reaching agreements with members "across the aisle"? What would we expect when they negotiate with stubborn and hostile foreign powers? Sadly we can expect that they will race just for higher numbers in the ongoing opinion polls. Or they will race for the number of allies they can count on their side. Or the number of supporting pundits. But they both will have missed that necessary quality of presidential leadership -- the art of a judicious compromise.