Today's Letters: Age is no excuse for being rude
Letters to the EditorPublished January 24, 2008
Flip side is told in french fry flap Jan. 22, story
If Jean Merola's age was 18 instead of 75, would everyone still be boasting of her as a "tough" old lady who "stands up to the police" or would she be labeled a rude punk and get Tasered?
It doesn't matter how old you are or whether or not you think you are being wrongly accused. It is not appropriate or acceptable to be belligerent and defy a police officer, ever!
Obviously, the disgusting lack of respect for authority in this country, whether it is toward teachers, police or even one's own parents doesn't stop at just the youth. The next time you have a problem with an authority figure (or anyone for that matter), don't throw a temper tantrum. Do the mature thing , be polite and report it to his superiors the way an adult should.
Roni Huber, Brooksville
Flip side is told in french fry flap Jan. 22, story
Citizens set the tone
Let me begin by telling you that I am a senior citizen and former Milwaukee police officer.
The basic thing to remember is, you set the tone. I have had countless interactions with seniors, as well as all other age groups, where their immediate opening statement was, "I have a washing machine older than you" or "I happen to know so and so" or "Instead of bothering me, why aren't you out there catching the real bad guys?" The list goes on.
When receiving your AARP card, it doesn't come with a "Seniors Pass from Law Enforcement." Instead of thinking this officer may need more sensitivity training, perhaps Merola may need to revisit how a law-abiding citizen should act in a sensible society.
C. Papen, Indian Shores
Leading youth astray
Jean Merola set a very bad example for our young people in being rude to the police officer over a simple request like moving her car up so others could get through.
Polly Pierpont, St. Petersburg
Health care
The public pays
It is often suggested that the U.S. health care system needs to create a universal, single-payer system. Good news: A single-payer system already exists. The universal, single payer is the U.S. taxpayer. We pay every dime of the of 16 percent of our $14-trillion national economy spent on health care. Taxpayers ultimately pay for Medicare, Medicaid, VA, government employees, so-called health insurance and indigent care. Employers do not pay any health care costs: Workers pay for their own health care through smaller paychecks.
Managing the U.S. health care system (the world's most expensive in terms of the percentage of GDP) requires two separate actions. First, the administrative costs that exist between the taxpayer and the service provider are unnecessary and must be eliminated. Administrative costs include dividends on insurance stocks, extravagant salaries to insurance executives and the nonmedical secretaries who deny necessary health services to policyholders. This administrative layer of fat takes about 20 percent of total health care dollars right off the top.
The second issue is to control the actual cost for services. Our health care system measures inputs but seldom tracks outcomes. The health industry, like any other industry, must learn that any new technology must pay for itself in terms of improved outcomes and improved efficiency. A stethoscope works just about as well as an expensive fetal monitor in terms of outcomes.
As a nation we have the right to devote a greater share of our GDP to health care than other nations. Does it make sense for us to spend about twice as much of our GDP as Great Britain and then to rank 19th (dead last) among the developed nations in terms of outcomes? Health insurance is to health care what white sidewalls are to automobile tires: an expensive decorative feature that serves no functional purpose whatsoever. It is time for us to learn how to measure what is effective and what is useless. Since there is a single source for funding health care, we must create an equitable method for distributing the cost of health care among all taxpayers on the one hand, with equal access to health services on the other hand.
C.D. Chamberlain, Spring Hill
Reject more government Jan. 17, letters
Care is excellent
"Just look at England or Canada," says the letter writer, "to see how wonderful their universal health care is."
Right. My wife and I lived for 30 years under the British system, and found it excellent. Never a problem, and never a dime - or a shilling - changed hands. And the doctors made house calls, also free.
Then we spent seven years under the provincial health care systems in British Columbia and Ontario. There was similarly superb quality of care, with no long waits or financial burdens.
If the grasping insurance and drug industries are so confident of the superiority of the U.S. "system," let there be a national referendum.
Nick Hobart, New Port Richey
Publix ad honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Look past labels
Hats off to Publix for its ad reminding us that Martin Luther King Jr. didn't believe in assigning labels to anyone.
Unfortunately labels are the norm today. The general thought these days is "diversty," accepting others with their differences in color, sex, religion, etc., is a good thing.
Compartmentalizing everyone into groups is a bad thing.
We are no longer a nation of Americans. We are African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexican-Americans. This trend only results in division among us, not unification.
Bill Nicolow, Hudson
Showing respect
As a senior, Jean Merola is giving all seniors a bad name. If she had moved her vehicle as requested by the officer, this incident would not have happened. She apparently was looking for trouble, found it, and is now trying to appear as this little abused senior citizen just waiting patiently for her McDonald's order.
As a senior, I've been stopped by law officers, showed them the respect they're due, and received the same treatment from the officer.
I believe that Officer Matthew Parco did the right thing, and I hope the department and all agencies now involved will support him in his efforts. I do.
Michael Starr, Sun City Center
Age over authority
It's all just a matter of respect. In all societies senior citizens command a high degree of respect. In all societies law enforcement officers command a high degree of respect. Unless the senior citizen is Ma Barker, the law enforcement officer should always defer to the senior citizen.
It's just the right thing. I also hope that a simple apology will do to end this and maybe even start a friendship.
Jerry Dorr, Crystal Beach