CATHY HRENDA AND STEPHEN MEEK
Glendale
Parks need exercise equipment
Speaking of “improved recreational activities” preferences as expressed by local teens (“City surveys youth for planning,” Aug. 13), how about Glendale’s emulating some outstanding aspects of both Pasadena’s and Burbank’s public parks recreational features?
Install some outdoor-fitness exercise stations in one or more of Glendale’s own parks — perhaps one or two in Cedar/Heritage Mini-Park, while hopefully some place in South Glendale’s otherwise youth-expunged Central Park. Plus, somewhere in a mini park on Maryland Avenue?
For one thing, these kinds of great recreational assets don’t have to cost a lot (they can, when individually installed, be rather inexpensive, actually) nor take up much space, for that matter. For example, Tri-Active America makes a specifically outdoor use-designed, elliptical cross trainer — called an “Air Walker” — that is advertised at costing $2,795.
One little caveat, though: Such pulse-raising, sweat-producing exercise stations should definitely be installed under plenty of shade to protect from the hot summer sun.
HARVEY PEARSON
Los Feliz
Medicare is government health
I continue to be amazed by the hypocrisy of senior citizens like Eugene and Barbara Smith regarding the proposed health-care changes by President Obama (“Health-care plan is not one we can afford,” Aug. 14).
They seem to forget that the Medicare system they love is a government-run program managed in a very similar way to a single-plan health-care system. Everybody pays toward it and eventually gets to use it.
