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Letter to the editor

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By Times Staff
Published June 24, 2007

White-collar cases inch toward justice, column June 17

Keep an eye on Pearlman's connections

The arrest of Lou Pearlman was heartening. With all the novel exculpations white-collar criminals receive through their many connections, I am glad he wasn't rendered immune and exempt from suit and due process.

Folks must not underestimate Pearlman's upper-class contacts and powerful politicians that he financed through generous campaign donations. I expect concessions to his criminality and a certain whitewashing of his sins. I think that Pearlman, the unprincipled and corrupt opportunist, will be found guilty of certain of his myriad frauds. But will this master criminal receive hefty jail time or will he receive a slap on the wrist? Let's hope the wheels of justice don't dilute his wrongdoings, but show zero tolerance for his egregious offenses.

Robert B. Fleming, St. Petersburg

Bet they use blinkers in Sioux Falls and Flint, column June 18

It's just too slow for blinkers in Sioux Falls

I received a copy of your article and, I hate to disappoint you, but most people here do not even know what a blinker is. The reason we have few accidents is not because it takes so long to thaw our cars out. It is because people here are slow! I loved the article, but I did want you and everyone else to know the truth: the speed limit in Sioux Falls is 30 mph.

I live half a block off the busiest road and I watch the sloooow-moving traffic from my front window to see if I want to venture out in that direction or not. Now if you go to the downtown area, the speed limit is 20 mph. So it is not that we use blinkers, but that everything moves so slowly here that we have time to see the accident getting ready to happen and to avoid it.

Kind of like playing chess. Think about your move and your "opponent's" move, then go in the right direction. So from all of us "speed demons" here in Sioux Falls, thanks for the article.

Kimberly Roemeling, Sioux Falls, S.D.

State raises poker stakes June 15

Law shows good things Crist is doing

I would like to commend Gov. Charlie Crist on his decision to allow the card players of Florida to play the games that they have been asking for. Sometimes politicians will try to run a state based on personal beliefs instead of what the people want. Gov. Crist is doing a lot of great things in this state and he will have my vote in the next election!

Harold Smith, Palm Harbor

High-tech hotel set for 2008 June 12

Let's take on door slamming

Since eSuites is adding all the latest technology and innovations, why not include hotel doors that people can't slam? I'm only a vacation traveler, not a business one, but I've not found a hotel or motel where people do not slam their doors - regardless of the price you pay. Even the cleaning people do it. Care to lead a crusade against door-slamming?

Ken Bonin, Hudson

Need for more caregivers worries experts June 16

Shift our money to palliative care

The so called "experts" referred to in this article apparently slept through Economics 101. No traditional personal-service business can long survive in the face of staff turnover rates as high as 70 percent a year.

Customer service would suffer enormously, the cost of finding and training new employees would eliminate any possibility of profit and the most likely outcome would be rapidly declining market share and, finally, bankruptcy. Only a government-sanctioned monopoly can survive under these conditions.

There is little opportunity for increased wages from productivity improvements in the process of care giving for the elderly in a noninstitutionalized setting. Given that most of us believe that stashing Mother away in a huge nursing home is not a suitable solution for ourselves when we become infirm, we have decided that home-based care is the most acceptable solution.

Clearly more of the financial pie must be shared with the kind of people who actually do the direct-contact caregiving and much less of the financial pie devoted to "management, " and fancy medical supplies and procedures.

Numerous studies have shown that America spends at least 60 percent of our "health care" budget on medical intervention during the last year of life. Perhaps the solution is to shift a significant portion of that expenditure to palliative care and thereby free up financial resources to pay adequate wages and benefits to the caregivers. This shift in emphasis may surprise us by substantially reducing our national "health care" costs while providing Mother with the kind and loving attention that she deserves.

Carter Karins St. Petersburg

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[Last modified June 22, 2007, 22:31:59]