Letters to the editor

Posted: October 26, 2009 at 4:44 a.m.

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Declaring crosswalk day a success

LITTLE ROCK — I want to thank everyone who participated in Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day. It was a great success and even the weather cooperated with us.

Because of the timing of the tragic accident that took the life of Olivia Ray several weeks ago, this was a very difficult event for me. I am glad that the family received some healing as a result of it. Hopefully we can continue to raise awareness and do as much as we can to increase the odds of safety for motorists and pedestrians.

I was thinking recently that normally when an accident like that happens, it will be a “wakeup call” or a “call for action” in a community. We as a community can take some consolation in the fact that we were already all over it. Sure, there are always areas that can be tweaked, but I would venture to say that our community is doing more for crosswalk safety than any community in the world.

Every single person who helped in any way can know that they have contributed to a better life for a community of individuals who won’t have to suffer a loss. I know we have made a difference with the event, and I know that all of you in your areas of responsibility are making a difference with your outstanding commitment to the public’s safety.

I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you from my heart!

Paula Marinoni / Fayetteville

Let’s reform health care reform

Health care in America is in need of change. But the bill that we are likely to receive from the Senate is reform in all of the wrong areas. The fact is that the United States has the best health care in the world. People come here from all over to get better; this is no accident. This results from market-driven forces allowing for the best of medicines and caretakers to succeed in the health care market.

The problem is that this quality is increasingly expensive and available to fewer and fewer Americans each month. Since the 1960’s, our national health care has revolved around employer coverage and “HMO’s.” This discourages individuals and families across state lines from pooling together and capitalizing on the benefits of insurance at an affordable rate. Your Democratic leaders are pushing for a stated goal of increasing competition in the marketplace to lower prices and increase coverage. The only problem is that the methods that they are pushing will not have any of these desired results, by design.

The fact is that all Republican suggestions for opening the market to average consumers and reducing costs through methods like freeing up interstate insurance markets, tort reforms, preventative care procedures, consumer tax breaks, and subsidization for the poor have all been rejected. Republican reforms are designed to keep medicine in the private sector with top-notch quality while allowing for easier, more affordable access.

The Democratic bills ignore most of these practical options in favor of a government-managed approach.They say that it will lower costs and increase competition, but don’t be fooled. History has shown that when government sticks its nose in a market, it eventually takes control of the entire segment. I have no doubt that if a public option were enacted; it would result in a divide of care between the rich who can afford private care and the poor who rely on Obama-care. We would eventually witness Democratic leaders pushing for the elimination of private insurance altogether, as it is the underlying goal.

We can also measure the quality and efficiency of government programs: just look at your post office: poorly managed and over budget. We can’t put lives in jeopardy with a mediocre system. Take a look at Medicare, a social option: my grandfather was prestigious Dallas OB-GYN. His practice lost money from Medicare underpayments until his death in May 2008. The only way for him to stay in business would have been to pack his office with additional patients, potentially lowering the time spent per patient, quality and intimacy of care.

We can’t fund healthcare through higher taxes and Medicare cuts. We can’t force long waits for surgery and other expensive procedures on patients who need care now. ... You can blame the insurance coverage for poor service, but remember, the government is the agency that controls competition and access to medical insurance. Let’s all push for regulation and quality reform, not a government takeover.

Charles Guerriero / Fayetteville

Opinion, Pages 4 on 10/26/2009

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