Letters to the Editor September 2, 2009

So impressed and awed, I am moved to pen regarding Rush Limbaugh’s recent self-congratulatory aggrandizement  for having the sheer prescience to predict 1) that a man with terminal brain cancer was actually going to die and, 2) that after a decade of trying to enact universal health care for all Americans, the deceased’s name just might be invoked in attempts at its passage.

So blinded by Mr. Limbaugh’s profundity, I find myself capable of but two words in response, Brilliant, Gump!

All of which, additionally, leads me toward the belief that God must be an affirmative action kind of guy, seeking some kind of IQ and moral ballast on that brig of Noah’s, by creating one jackal for every Lion.

Rest in peace, Senator Kennedy. And thank you.

Peterson Park should have plaque honoring Pearl Harbor namesake

At the Del Norte Museum where I volunteer, we were asked about the history of naming Peterson Park. Our research found a newspaper article of May 26, 1944, stating that the Crescent City Council authorized a plaque to be erected at the park honoring Rockney Peterson, who was killed on the battleship USS Arizona during the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

A physical search of the park could not find a plaque. A letter was written to the Crescent City Council concerning the subject on June 23, 2009. To date, there has not been any correspondence from the City Council.

Perhaps your newspaper could create enough public interest to have a plaque or kiosk erected to commemorate Peterson Park for the original intentions of the City Council.

By discouraging competition we are encouraging panhandling

This is only something to ponder. Now, I realize we live in an ultra-sensitive society when our elementary children are excluded from playing competitive sports where there is neither a winner nor a loser, such as dodge ball, which some would consider cruel and unusual punishment. I ask you, what does this teach our children?

Now, to get to the reason for which I am writing this letter. The issue at hand is the homeless. Certainly, I am not the only one who has noticed the massive influx of indigents who flock in numbers in front of almost every retailer and four-way intersections in Crescent City? Why hasn’t the county written an ordinance to make panhandling illegal within the city limits? And if they have, why isn’t it enforced?

Now you are probably asking what these two topics have in common. The question is, should we reward individuals for not trying? Is it government’s responsibility to intervene or does it fall solely on the individual? From what I’ve seen, these are able-bodied individuals, young and old, who have not been a victim of the latest economic crash, but individuals who made a conscious decision for this lifestyle choice. This isn’t the field of dreams! They hold their signs, which some have read, “I won’t lie, I need a beer.”

The more opportunities this community provides for these individuals, the more will follow. And the longer we procrastinate, the worse the problem will become. The bottom line is, “If you don’t fight to succeed, you lose!”

Are Americans so rich they don’t care about their fellow man?

I don’t understand why some folks are so against universal health care for all Americans. Are they so rich and privileged that they care nothing for their fellow man’s well being?

If you’re rich, you can buy it; if you’re very poor or have a lot of kids, you get it for free. If you’re in the middle, you have no coverage at all, uniquely American, while all other developed nations provide something for all people, which takes a lot of stress off people not to worry about getting sick or developing a toothache.

I had to work two jobs, seven days a week, day in, day out, month after month, to make ends meet and provide myself and my three sons with medical care. I was never there for my children because I was so busy trying to provide necessities. I would rather have enjoyed being there for their childhood instead of at work all the time.

Please, Mr. President, pass your health care bill now. It’s way overdue.