When the news broke, some scoffed at the serviceprovided by the live information agentswe’re talking to you, WTMJ’s VinceVitrano, who, in a blog about the layoffs, stated “self-reliance is in” and“don’t ask taxpayers to keep funding luxuries for a relatively small number ofusers.” But in reality the operators handled 357,000 calls a year and provideda necessary service. Many of the callers were elderly, physically orcognitively disabled, or the working poor. The information provided by theseagents was not a “luxury.” It helped riders get to work or job interviews, tothe doctor, and to stay connected to their friends and families.
The new 24-hour automated line sounds good in theory,but it won’t replace the personal touch provided by the agents at the callcenter. Riders will need to know which route they’re going to take if they wantto navigate the phone system. The online map won’t help you if you can’t accessthe Internet. Paper route maps and schedules will be keyalong with help fromfriends and neighbors. MCTS serves a vital role in our community. It’s importantto recognize its efforts and find a way to support the system in the long run.
Hero of the Week
Colleen Shoop of Grand Avenue Club
Mental illness affectslarge swaths of the American population in varying degrees, regardless ofsocioeconomic status. Watchprime-time television at almost any hour and you will inevitably see ads for antidepressants.
Milwaukee’s Grand Avenue Club (GAC) is a community for adults who haveexperienced mental illness. The GAC helps members with general educationclasses, vocational training, housing assistance and recreational and culturalopportunities. The GAC relies on dedicated volunteers to fulfill its mission. Colleen Shoop is onesuch outstanding individual.Shoop originally worked with the GAC as a student 12 years ago, and now volunteers with members to developtheir sense of artistic expression. Her efforts have been so successful thatthe GAC is now a regular participant in the quarterly Gallery Night and Day.The Shepherd thanks Shoop and herfellow GAC volunteers for their efforts to help those coping with mentalillness. Anyone, especially prospective employers, wishing to help is urged tocall the GAC at 414-276-6474.
Jerk of the Week
Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner
Congressman JimSensenbrenner is again trying to discredit 15 years of scientific evidence onman-made contributions to global warming by distorting the content of somestolen e-mails from the University of East Anglia that dealtwith the issue of climate change. Essentially, the e-mails showed that somescientists can be quite petty and egotistical, but the e-mails in no waydisproved any of the data that unequivocally prove that man-made global warmingis seriously heating up the planet. But Congressman Sensenbrenner, who iscompletely in the pocket of big oil and big coal, never lets the facts get inhis way. He is trying to undermine the science and sow doubt in order to slowdown the progress of curbing greenhouse gases. It is clear that WisconsinCongressman Sensenbrenner is willing to compromise our grandchildren’s futurefor some campaign contributions and European junkets. There are manywell-educated scientists in Sensenbrenner’s district who must be thoroughlyembarrassed being represented on the national level by a person ofSensenbrenner’s character.
