Lives that make a difference

Lives that make a difference

EDITOR:

What I remember from shaking hands with Ted Kennedy is that the Secret Service man reached for the purse or bag or whatever it was of the woman next to me in line — it was a bit startling.

Ted Kennedy’s life was largely defined by death. I can almost quote by memory the closing words in his eulogy to his brother Robert at St. Patrick’s Cathedral: “My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life. To be remembered as a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it ...” Ted himself almost died in a plane crash. And I think death, along with the challenges and sorrows of life are what drove him to be such an advocate for the poor and needy. I suppose he could have simply dropped from public life and with all his wealth, spent his days sailing. Instead, he was aggressive and tireless in the fight.

Needless to say, I did not agree with Sen. Kennedy on everything — like abortion. But I agreed with his compassionate pursuit of justice and care for the common person. I liked his intellect, his way of talking with that Boston accent, and the decent manner in which he accepted the inherited reigns of responsibility for his nieces and nephews, left behind by tragedy.

The legacy we can reflect upon from the lives of great people who have gone on is that one life committed to a cause can make a big difference.

Rev. TIM SCHULTZ

North Lima

‘Obamacare’ wouldn’t be best

EDITOR:

“Obamacare,” or House Resolution 3200, will have devastating effects on our community, especially seniors, who understandably account for most of our health-care spending.

Despite what is said, the bill before Congress now will inevitably lead to rationing of care, including long weeks if not months of delays for diagnosis and then additional delays for treatment, as is routine in Canada and England. Which treatments one will receive will be prescribed by government assigned “experts,” who will approve only the most cost-effective (least expensive) treatments. In order to achieve the goal of reducing health-care spending by 30 percent over the next 20 years, “high cost, low-value treatments” will be eliminated. (Translated: “oldest and sickest patients”) I believe most Americans, together with their doctor, should be the ones to decide questions of value and cost, not a government “expert.”

There are better and much simpler ways of reducing cost. One would be to give individuals the same tax breaks that companies get to purchase health insurance. The second would be to allow individuals to purchase health insurance outside the state they live in. This would allow one to buy a policy more suited to one’s needs, without having to pay for all the mandates that individual states require. We can go to Pennsylvania to buy a car, but not health insurance. Expanding medical savings accounts, and giving people more freedom and responsibility for their own health care is a strong incentive to hold down costs, and would reduce costs significantly.

Finally, there is the scourge of “defensive medicine,” or all the extra tests and imaging studies done by doctors to avoid being sued for not eliminating every possibility. I can assure you that this is very real, and has become almost routine in the practice of medicine. Studies have shown that up to $200 billion annually could be saved by eliminating this extra testing, more than enough to pay for health insurance for all the uninsured in the country. Yet nowhere in HR 3200 are there any malpractice reforms to eliminate or lessen lawsuit abuse. Several common-sense reforms enacted here in Ohio over the last several years have caused a dramatic drop in the number of frivolous lawsuits, and have slowed or stopped the exodus of good doctors leaving Ohio. We need to do the same thing for the entire nation.

If this “reform” is so good, then why are federal employees and Congress exempt? They should be the first in line. This health-care bill is much too important for us and our children, to be rushed through under the guise of another “crisis.” Let’s talk about the real issues and how they will impact us in years to come.

THOMAS D. KAMINSKI, M.D.

Warren

Steinbrenner would blanch

EDITOR:

I would like to introduce you to my starting lineup; Larry Glasscock, $46,212,719; Joel Gemunder, $17,700,473; Michael Smith, $17,526,297; David Frick, $17,465,297; William Shea, $16,663,501; Keith Faller, $13,098,415; Leonard Schaeffer, $11,695,355; Allen Wise, $10,081,451, and William McGuire M.D., $10,001,499. If you thought these nine men were the lineup of some sports team, you would be wrong. Not even the New York Yankees could afford them. What you are looking at is the 2008 salaries of some of the top executives in the health-care field. These salaries do not include stock options.

These are the teams they work for: Mr. Glasscock, Mr. Smith, Mr. Frick and Mr. Faller are executives in Anthem. Mr. Gemunder works for Omnicare. Mr. Shea works for Conseco. Mr. Schaeffer works for WellPoint Health. Mr. Wise works for Coventry Health Care and Dr. McGuire works for United Health Care. At least Dr. McGuire is actually a health-care professional. These salaries were found on the Web sites of Fortune and Forbes, executive pay sections. The number of health insurance executives who are in the top 1,000 is amazing.

These are people who do not in any way help us medically. They deny service on a daily basis to Americans in order that they may improve their bottom line. The combined salaries of just these nine executives is $160,445,007 in just the year 2008.

These are the people who are behind the “Astroturf protesters.” These are the people that are spending $1.5 million a day to defeat health-care reform. Those Americans who have health insurance should remember these figures every time their premium or co-pay goes up and every time they are denied coverage for a procedure their doctor thinks they should have. Those Americans with pre-existing conditions or who lost their coverage because their employer can no longer afford the premiums or who have lose their jobs, might want to contact one of these people to find out what they should do.

THOMAS P. LAMB

Youngstown

It’s about the shoes, dog

EDITOR:

“School go be so dope dis year. We get to rock any shoes we want. I’ma be fresh!”

— A motivated student

Yup! Another enthusiastic school year is approaching for Youngstown City Schools, and the students are so eager to fling open the doors to the freshly waxed and buffed floors to show off their brand-new colorful shoes. Last year school had to be so uneventful because students were only allowed to wear all black or white shoes. How in the world are they supposed to learn like that? I mean, next to the outdated textbooks, the type of shoe you wear is essential to the learning process.

Instead of school personnel cracking down and enforcing a student dress code, they crack under the steady and blatant disrespect and breaking of it. The student dress code was enacted to promote uniformity and alleviate the pressures of parents and students competing in some sort of fashion show. It was to help the student focus more on the educational aspects of school.

Of course, there are two sides to a coin. Being able to express yourself is a very important part in a student’s development. Fashion is now an art form that showcases individuality and creativity. The confidence these kids obtain from being able to be themselves could translate into more confidence in the classroom. The fashion world rakes in billions of dollars a year and some of these kids may have futures in fashion design, or as models.

The only thing is, our school system is antiquated. Instead of evolving into performing arts and technological epicenters or schools where our kids learn valuable trades and real world mathematics (currency and credit), we are stuck with unmotivated teachers teaching from the same lesson plan year in and year out. Teachers used to innovate and inspire and students, used to aspire and invent.

Well at least this year students have something to look forward to. Glow-in -the-dark Air Yeezys, the freshest Nike Dunks with the rarest color schemes and, of course, the ageless Jordan collection will have these kids rejuvenated and the teachers motivated. I’m sure the class of 2010 will breed the greatest minds to ever walk across Stambaugh Auditorium’s stage. If not, at least they’ll have on fresh kicks. And next year we can work on really inspiring our students to greatness by ditching the student dress code all together.

DERRICK BENSON

Youngstown

Saving children, one at a time

EDITOR:

Last week, we were all shocked and saddened by the story of the little 8-year-old boy who was badly beaten in Brookfield. As executive director of Trumbull County Children Services, I cannot remember when we have seen such a flood of generosity from the community. Concerned citizens have sent school supplies, toys and games, gift cards, clothing, and monetary donations for the 8-year old and his baby brother. We obviously have a very giving and caring community.

I have received several calls from tender-hearted folks who are having a hard time getting this boy off their mind. The Brookfield Police and Fire Departments, along with our staff at Children Services are also struggling with their emotions. This was a very serious situation, but one call being made resulted in life-saving action for the boy and his brother.

I would like to assure the community that both children are doing well. The 8-year-old boy was released from the hospital and is making steady progress in his foster home. The CSB caseworker’s desk area looked like Christmas time from all the gifts and items purchased for him from average citizens who were touched by his story. He is a thoughtful, appreciative child who has captured the hearts of the community.

In many ways, his story has helped educate the public about reporting suspected child abuse. We depend on neighbors, friends and family, along with the staff from schools, hospitals and other professional settings to alert us to troubling situations.

This case has stirred something in a lot of people who just want to know, “What can I do to help?” No. 1: Report child abuse and neglect when you see it. Your call could save another child. Second: Consider becoming a foster or adoptive parent. A loving home is what every child coming into agency custody really needs. All of our homes are approved by trained assessors and licensed by the state of Ohio. Third: If you have supported Children Services’ levies in the past, your generous tax dollars do help meet the needs of abused, neglected and dependent children like this little boy. We cannot do our jobs without the support of Trumbull County taxpayers. We serve hundreds of children every year. Their stories, thankfully, are usually not as horrific as the one in Brookfield.

We can be proud of our community for the kindness and concern shown toward this little boy and his brother. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” That was certainly evident last week in the “village” that is our Valley.

MARCIA A. TIGER, executive director

Trumbull County Children Services

Warren