SHOULDN'T WE FUND NECESSITIES, TOO?

I found it truly ironic that in the May 28 Metro section, there was an
article about Miller Park costing up to $413.9 million ("Long fight shaping
up over cost of ballpark"), and in the column next to it, I learned that
there is limited drug treatment available in Milwaukee due to funding cuts
over the last 10 years ("Addicts find little access to treatment").

These cuts have all but eliminated drug treatment for the poor. Experts say
that some addicts commit petty crimes so they will land in jail or at the
Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex for treatment.

I'm not against baseball, but if we have money for a new stadium, shouldn't
we fund necessities, too? Even if not from a fair or altruistic viewpoint,
think of the pain and the petty crimes that drug treatment would eliminate
if it were available.

Rose Miller Wauwatosa