To bring down debt, apply a tax on all church income and property and all tax-exempt businesses. I pay my share of costs, and I pray I don't go to hell for this.

Nationwide, the number of fatalities, injuries and trauma resulting from reckless fraternity hazing, rites of initiation and induction is senseless and alarming. It appears that lions, tigers, grizzlies and other predators are not the only ones subject to instinct, dominance and aggression.

Recently Dallas Fed president Richard Fisher addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference, saying the biggest Wall Street banks must be broken up because they're too big to fail and too big to jail -- echoing a rising conviction on the right and the left of the political spectrum.

Rick Arlen's Sunday letter extolling the spirituality and simplicity of the new Pope is appropriate. However, to characterize the Church's teaching on divorce, same-sex marriage, abortion and contraception as intrinsically valid is mistaken. They are moral positions that have gained some ascendancy in the Church and which the Church has a right to espouse in its role as moral teacher, but absolute, I don't think so.

I agree totally with Steven Trevino Jr. in his March 16 letter concerning his "Downtown prescription." The powers that be had better start trying to figure out who they serve and the demographics of the downtown area. If most of that area is populated by Hispanics and African Americans, then the city should be undertaking programs and services that make sense to them.

It's that time of year again: the repulsive return of the professional bull riders to the Save Mart Center. If you care at all about the welfare of these animals and how they are mistreated for the profit of promoters and riders, and for the crass enjoyment of spectators, I suggest that you boycott the sponsors and facilitators of the PBR: Ford Trucks, Table Mountain Casino and Fresno State University's Save Mart Center.

Thumbs up to the lady who picked up the trash left by others in the picnic area by Storyland on March 14! Thumbs down to the picnickers who could not walk 40 feet to the trash can to dispose of their lunch debris. Thumbs down is not harsh enough for the persons (perhaps the same individuals) who left two disposable diapers at the curb.

I was inspired by 14-year-old Jane Carretero's March 12 letter. I, too, attended the breakfast addressing discipline in Fresno Unified. Last year, more than 32,000 days of school were missed due to suspensions. When we think about reasons for suspensions, generally we think of school fights and other dangerous acts. In reality, the vast majority of suspensions result from minor offenses -- behaviors that will not change by spending a few days at home and missing vital learning time.

There is a common thread that shapes political opinion as it appears not only in the radical right media, but sadly here in many of the letters to the editor. What is good government?

Thumbs up to the Norseman Elementary School deaf and hard of hearing students and staff for the outstanding performance of "Finding Nemo." The performance performed completely in American Sign Language was fantastic. Congratulations to Carol Brautigam, Britane Brown, Jimmy Bronson, Paula Fabila, Amber Haydock, Kristen Heyne, Deanna Hoffman and Jennifer Silva.

The recent letter to the editor, "Suggestions for letter writers" (March 12) is the best letter I've read in The Bee in the entire 40-plus years that I have been reading them. Congrats to Sasan Rahmatian for his incisive observations about so many (too many) of the letters submitted to The Bee.

On March 14, I attended the 1940s Big Band musical revue of "In the Mood" at the Tower Theater with my friends. I grew up surrounded by that wonderful music and singing. Most of the seniors in the audience actually lived and danced to it.

I wish to address Sasan Rahmatian (letter March 12) regarding his discomfort with The Bee printing letters from writers who choose to use justifiably appropriate characterizations of behaviors, viewpoints, etc., on issues of importance to them.

The bill that state Sen. Anthony Cannella is proposing about the freeze on college tuition leaves me with more negative thoughts. As a community college student, it raises concerns about classes and programs being cut.

According to state Sen. Anthony Cannella, Senate Bill 58 would freeze tuition for seven years, during the same time that Proposition 30 is in effect. I feel that this seven-year freeze will help me financially, but also allow me to focus on more units while working fewer hours.

What makes a country great is the moral fabric of its citizens. To me, morality has many components: work ethic, character, respect for fellow citizens and the love of one's country.

Today, President Obama will visit Israel. He was invited to speak to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem. But he will not do so.

The Bee article Sunday on the heath hazard in West Fresno has significant implications for the way Fresno is viewed around the nation and beyond. If not a moral imperative, our self-interest should motivate dealing with this at the highest levels. In traveling around the country on business, it is not uncommon to encounter well-educated professionals and business leaders who think Fresno is a suburb of Los Angeles or San Francisco. Perhaps this is a symptom of our geographically challenged nation. Whatever the case, the idea of environmentally based "health hazards" will not be confined to West Fresno.

I am a lover of trees for their beauty, shade and help to Fresno's air quality. I feel that a lot of Fresnans will not water their trees during our long, hot summer, simply to save on their water bills. Please keep the trees alive even if you can't afford to keep your lawns green.

It is difficult for us to know how conscientious a population we have in the Fresno area until we personally need some emergency assistance.

My approach to fixing the Fresno budget would be to take everything back to its most basic level. The city lost the war by dealing with the shortage in a piecemeal manner. There is no way to please the various special interest groups. They seem to put their own selfish interests ahead of the citizens and city they are supposed to serve.

I'm so glad that The Bee has done a story (March 10) on our police chief, Frank Steenport. I'm glad that he has finally spoken up against Mayor Pro Tem Victor Lopez, City Manager Sam Escobar and Mayor Gabriel Jimenez.

Congratulations on your March 6 editorial, "Mentally ill need real help -- not a bus ticket." I never quite agreed with President Reagan's closing of the asylums and putting the patients on the street with a prescription. And I recognized at an early time, with the growth of "street people," that too many of them were people who would have been better off in an asylum.

I had to laugh out loud at Keith Pretzer's March 7 letter, but I do emphathize with his situation of preferring to live by the gun range rather than coping with his neighbor's 18-year-old kid's endless, nightly drum playing.

On March 1, Rex Phebus passed away. Mr. Phebus was what Clovis is all about. I lived next door to him since 1978. It wasn't long before I quickly realized how much of a local icon he was. Mr. Phebus was a man of few words and a man who loved Clovis.

Fresno can only work its way out of its budget mess if each and every one of us plays some sort of role in helping our city.

As a city volunteer, I see the inside of the city of Fresno as an outsider. My suggestion is to greatly improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. Take care of the pennies, and the dollars mount. UC Berkeley is tackling this and expects to save $75 million annually. No quick solution -- it does require an investment in people and systems. Summary of the project at http://oe.berkeley.edu/documents/OE_v2_updated.pdf Project website is at http://oe.berkeley.edu/.

I believe the key to getting the city of Fresno through its budget crisis is to privatize residential solid waste services. The city has cut services to levels that are as low as they should go. In fact, they are probably lower than they should be, especially in public safety.

City planners must shift focus toward how revitalization can help spur growth and close the deficit. Targeted private-public investments and residential developments in low-cost, culturally distinctive areas like downtown can help do just that. While city funds will come from cost cutting, revitalization should be paid back through no-interest or low-interest loans and profit-sharing agreements.

In the line-item budgets, more than $3 million was spent annually (fiscal years 2009 through 2012) on computer software. Open-source technology could help. Dump Windows and MS Office for free Ubuntu Linux and LibreOffice or NeoOffice. The budget numbers would sting less if the mayor used elegant Prezi, free for public documents, instead of bland Powerpoint. Need Photoshop, try GIMP. Blender edits feature film quality video. Use SciLab for tough numerical problems, R for Statistics, and FreeCAD for 3D modeling. Utilize codeforamerica.org apps.

Short term: 10% across-the-board pay cuts.

When it comes to the budget issue, the city of Fresno should keep its citizens safe by, first and foremost, providing fire and police services. There have been enough cuts in the area of public safety, and we should not drop services any lower.

Not being a financial expert, I don't have any personal recommendations to make to City Hall for its budget woes. However, I do know that Fresno Unified School District is in sound financial shape and better than most school districts in the region.

Get rid of the police auditor position and hire more 621-CITY call operators from the city manager's department. Remind the police that the mayor will still be in office before their contract is over and they better negotiate now. Also, outsource the trash service and get rid of Operation Cleanup.

I am confused by people who think that the city of Fresno only needs to make a minor change here and a minor change there and the budget situation will be straightened out. We got a little good news a few weeks ago when we found out that the city's budget for the current fiscal year is not as bad as we expected.

The mayor and the City Council need to let the people decide whether they want to fund city services or to further cut public safety. Management's short-sighted, conservative philosophy prevented it from putting a half-cent cent Public Safety Restoration Tax on the November 2012 ballot.

The normally innocently entertaining "Juice Crew" of Fresno's B95 radio station incited more than the need to dance during my morning commute to work on March 13. Andre Covington took a racially offensive stance against interracial dating.

The election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy is great news.

"The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen." I don't know who said this, but I can't help but think of how this sentence speaks volumes to the power that one individual can have over another person. Today, you, yes you, may be the reason that somebody else has the motivation to get out of bed and live for another day.

It is now known that Dianna Hanson, a volunteer intern/keeper at Cat Haven/Project Survival, was mauled to death by a 550-pound lion, Cous Cous, because a door was accidentally left open. As a fellow volunteer at CH/PS who, as a former docent, has led something over 300 tours there, I would like to give some background. It is difficult to become a docent, even harder to become a "keeper" at Cat Haven. Also, this facility meets, and usually exceeds, all government standards.

I want to express my deepest appreciation to the two duck hunters who valiantly tried to save my husband's life in January by performing CPR and calling 9-1-1. It was a comfort to know that you came to his aid. I wish I could thank you in person.

If Jesus were walking around on earth today, he might rock the boat by saying something like, "Come with me, followers of God. Let's get some shovels, facemasks, rented trailers and trucks, and go downtown and pick up the garbage of the homeless." A display of leadership would unite the troops, make life better for the neighborhoods and upset the status quo.

My wife and I recently moved to Fresno. We chose to be here to start our careers even though we could have moved to a number of other places.

In response to Maureen Dowd's March 10 column on former Vice President Dick Cheney: Let's not forget he's not only greatly responsible for thousands of dead Americans (including those on 9/11), but well over a million dead Iraqis and Afghanis.

On March 2, The Fresno Bee criticized my vote against the "Violence Against Women Act" (VAWA) accusing me of putting my "out-of-touch personal views ahead of district and national needs."

In 55 B.C., Cicero reflected on on Rome and summarized as follows, "Balance the budget, refill the treasury, reduce the public debt, curtail assistance to foreign lands, and work, not aid." If the shoe (or sandal) fits, let's wear it.

One reads that the Revolutionary Guard mullahs who run Iran as a theocratic dictatorship became so upset by their private viewing in Teheran of Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning movie "Argo," claiming that it portrays a false image of their country, that they now want to sue Hollywood.

While perusing through the ranting restrictions that Sasan Rahmatian (letter March 12) wants to implement in order to acceptably submit a letter to the editor of The Bee, I asked myself: Where is my copy of the Constitution of the United States of America? I found it, and low and behold I reread Article 1 of The Bill of Rights, that in part states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press."

To all journalists, writers both conservative and liberal, and political columnists of every ilk: Stop referring to Social Security and Medicare as entitlements. You are collecting those services because you paid, or are paying for them during your working life. The tendency is to lump them in with welfare and other free things the benevolent gang in Washington, D.C., doles out.