Federal lawmakers deserve a pay cut

The president has demanded that the citizenry of the United States accept massive cuts in every area of benefits and social programs. As a citizen, I demand that the three branches of the United States government set the example for the nation by proposing and passing pay cuts for all three branches.

All three branches take many holidays that ordinary citizens don’t see. Congress works in Washington just about half a year, every year. Isn’t it time those servants of the people accept a 10% reduction in salary? The judicial branch works even less and are paid huge amounts.

If they want the citizenry to accept the cuts they propose, they should accept similar cuts.

— Peter J. Schap Jr., Cockeysville

Armstrong Williams has increased my vocabulary

The masterful Sunday commentary by Armstrong Williams (“Congress has become the ornamental branch,” April 13) was an important reminder of the powers given to the legislative branch in Article I of the Constitution that are not being exercised by this Congress today.

My new vocabulary words are “desuetude” (disuse) and “duumvirate” (a coalition of two people having joint authority or influence, and which I guessed from context.)

If Congress doesn’t exercise the powers granted them in the Constitution, then let us, the people, use our power and vote them out.

— Denise Lutz, White Marsh

O’s #19 should have been retired long ago

Every time I see Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sagano in his number 19 jersey, I wonder why the Orioles never retired that number. It belonged to Dave McNally, the best left-handed pitcher in Orioles history and second-best overall to Jim Palmer. McNally won 181 regular season games. He has the most wins, shutouts, complete games and lowest ERA of any left-hander who ever pitched for the O’s. Lastly, he is still the only major league pitcher to ever hit a grand slam in a World Series game. His number should have been retired a long time ago.

— Michael Summers, Selbyville, Delaware

What is going on with air disasters?

Why the plethora of aviation disasters in the past few months? How does a main rotor fall from a sightseeing helicopter? Are airplane mechanics simply not paying attention to detail? How about pilots and co-pilots? Poor decision-making? And control tower employees?

I heard yesterday that a superior charged at an air traffic employee while they were working. I believe it’s high time to step back and assess why these calamities are happening with such alarming regularity. Who in their proper conscience would want to fly at this juncture?

— Patrick R. Lynch, Towson

Did infamous rotor malfunction cause helicopter crash?

I read with sorrow the news of the crash of a helicopter into the Hudson River killing a family of five and the pilot. The pilot never had time to get a mayday call out (“Trouble in the skies: Plane carrying Congress members ‘bumped’ at DC airport; 6 dead in NYC helicopter crash,” April 10). Video of the crash showed why. It appears the rotor blade from the helicopter separated from the helicopter. As a helicopter pilot for six years in the Army, I can say that is one of the few malfunctions of which there is no recovery actions. Lose an engine there are actions to autorotate to the ground and land safely.

Loose hydraulics and there are precautionary actions to land the helicopter as well as loss of a functional tail rotor. We learn them all in flight school. But the one thing for which there is no recovery is the loss of a rotor blade in flight.

The nut or bolt that held the rotor blade on was called the “Jesus nut” as it basically held your life in its hands. According to an online query, the “Jesus nut” is a slang term for the main rotor retaining nut on a helicopter, the fastener that holds the rotor to the helicopter’s mast. It’s called this because if it fails in flight, the rotor could detach, leaving the crew with little option but to pray.

— Stas Chrzanowski, Baltimore