EDITORIAL: Commuter train an ACE.(Editorial)

Jan. 15--In response to a Dec. 23 letter in The Record ("Commuter train isn't a real ACE"), the Altamont Commuter Express might not be perfect, but it does get hundreds of vehicles off the freeway every day. I've been taking the ACE train for almost a year, and it's helped me beat my vehicle addiction.

Some people are just intimidated about giving up a little independence to save $300 a month in fuel, insurance and maintenance costs. When I made the switch, it was the best thing I could have done. My commute is 80 miles one way. The best part of my day is looking out my train window to see all the cars crawling over the Altamont Pass. Even with delays on the train, it's better than sitting in traffic. On the train, I have options: reading, catching up on work, Internet surfing, talking with fellow passengers, calling family on my cell phone, paying my bills or watching movies on my laptop. Even a clean restroom is available.

Behind the wheel, I must remain alert the entire commute after waking at 3 a.m. - avoiding accidents, finding alternate routes, dealing with rude drivers, driving in fog and rain and finding a safe, clean place to use a restroom after hours in traffic. I've even used ACE to get to BART to go shopping in San Francisco. We moved to Stockton 15 years ago for the cheaper housing and stayed because we love Stockton. The ACE train has made our decision to live far from work an even better choice. Building more freeways is just going to take away more farming land and bring more housing and traffic to an already congested area. Don't give up on ACE. I'm a satisfied customer. April McHugh Stockton Not quite the right ticket The service of Altamont Commuter Express is commendable.

The timetable is almost perfect. However, their company should at least provide one commuter bus between 5 and 6 a.m. from Stockton to San Jose - and vice versa during holidays and weekends. If you take the Amtrak bus one way from Stockton to the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station on these days, the fare is almost double the $11 round-trip ACE ticket for the same distance. When going to the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station from Stockton by Amtrak bus, your ticket is printed "Modesto-Stockton-Dublin," which is $20-plus. This is too much for a one-way ticket. Many ACE commuters works during holidays and weekends taking the ACE route. More power. Rolando Aquino Stockton Music to her ears A Dec.

27 letter to The Record said the Dave Koz Smooth Jazz Christmas show at Stockton's Bob Hope Theatre was nothing but head-splitting noise. I had orchestra-center seats on Dec. 21, and it was music to my ears. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than spending an evening with Koz and friends? It was a fabulous show. By no means was the music too loud. The reader missed out on a great show, especially by leaving after only two songs. Tiffany Pimentel Tracy Who's fooling whom? I'm a senior, retired 67-year-old widow on Social Security. I have Medicare and belong to an HMO to help pay medical bills that Medicare doesn't pay.

In December, I signed up for the new drug benefit for seniors and disabled people. I'm now paying double for generic drugs. Also, my monthly fee for belonging to an HMO went up $31 a month. Then PG&E went up, as other utilities have. Seniors might not be able to do much in the way of physical activities, but we're not all senile yet. Who do these people think they're fooling? Verna Blahnik Stockton War costs keep escalating As debate over the war in Iraq continue, it's costing us billions of dollars every month. The interest on the national debt is the biggest item on the national budget. As Alan Greenspan indicated last year, our lenders might not be willing to keep us afloat long.