IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT'S HOW MUCH YOU CARE

The Editor:

Re: "Deal with root causes of addiction," News, Letters, July 15; "Don't
export social ills," News, Editorial, July 8.

"...Hundreds of hours of research and education...", according to Mr.
Mendoza. I learned sometime ago that "People don't care how much you
know, until they know how much you care." Mr. Mendoza needs to care
about our recovering addicts.

Mr. Mendoza also needs to get his facts straight, some of our
residents are addicts and addicts do commit crime to feed their addiction.

No Mr. Mendoza, addiction is not akin to poverty, or to slum dwelling.
Concise Oxford Dictionary says "akin" means "related by blood, or of
similar character". Webster's Collegiate Dictionary says "akin" means
"essentially similar." Being poor does not make you a drug addict. I
am against exporting our addicts. I am definitely against exporting
low income residents from Richmond.

No Mr. Mendoza, a recovery house for recovering addicts is not
"band-aid relief," it is getting at the root of the problem and we
need one in Richmond.

Richard Lee

Richmond