To the Editor:
Re “Go On, Date Your Co-Workers,” by Juno Kelly (Opinion guest essay, July 9):
Ms. Kelly’s essay, while provocative, was chock-full of terrible advice for today’s lonely-hearts.
Date your co-worker, and open yourself up to ridicule by your colleagues, or worse, jealousy. Date your co-worker, and be prepared to have to sign a consent form, which is even less romantic than signing a prenup. Break up with your co-worker, and be prepared to experience career retaliation, or worse, be forced to look for a job in an era where A.I. is taking away people’s jobs.
I did find the statistic that 40 percent of those who date their colleagues end up marrying them interesting. My own mother dated her boss and ended up marrying and divorcing him. Then she dated her second boss — and enjoyed a long, happy marriage.
Still, there was less litigation back then, except in her divorce, of course.
Vicky Oliver Remsenburg, N.Y. The writer is the author of “Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots.”
To the Editor:
Juno Kelly’s illuminating essay about dating in the office overlooked an advantage that contributed to my 36 years of marriage to a work colleague who died in 2022.
When we met initially, there was not much attraction on either side. But a year of working together produced a strong friendship based on mutual respect and affection. In short, we liked each other very much as people before we fell in love.
Workplaces offer a unique vantage point to get to know people, and when the relationships don’t involve power dynamics they can be extraordinarily meaningful. And sometimes they can lead to much more. A lot more fun than dating apps as well.
Marc Belanger South Bend, Ind.
Justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti
To the Editor:
Re “D.O.J. Turns Over Evidence in 3 Minnesota Shootings” (news article, July 14):
A tripwire toward totalitarianism is triggered when a powerful national government’s police can kill citizens with impunity. This historical fact makes the investigation of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota last January essential.
Only now, six months later, has the federal government turned over critical evidence to Minnesota investigators. The delay speaks volumes — and there is no evidence that the federal government itself is seriously investigating the killings, which bystander videos appear to show were legally unjustified. Congress also remains inert.
U.S. citizens should collectively press for justice for Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti. Otherwise, no citizen will be safe.
Eric W. Orts Philadelphia The writer is a professor of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
For Safety on the Road
To the Editor:
Re “As Vehicles in U.S. Got Bigger, More Pedestrians Were Killed” (front page, June 28):
Every day, more than 100 people lose their lives to preventable crashes in this country. Yet we have become far too accepting of this daily toll.
The rise in larger vehicle use deserves attention, but it is only one symptom of a much larger, more complex crisis unfolding on our roads. Our entire transportation system is designed to value speed and convenience over all else — including human life.
The National Safety Council advocates a Safe System Approach, a framework under which every component of the transportation ecosystem recognizes that people make mistakes and that roads should be designed so that those mistakes do not lead to deaths and serious injuries.
Under the Safe System Approach, safer road design, vehicle technology and design, appropriate speeds, effective enforcement and encouragement of safe decisions (such as buckling up, avoiding distractions and driving sober) create overlapping layers of protection for road users both inside and outside the vehicle.
Building that system requires leadership and partnership across government, industry and communities. It also requires each of us to recognize that the best trip is the one in which everyone arrives at the destination alive and unharmed. When we begin designing and driving with that principle first, we can sharply reduce the unnecessary loss of life on our roads.
Lorraine Martin Washington The writer is the chief executive of the National Safety Council.