Letters for March 15, 2008

March 15, 2008 12:08 pm

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Star low with criticism of Will

It saddened me to see the editorial in the March 5 Daily Star that criticized George Will for comments he made on the This Week program. For this newspaper to descend to name-calling is certainly beneath the standards of good journalism and should be condemned by all fair-minded people.

The editorial called Mr. Will smug and insensitive. It even called him a jerk. And all this is because he told the truth as he sees it. Apparently we all have to follow the editorial philosophy of The Daily Star to avoid being tarred with insulting epithets.

Starting with the 47 million Americans without health-care insurance, if income were the only reason, a simple income-based subsidy would solve the problem. However, the problem is far more complicated. Half the uninsured have incomes at least twice the national income. These people just do not care to buy health insurance. Being uninsured does not mean that they are without health care. There are more than 40 federal health-care service programs. And under COBRA, it is illegal for hospitals to turn away people because they lack the money.

In January, the unemployment rate in America was 4.9 percent. This is lower than the average unemployment rate in the 1990s (5.8 percent) and the average over the last 40 years (6 percent). Since President Bush became our president, the economy's growth rate has been 3.5 percent compared to the Clinton years when it was 3.3 percent. These are hardly despairing figures.

George Will has won the Pulitzer Prize, the Headliner award, National Magazine award, Silurian award, Cronkite award, William Allen White award and the Champion of Liberty award. This is hardly a man who can be depicted as a jerk. Such a smear of a distinguished journalist is pretty low, even for The Daily Star.

Robert C. Beckman

Otego

Listen to our soldiers speak

It's time to let soldiers speak for themselves about the Iraq war.

Politicians have constantly changed the rationale for our being there, and media images avoid tough realities of what that war is actually like. On March 13-16, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are testifying about the on-the-ground realities of these two wars and about their treatment by veterans' services on their return. In an event titled, "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan," about 300 veterans are gathering in Silver Springs, Md., for four days of testimony about the war by those who have actually lived it.

The event is based on a similar conference held by veterans of the Vietnam War in 1971. The name "Winter Soldier" refers to Founding Father Thomas Paine's characterization of the people who stand up for the soul of their country, even in its darkest hours.

Preparation for the testimony has been meticulous _ speakers have been carefully screened and stories have been verified both by other soldiers and, where possible, on the ground in Iraq. Photos and video footage will make up a key element of the testimony. The event will combine soldier testimonies and expert panels on a list of topics, a schedule of which is available on IVAW's website. The testimony can be heard live by streaming online or, on Friday and Saturday on satellite dish, on Free Speech TV (see www.ivaw.org/

wintersoldier).

Aaron Hughes, an Iraq veteran who initiated this effort, says, "This is a moment when veterans won't let anyone else speak for us. We hear from the pundits, we hear from the politicians, ... (but) ... We're the ones who can bring out the cruelties and dehumanization in U.S. foreign policy."

Paddy Lane

New Berlin

Meredith vote wasn't close

I was pleased to see your admiring editorial holding the recent elections up as a model of open government and "democracy in action," so I'm a bit reluctant to complain about your characterization of the vote totals. You write, "the anti-industrial turbine candidates were elected in fairly close votes."

Town Supervisor Keitha Capouya won by an almost 2-to-1 majority _ what most would consider a landslide.

Ms. Capouya's win was in NO sense "fairly close," but an overwhelming demonstration of support for her main campaign promise _ to rescind Meredith's industry-friendly wind law and to enact an outright ban on all industrial wind development in our town.

It's great that The Daily Star has come out in support of what happened at the polls in Meredith last November, but it's important to understand the real magnitude of the victory. The election was a referendum on large-scale industrial turbines and the result was a decisive and unambiguous defeat for outside wind developers and investment bankers.

The current town government is merely acting on behalf of the will of the people, as any truly representative government should.

Betty Snyder

Meredith

City potholes need better fix

Regarding the article in the March 5 Daily Star titled "City takes aim at potholes," a new coat of pavement could be in store for Chestnut and Center streets in early spring.

I would like to say: What about Lettis Highway (especially coming toward Main Street from Southside)? Every year, that stretch of road is full of potholes. They swallow up our cars, and ruin the alignments.

I (along with many others) travel that stretch of road every day to get to work. You cannot avoid these potholes. They are just waiting to swallow you up.

Last week, they were attempting to fill them in, but when the next snow or rain comes it just washes them out again. Every year it seems to get worse, and the holes get bigger and deeper.

And then there's Bugbee Road (from East Street up onto the State University College at Oneonta campus). That road is in need of some serious work as well.

I know this is a tough time of year, but it seems even after the weather changes and the roads settle, these areas are still problematic.

Why can't something be done with our tax dollars to fix this?

Kristin Spranger

Schenevus