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GLOBE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
A WEEK OF GLOBE LETTERS
No place for wisdom where politics, economics intersect
"In our era, politics dominates economics, and the term 'allocative efficiency' has become inappropriate." -- Dmitriy Kha
A pocket-book approach may work
"Simply change all auto insurance policies with medical coverage for drivers and passengers of any vehicles involved in accidents so that the policies would not cover medical expenses for anyone found not to be wearing a seat belt." -- Richard Pangonis
Too foolish to realize that buckling up saves lives
FRANK ZAPPA was on to something - we are “dumb all over,’’ or at least it would seem so in Massachusetts (“ Bay State’s scorn for seat belts unrivaled ,’’ Page A1, July 8).
It's about preserving her legacy
SEBASTIAN SMEE’S piece about the demolition of the carriage house on the grounds of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (“ Gardner Museum tears down structure at heart of dispute ,’’ Metro, July 7) leaves the misleading impression that the museum is unaware and unconcerned about preserving Gardner’s legacy. In fact, the museum trustees and I have had her desire to ...
Called out for name-calling
IN RESPONSE to Representative Peter King’s remarks about Michael Jackson (“ N.Y. congressman calls late singer a ‘pervert ,’ ’’ Page A5, July 7):
The more things change...
From March 6, 1992 IF THE conflict in my household is indicative of conditions elsewhere, the choice of an Elvis stamp threatens severe national disunion. As a compromise, I propose a series of Elvis stamps. In addition to Elvis young and Elvis old, the Postal Service could do stamps in different denominations that show Elvis on pot, Elvis on cocaine, ...
Sedative has no place in the home
THE PRESENCE of the sedative Diprivan, or Propofol, in someone’s home is not just “unusual,’’ as described in a Los Angeles story about Michael Jackson ( Page A2, July 4 ). To find Propofol outside a medical facility is downright bizarre and certainly unsafe.
Middlesex Jail prisoners reached a breaking point
"At some point any of us would snap under such conditions and insist that we must be treated as human beings." -- Paul Shannon
Facilities shrouded in secrecy
IF MASSACHUSETTS jails and prisons were not so shrouded in secrecy, perhaps the detainees at the Middlesex Jail would have found an alternative to vandalism to expose their conditions of confinement (“ Prisoners force evacuation of jail ’’). Massachusetts legislators need to bring back uncensored and unchaperoned media access to prisons and jails, and reestablish an independent oversight commission that ...
Healthcare prevention can go longer way with price tags attached
"At some point any of us would snap under such conditions and insist that we must be treated as human beings." -- Paul Shannon
City welcomes complaints with a tech touch
AS BOTH a former Bay Stater and a cyclist who was recently injured in an accident on a treacherous stretch of pavement in Oakland, Calif., I applaud the city of Boston’s introduction of an iPhone app for municipal complaints ( Page A1, July 6 ).
The fine print
RATHER THAN worrying about consumers who are unwilling or unable to read the fine print in financial contracts (“ Obama details plan for financial agency ,’’ Business, July 1), maybe President Obama should be worrying about members of Congress unwilling or unable to read bills before they vote on them?
Women veterans fall through cracks in system
"One of the reasons is that they are rarely given the authority to represent their own issues or advocate for themselves." -- Anuradha Bhagwati
She'll be more effective this way
I WAS shocked and disappointed to hear that Sarah Palin resigned her position as governor of Alaska (“ Palin to quit, stunning her state, party: News fuels rumors of a 2012 run ,’’ Page A1, July 4). But the one thing I am sure of is that she did not cave under the pressure and stress of the negative publicity ...
One-way ticket?
THE NEWS of Governor Palin’s resignation makes me think of William Weld. Who remembers all the things he did after he stepped down as governor of Massachusetts?
It would be absurd to leave firefighting to market forces
"If your house is on fire, you need someone to put it out. Perhaps with the
cheaper plan a company would agree to save only half your house." -- Robert
Foley
So much for executive experience
IF SARAH Palin’s decision to step down as governor of Alaska is a move to potentially benefit a future run for president, then consider the major logical contradiction she has just created for her resume. In 2008, she was billed as the only candidate on either ticket with so-called executive experience, something seen as a benefit to a presidential resume. ...
National tuition fund should be reconsidered
RE “ MODEST earners to get relief for student loans ’’ (Page A5, June 29): Modifications to federal student loans, with easier terms and forgiveness for public service, are welcome but do not go far enough. Milton Friedman, John Silber, and Ted Kennedy all have argued for a national “tuition advance fund’’ from which students could borrow for higher education ...
There are those for whom we make way
TO A fond member of Red Sox Nation, it seems reasonable to give the team’s principal owner, John Henry, free parking on his wedding day outside his own ballpark (“ A clean sweep for Henry: City officials clear space for Red Sox owner’s wedding reception ,’’ Metro, July 2).
‘Public safety’?
THERE IS an old saying that money won’t buy you happiness. But in Boston it will get you public streets shut down for valet parking at a private wedding, in the name of “public safety’’ (“ A clean sweep for Henry ’’). Meanwhile, in Dorchester young people are being shot. Whose public safety are we talking about?
Biden gives Israel green light on Iran
"This is certainly not Biden's first 'oops,' but it may be the one with the gravest consequences." -- Stephen Green
Here’s an opening question
"How is a neighborhood's quality of life affected by an aging population, and what policies and procedures are needed to welcome this reality?" -- Christopher Hart
Incumbent’s challengers must distinguish selves
THE GLOBE ( Editorial, July 2 ) and Mayor Menino’s opponents continually sound the debate drumbeat without analyzing the value of a debate. Yes, it’s a good thing for an incumbent to face opponents, but when you have an incumbent mayor who has greeted in the flesh more than half the population and has an approval rating above 70 percent, ...
Public safety story of more than passing interest
SOMETIMES COMPASSION in public safety is highly visible and becomes a heartwarming human interest story. Most of the time, compassion routinely delivered in the streets is simply lost in the noise of life.
Menino’s delays are a form of voter suppression
VOTER PARTICIPATION is key to a healthy democracy, but Mayor Menino doesn’t care how many people participate as long as they vote for him (“ Don’t duck debates ,’’ Editorial, July 2).
Warming is not an open-and-shut case
UNFORTUNATELY, THE nature of the op-ed column, about 700 words, does not allow Jeff Jacoby to present the full case on the fraud of so-called global warming (“ No climate debate? Yes, there is ,’’ July 1). It’s a substantial case, but Jacoby does a terrific job within the confines of the space.
Forget forecasts, what about mess in our midst?
"Global warming may indeed be a theory, but pollution is a fact." -- Daniel McCarthy
Even given doubts, it’s prudent to reduce carbon emissions
JEFF JACOBY’S July 1 column on climate change uses areas of legitimate scientific doubt to discredit real and true warnings of possible danger to the planet. The books he cites do raise some reasonable doubts. Computer models of climate are not wholly reliable. It is possible that there are processes that will mitigate global warming.
Real question: When will our leaders act?
RE “ NO climate debate? Yes, there is ’’ (Op-ed, July 1) by Jeff Jacoby: The climate debate has been “more robust than it has been in years,’’ but the debate isn’t over whether humans are affecting our climate. That debate was over decades ago. The debate now is how and when are we going to join the international community ...
Impact of cut to Quinn Bill could have been eased
"Town officials, police officers, and citizens should know that there was another approach put forward during debate on this issue." -- State Senator Robert Hedlund.
A nod to Fast Lane
RE “ SOME still slow to make the move to Fast Lane ’’ (Page A1, June 29): Great article. The public should be aware that it is not only time that they are wasting. Having a Fast Lane pass will save them wear and tear on the vehicles. Not having to stop at a tollbooth can save Massachusetts drivers on ...
Health insurers in the mix
"Almost everyone I know has an insurance horror story, so why can't more Americans see through the health insurance lobby's desire to have a lock on the market?" -- Dr. J. Wesley Boyd
Let the market cultivate new ideas
RE “ PRIVATIZING fire protection ’’ (Op-ed, June 30): Peter Funt’s argument that privatization of fire departments will lead to the disenfranchisement of fire protection for the poor runs counter to the laws of economics. The only support for this line of reasoning is the situation Funt describes in which a California company essentially provides fire protection for the life ...
Military presence is there to protect against attack
CLAIRE MESSUD (“ Walking miles in Palestinian feet ,’’ Op-ed) has her head in the sand. The Palestinian feet she so adoringly describes are the feet that transport suicide bombers and their deadly cargo into Jerusalem to blow up cafes and pizza parlors and buses containing innocent men, women, and children. Feet that drive tractors and bulldozers, engaged in normal ...
Read into novelist's take
WHEN A novelist writes an op-ed about Israel and Palestine , and in her second sentence says the Palestine National Theatre in Jerusalem was “shut down by machine-gun toting Israeli soldiers in flak jackets,’’ you need not read the rest of the piece to know her agenda.
Put visit in proper context
"We all have an interest in seeing the checkpoints' removal and the burden on innocent people eased. Distorted presentations that demonize Israelis and give cover to enemies of peace will do little to bring this day closer." -- Ken Levine
Enough regulatory hurdles for Cape Wind project
ALEX LAWTON could not be further off-base in stating that Cape Wind hasn’t received a “full and fair hearing’’ ( Letters, June 28 ). As a former Barnstable town councilor, 38-year Cape Cod resident, and longtime Nantucket Sound ferry boat captain, I can vouch for the fact that this badly needed renewable energy project has jumped over more regulatory hurdles ...
Brutal peanut gallery weighs in with comments online
I AM very often disturbed by the online comments left by Globe readers in reaction to any piece about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the remarks left in response to “ Walking miles in Palestinian feet ’’ were no exception.
Racial equity put to test
THE SUPREME Court’s opinion in Ricci v. DeStefano (“ A bad test for racial equity ,’’ Editorial, June 30) is commendable. The majority’s decision - “that the New Haven Civil Service Board practiced intentional discrimination in overturning a 2003 Fire Department exam’’ - was a break from the sad stranglehold identity politics enjoys in our society.
The Sox need their captain
IF EVER the Red Sox brain trust needs to understand the value of the team’s captain, it can review Tuesday night’s ridiculous 11-10 loss to Baltimore after catcher Jason Varitek was replaced in the 7th inning with the Sox leading 10-1. George Kottaras is a good catcher, and he handles knuckleballer Tim Wakefield well, but experience and knowledge do count, ...
More value from state workers
I DISAGREE with your June 28 Short Fuse editorial “ Privatization: Just baby steps .’’ You seem to assume that privatization saves the state money. This is usually not the case. The reason is simple: Private companies make a profit; the state does not. State employees can often do the work as well as or better than private employees, and ...
Mosque's opening a milestone to be celebrated
I WAS pleased to see the coverage of the opening of the new mosque and Muslim cultural center in Roxbury last weekend, but disappointed that so much of the coverage seems to still focus on those opposed to the building of the mosque. I was only one of a number of rabbis and other members of the Jewish community who ...
Palestinian life under Israeli rule has to be seen
THE JUNE 29 op-ed “ Walking miles in Palestinian feet ’’ by Claire Messud was excellent. As a peace activist who has been to Israel, the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem eight times, I cannot stress enough the importance of experiencing Palestinian life under Israeli rule.
Underfed readers
"Thank you for exposing the annoying orgy of Michael Jackson coverage. It would have been nice if more media outlets turned their attention to last month's UN report that more than 1 billion people are starving to death." -- Patricia McCarron
Overtreated for their disability, otherwise undertreated
"If a woman dies unnecessarily of breast cancer, it does not matter that she used a wheelchair all of her life." -- Lisa Blumberg
Media delivering what people want
SCOT LEHIGH argues that the TV networks are covering the death of Michael Jackson despite the fact that few people care about it (“ Enough already on Michael Jackson! ’’ Op-ed, July 1). “I don’t hear Jackson talked about as much as I hear the obsessive coverage of his death decried,’’ he writes.
'It's so sad'
WESLEY MORRIS’S article “ For blacks, Jackson’s struggles mirrored their own ’’ (Page A1, June 28) was written with so much compassion and skill: The way he wove together fact and metaphor painted an amazing visual portrait, and a heartbreakingly accurate one.
Population of disabled patients takes many forms
I APPLAUD Partners HealthCare’s addressing the issue of health disparities and accessibility challenges that exist for physically disabled patients (“ 2 flagship hospitals to upgrade accessibility ,’’ Page A1, June 26). At the same time, we must go further to eliminate healthcare disparities faced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As our healthcare system has become more complex and ...
Though a key stopgap, motels are no place for homeless kids
KUDOS TO the Globe for making sure that the more than 1,000 homeless children whose families remain temporarily housed in motels - often in isolated, unhealthy, and unsafe conditions - are not forgotten (“ A room to call home ,’’ Page A1, June 24). Homelessness can result in irreparable harm to children. The inadequacy of the resources available to support ...
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