Published: July 28, 2009 12:00 am      

Letters to the editor - Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tarrh will make a good sheriff

I was pleasantly surprised to read that Mike Tarrh is running for Howard County sheriff. He will be a good sheriff.

I have known Mike and his family for several years. His two sons are in law enforcement. Josh is a state trooper, and Aaron is on the Kokomo Police Department.

Mike and his wife, Cindy, have raised a fine family. Mike has been a state policeman for twenty-some years.

I just felt led to lend encouragement to a good man. He will get my family’s support and vote.

The Rev. Leon Clark, Kokomo

Dislike health care? Work for change

About health-care costs:

1) Small businesses found that health-care costs for employees were too expensive for their small budgets. So the employees had benefits decreased and they paid more.

2) Large businesses found that health-care costs for employees were too expensive for their large budgets. So the employees had benefits decreased and they paid more.

3) The U.S. government just found that health-care costs (Medicare and Medicaid) are too expensive for its enormous budget. So the citizens ...

Should we reduce the causes of the high costs? Or just continue to settle for less and pay more?

We are the best. Most other people on this planet want what we have.

So where did we go wrong? Is it too late to be what we once were, so we can have what we once had? (Pride and the highest standard of living.)

What do we need to do? What do we need to stop doing?

Ask you. Don’t wait for we. It’s your fault. It’s my fault. If you don’t like it, you change it. I don’t like it, and I will work to change it.

Patrick E. Harvey, Peru

Education begins in children’s homes

Most Americans don’t remember the wonderful job our public school teachers did when they turned the waves of immigrant children into Americans. One only has to read the stories of immigrant children who became famous to recognize the tremendous job the public schools did.

Unfortunately, the National Education Association has decided to major in social engineering for the political left wing, and parents who can afford it send their children to private schools that teach morals and patriotism along with curriculum.

Today’s children expect to be entertained, not taught. Education begins at home. If the parents think education is unimportant, nothing the teacher says matters. I remember many of Kokomo’s teachers with appreciation for the kindness and encouragement they gave me.

Evelyn B. Harrington, Kokomo

Will there continue to be U.S. brands?

Viewing the automotive business as an outsider, I have observed Japanese auto firms set up operations in the United States, an Italian company purchase Chrysler, and our own government take a controlling, and hopefully a very temporary, stake of General Motors.

As one who has always owned American brands: Chrysler, GM and, to a lesser degree, Ford, I worry about how much longer one will still be able to purchase a true American brand. God bless Ford and Saturn/Penske.

Kenneth Crockett, Kokomo

Too many tempted to commit a crime

Congress could be overlooking billions of dollars in its rush to find the $1 trillion for its proposed new health-care plan.

Congress should slow down and review the wasted dollars in the government-run health program called Medicare.

Over the last 20 or so years, Medicare has received just 35 to 40 cents value for each dollar that was spent on health-care services. If the same pricing policies are followed in the new government health-care plan, billions will be wasted instead of the millions wasted by Medicare.

Assuming the Medicare pricing is followed and Congress was able to increase the value for each dollar spent from 40 to 75 cents, it would save $350 billion. That is a third of the trillion it is seeking and lowers the risk of the new program failing, which would bankrupt the taxpayers, the health plan and our government.

The United States has the best health-care services in the world.

Health care is a vast and complex industry. The health-care industry employs millions of hard-working and dedicated people. But when money is involved, too many are tempted beyond their resistance level to abstain from committing a crime.

We can blame ourselves for some of these money problems. Due to the complexity of health care, plus the billing that further confuses our understanding of the entire procedure, the patient must educate himself.

Congress should not create another health-care program until the health-care system can develop a new serum to treat the deficiency of honesty and integrity in the human race!

Grant Poynter, Kokomo