To the Editor:

Well the hucksters and snake oil salesmen have nothing on St Mary’s College (SMC). The public outcry over the $1.5 – $3 million bridge over Route 5 (President O’Brien’s dream for another ugly view-scape monument) went down in flames with the public demanding a more cost effective method for protecting the students at the south crosswalk. Their survey (facility/students/community) was 4 to 1 against the bridge and for a more cost effective solution (crossing guards, better lighting, better student behavior, crossing signals, stop signs). The college showed zero statistics to justify the pedestrian hazard other than one girl breaking her ankle "jumping out of the way".

SMC’s number two hero in Washington is Senator Schumer of NY. They embrace his latest quote "the chatterboxes talk about those "porky" little earmarks" that the public doesn’t care about".

Oh really, Chuck, the liberals just added a few hundred billion dollars, like Nancy Pelosi’s $30 million for the marsh mouse and Harry Reed’s $300 million for the high speed train from Disney World to Las Vegas in the so-called "stimulus bill". The $1.5 million of tax payer money for the bridge was snuck into some nondescript bill by Steny Hoyer.

So, stand by Route 5 commuters "TRAFFIC CALMING" is on the way but it will likely be $2 - $3 million for this project.

It may qualify for Lady Bird Johnson’s highway beautification but not traffic safety. No, Webster Field employees, they aren’t going to make you stop and "pop" a tranquilizer pill before letting you pass through the campus. No, they are planting trees along the roadside, adding bike lanes, adding crosswalks and trying to make it seem like you are driving through a tunnel to reduce your speed. Another "cockamamie" proposal presented was a "round about" in the center of campus on Route 5.

Now our fire trucks and police cars will have to be adept at one half circles en route to an emergency.

Don’t you all love that round about in Chaptico en route to the Potomac River Bridge, but it does slow down the traffic.

Bottom line the $1.5 million SMC has in their pockets thanks to Hoyer is burning a hole and they are dying to spend it. Then they go back and say "Steny we need another one half to one million dollars to finish the project".

Poor Chip Jackson (SMC Vice President) had to tap dance while doing the firehouse fandango while trying to sell the "traffic calming round about". The only good proposal presented was a small pedestrian/bike bridge by the creek for students walking to the north athletic fields on Route 5. That idea was brought up by community residents at the last meeting and not the brain trust of the college or its advisory group.

Heads up, Route 5 entering St. Mary’s City will be lined with trees, bike trails, medians and new crossings and untried holistic traffic calming system costing $1.5 to $2 million is about to hit the tax payers. What is that old saying, "a sucker is born every minute"? Well, St. Mary’s College, nice try but this old country boy and the good ole St. Mary’s folks don’t buy this Ponzi scheme. It is just another O’Brien dream to add a palatial entrance to the college. You poor Webster Field commuters better take your "commuter calming pills".

P.S. The "proposed round about" almost got Chip Jackson egged at the meeting. No, St. Mary’s City residents aren’t suckers. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us. Donald Beck, St. Mary’s City