Re: Does Bush really want to weaken graduates? letter by Clearwater High student Kyle McLaughlin, Aug. 3.
I was so thrilled to read Kyle McLaughlin's letter. His insight into the educational philosophy of Gov. Jeb Bush is exactly on target. Political needs have taken over the need for good education.
The time spent on statewide testing should be time spent on subject matter. Students need content, not numbers from scores on tests, to succeed. Measurement of schools has become a statewide pastime.
Understanding of course material is measurement of the student's readiness for the next level. The idea of adding an FCAT for college is further expansion of an unfounded notion that preparation for testing is education. Moving more and more students onto a fast track, not only in high school, but in college, defeats the time allotted to adolescence and young adulthood. This time should be spent learning and retaining academics. The time is also spent learning social and decision-making skills, as the young person matures into adulthood.
As Kyle told us, he is a hard-working young man with a brain - a 4.83 grade point average, a student who cares about the education of Florida students. I totally agree with him and applaud him. Florida needs to take a good hard look at political philosophies that are a detriment to education.
-- Michele Haynes, Clearwater
Ignorance perpetuates conservative government
Re: Does Bush really want to weaken graduates? letter by Clearwater High student Kyle McLaughlin, Aug. 3.
This high school junior should receive an A+
for critical thinking - a rare skill in today's students. The reason for such rarity is disclosed by my suggested answer to his question.
The Bush boys are "conservatives." They want to be re-elected, and their main supporters want to perpetuate "conservative" government.
Their main supporters are the wealthy and near wealthy. "Conservatism" is their scheme to increase their wealth. It works.
But they can't hope to retain power unless enough of the unwealthy vote properly. It is in the conservatives' interest that the unwealthy not be trained to think critically, but to think in such ways that they vote against their own interests. This can most surely be accomplished by leaving them as uneducated as possible regarding history, civics and economics.
When the electorate is in the preferred state of ignorance, it is simple to guide its vote with appropriate "news," either TV or print, but especially TV. Their voting patterns depend on what they are allowed to think, and what the ignorant are allowed to think depends on what they are told by the wealth-controlled media. Ignorance in the unwealthy classes must be maintained and increased when possible.
It is happening.
-- Bud Tritschler, Clearwater
Students are learning
Re: Does Bush really want to weaken graduates? letter by Clearwater High student Kyle McLaughlin, Aug. 3.
Kyle is the type of person this state is crying out for. I hope someday he considers politics. Brains, common sense and class.
More and more young people are beginning to understand how important voting is and how the outcome affects their quality of life.
Vote. It's important.
-- Marianne McCarthy, Palm Harbor
Student's opinion of Bush, education shows disrespect
Re: Does Bush really want to weaken graduates? letter by Clearwater High student Kyle McLaughlin, Aug. 3.
I am sure the parents of Kyle McLaughlin are proud of their son, a junior at Clearwater High and apparently a good student. I doubt they are as proud of the disrespectful attitude he took when writing his extensive letter to the editor lambasting Jeb Bush.
I am all for youth being up on current events and staying involved in the issues that involve their peers, but McLaughlin is hardly a person who has spent time out in the world and paid his dues. He is a great example of a child who is smart and therefore thinks he is an expert on life before he ever holds a real job or pays taxes like the rest of us.
It is inappropriate for him to say, "Could Jeb Bush screw up education any more?" I hardly think his two years in high school make him a credible judge on our educational system, especially since he is not one of the people who has to pay for it. No, until you start paying property taxes yourself, Mr. McLaughlin, please don't preach to the rest of us who do.
-- Michelle R. Keller, Largo
Consumer may not see savings of reimported pharmaceuticals
Re: Reimporting drugs is bad medicine, guest column by U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis, July 23.
In the next few weeks I would think all voters would be anxious to send their opinions to our U.S. House of Representatives regarding the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada. According to Bilirakis' opinion, the drugs are harmful and we should see many Canadians dying from their medications (which does not appear to be the case).
The argument that we must have these high prices in the United States in order to allow drug manufacturers to develop new cures for diseases goes unsupported. In fact, approximately 55 percent of all pharmaceutical revenues go to marketing, which one can notice from the overwhelming number of television commercials and printed advertisements. Furthermore, many drugs which are marketed in the United States are developed in other countries such as Japan and those in Europe, and our drug companies serve only as a distributor of these drugs.
The proposed legislation which Bilirakis supports provides minimal aid for the Medicare patient. These proposals require a $35-per-month premium with deductibles reaching around $300 for each individual. This means that the patient pays approximately $700 before receiving any aid on drug costs, obviously not providing any benefit for them. Thereafter, Medicare pays only 50 percent of the drug expenses, which is equivalent to the Canadian pharmaceutical prices and therefore makes the reimportation of drugs a safe and economical plan.
Furthermore, the argument from the president and Congress that the proposed legislation will create competition and bring down the drug costs is completely unjustified. We were promised the same when we allowed the deregulation of the airlines and telephone companies, which has proved that competition does not reduce prices but rather increases corporate profits.
By allowing the reimportation of Canadian drugs into the United States, we will create competition with most of the pharmacies that use generic drugs only to increase their profits rather than pass the savings on to the patient. I would suggest that voters express their opinions to their elected representatives and perhaps when the next election arises, we might benefit by electing new members to Congress with better ideas rather than recycling the same exhausted ideas.
I am astonished that Congress has no problems setting physicians' fees and continues reducing them every year, yet seems unduly concerned about setting pharmaceutical prices.
If Congress wishes to do something to lower costs, then I suggest that we take another look at how long a drug can be patented. It has been standard practice for the last 10 years to change the shape and size of the pill or make it a 24-hour delayed release in order to extend their patents.
In our office we are proud to have a Canadian pharmacy, of which I own no part, nor from which I take any profits. As a matter of fact, we furnish the space free so that our patients can get the medications they need, since it does not benefit them if they cannot get what I prescribe.
-- Stanley S. Moles, M.D., Largo
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