Today's Lettesr: Profit can distort motives
By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published October 2, 2007
As profits grow, so does neglect Sept. 28, editorial
The title of this astute editorial contains the answer to the problem of poor-quality nursing homes.
For-profit nursing homes are not accountable to their clients. As for-profit businesses, their natural organizational purpose and the focus of their decisionmaking is to provide income and profits for their owners. Contrast that with a community-sponsored, not-for-profit organization which is directly accountable to its clients and which measures its success on its ability to provide quality care. In the community-sponsored, not-for-profit organization, one is literally employed by one's clients, not by a third party with different objectives; this is the ultimate quality-control mechanism.
While the government is concerned with the level of geriatric care, classic organizational analysis considers government operations to be focused on rule enforcement. Once again, accountability is to a "third party" rather than directly to nursing home residents and their families.
The government could do a better job and the elderly would be better served if the government were more aggressive about shutting down the worst performing nursing homes. Furthermore, our elected representatives should consider a system of for-profit nursing home ownership and operation that requires personal accountability of the owners and operators instead of layers of unconcerned investors.
The editorial observes that for-profit investments in nursing homes lack a moral compass. That compass should point directly toward the residents of those homes.
Marshall Seiden, chief executive officer, Menorah Manor,St. Petersburg
To meet them, simply wave your checkbook Sept. 28
Disdaining democracy
After reading all your articles regarding the Democratic National Committee disenfranchising all Florida Democrats for having an early primary, I didn't think it could get any worse. Then I read this Gail Collins commentary, and it got a lot worse.
I'm an independent when it comes to any voting, but I've got to say that anyone, Democrat or independent, who would vote for any of the leading Democratic candidates for president, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, or any of the others who would boycott Florida, has to be a person who has no moral values about politics. Why would anyone vote for a person running for the highest office in the land who would not campaign in this state but would come here if the price was right?
The Democratic National Committee (whoever they are) must hold more power in this country than the voting public. This is a new low in our supposed democracy and it is my hope that every Florida Democrat would confront this issue with the DNC to let them know it is still the voter who decides who gets into office. I may vote Democratic in the next presidential election, but they've sure made it awfully tough for me to live with myself if I do.
Paul Lukacs, Indian Rocks Beach
Earlier primaries
A big mistake
While it may seem like a great idea for local political parties to push primaries earlier and earlier, it's a guarantee that voters will have less time to really find out about candidates.
I heartily wish Florida's Democrats would back off this stupid idea. How fun it will be when the Democrats nominate a candidate, only to find out about "fatal" flaws too late.
C. Benjamin, St. Petersburg
One voter's strategy
Here is a formula for serenity that should work for quite a few months:
Ignore, turn off, change the channel, or whatever it takes to live your life devoid of the expensive, petty, questionable politicking that we find so annoying. Set a date months from now when you feel the candidates will have distilled their attacks on the opponents to that which is apparent, documented and appropriate to help us decide which way to vote. On that day, open up your minds and keep score as to who is dishonest, who will keep us the safest from terrorists, and all other factors. Not the least of these questions is: Who can represent us with dignity and statesmanship?
In the meantime, save your money, forget who is the most skillful at conning us into paying for their aggravating "promises" and pseudo-solutions being bandied throughout the media. Let there be peace until such time that we decide to listen.
Ernie Agnew, Gulfport
Face what we are doing
It all sounds so glorious and patriotic, our military is so exciting and then there's the flag waving and the marching music. It thrills us and makes us proud.
Then come the numbers each week that are released by the government. The numbers are of the dead, the wounded, the severely wounded, and those who can no longer think for themselves. We turn off the television and toss aside the newspaper - we don't want to hear it or see it. We've actually grown accustomed to the large numbers and the pictures.
When we say we are patriotic, let's not forget that it is not we who are doing the fighting and the dying and the suffering. They are the patriotic ones. We need to stop turning off the television and face up to what we are doing to our American troops, whom we call our children.
Ruth J. Anderson, Homosassa
Thomas attacks Hill, others in memoir Sept. 29, story
Petulant Thomas
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas needs to get over it. He won. With the help of his rich, white friends he beat Anita Hill into submission and got a seat on the highest court in the land. Now 16 years later he has distinguished himself by being Justice Antonin Scalia's mostly silent partner and by performing one of Rush Limbaugh's marriage ceremonies. Since intellectual dishonesty is not an impeachable offense, he can stay on the court for the rest of his life should he so desire.
I guess one lesson Thomas failed to get from his grandfather is that petulance is not a sign of maturity.
Thomas Sweeney, Winter Park
Hillsborough agrees to pay bikini bar owners, settle lawsuit Sept. 22
A job for Storms
It really galls me that taxpayers in Hillsborough County have to pay almost $50,000 to settle a lawsuit caused by the misfeasance of county employees, goaded on by a county commissioner.
Perhaps Ronda Storms could work a few nights (or months?) at the bikini bar and turn over her tips to reimburse the county legal fund.
Ray Smith, Tampa