H1N1 response has been a disaster
As I read the Nov. 13 Independent, I couldn't help but be amazed by the story about the H1N1 vaccine distribution in our area. It seemed that they were a little on the defensive, as well they should be.
Thresia Bolt praised their efforts. The article said she was 60 and had diabetes and other underlying health issues. She was quoted as saying, “I think they have been very efficient.”
Michael Hedrick stated he and his family were frustrated by the seemingly long wait for vaccines to become available. He was irritated until he found out the reason it seemed everyone around us was getting the vaccine. He was told it was because the bigger cities got it first.
The whole response to the H1N1 pandemic by our government officials has been a fiasco, from Washington, D.C., all the way down to Boyd County. It’s hard to believe a country as great as ours can’t do any better. Does Katrina come to mind here?
I’m 74, have only lung, have emphysema, interstitial fibrosis, congestive heart failure and diabetes, but I can’t get an appointment at the health department for the vaccine. How much more do I have to have wrong with me to be considered high risk?
The explanation that the vaccine was sent to the larger cities doesn't hold water. Lawrence County, Ohio, was giving the vaccine to people in my age group, with essentially the same health problems approximately three weeks ago.
I don't know where all the blame should go, but it seems to me it can be shared by several agencies. Pointing fingers will not help me if I get H1N1 flu, but don't try feeding me a bunch of bull and expect me not to complain.
Charles W. Payne, Ashland
Boyd library has too much money
The Boyd County Library is a true asset for our community. I always encounter helpful, knowledgeable staff. When I read the Nov. 12 story, “Report: Boyd libraries have $7.1M in funds,” and the mentioned annual report, several thoughts came to mind. I’ll mention three.
First, my property tax for the library is a bit steep. Yet they are carrying forward a surplus into FY 2010, an amount greater than 125 percent of the entire annual library property tax receipts. Also included is $135,000 in “interest earned.” How do they explain this? I think next year they ought to have a one-time 50 percent reduction in the library property tax. They obviously have too much money.
Second, I can find no documented Boyd County Library mission statement. Without one, how can you determine your objectives and measure your performance? It is especially important now because libraries are experiencing an identity crisis because of the digital revolution and the Internet. Libraries are being forced to reinvent themselves.
How can we leverage all this to better serve the people of Boyd County? I really wonder if expensive video games and consoles, which are subject to damage and theft, are part of the answer.
Third, if new facilities are on the radar, I hope the board will consider using one or more of the vacant Winchester Avenue buildings. When I was growing up, downtown was a much more vibrant and interesting place. Moving the main branch there would be a strong step back in that direction.
Tom Trivette, Ashland
Region should be thankful for coal
As we approach Thanksgiving 2009, we have so much to be thankful for. All of us in Kentucky and perhaps the majority of those in neighboring states enjoy affordable rates for electricity, thanks to coal. Yes, coal still turns the lights on, and we should be thankful for this.
Coal cannot be done away with, as some in Washington would like. We need it today and will continue to need it for years to come. There is no alternative energy source in place or readily available to replace coal in the production of electricity.
As we look around us today, the coal industry is battling to counter the continual barrage of whimpering by the environmentalists. The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal) has been formed to present mining’s side and other pertinent information on mining and coal usage.
As a member of FACES, I ask readers of The Independent to visit the FACES Web site (http://www.facesofcoal.org/) review the information presented and give it some thought. If you flip a switch to turn the lights on, you are using coal. Become a member of FACES and stand up with the people who made it possible.
John F. Enyart, Ashland
Cap-and-trade laws will save money
While many Republicans are predicting an increase in energy costs if we pass the cap-and-trade legislation, they’re are missing the big picture. In fact, the legislation will save exponentially more money than it will cost, as was seen with the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments.
Predicted to cost $5.7 billion, the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, which used a cap-and-trade market system, turned out to cost just $1.6 billion to cut more than 4 million tons of sulfur dioxide. But savings in health care costs were found to be as much as $70 billion dollars, according to a 2003 EPA study.
With many scientists warning that climate change threatens the lives of billions of people this century and could accelerate out of control unless we cap and reduce emissions quickly, the savings will likely be vastly greater with investments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Many larger U.S. cities have unsafe air pollution. By switching from dirty coal to clean solar and wind energy, air pollution will be reduced significantly.
Burning coal kills an estimated 24,000 people each year in the United States from particulate air pollution, according to the American Lung Association. This is equivalent to eight September 11, 2001 terrorist attack deaths every year. But these people are scattered around the country.
People do not see the deaths in one dramatic event and are not mobilized to action as happened with the September 11 attacks. But they are real.
In addition to coal, cap and trade legislation will also reduce the burning of oil, and cut down on the $700 billion dollars we spend annually to import petroleum.
I implore citizens to get behind the cap and trade legislation. We must take action, before it’s too late.
Chad Kister , Nelsonville, Ohio
Health care bill called outrageous
On Saturday, Nov. 7, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives made history by passing H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
I cannot believe that the government will take over another corporate entity — this time health care. It’s outrageous and totally unconstitutional. Americans could face a jail term of up to five years and a fine of $250,000 for not buying health care insurance.
The health care takeover is now in the Senate where Sen. Harry Reid will try to cram it down our throats since the government knows what “we” need. How dare the people we elect to represent us in government pass legislation that a majority of Americans do not want.
We are tired of the government taking over more and more of lives/freedoms and we demand that it stop. Listen to us or get voted out!
Anita Manninen, Portsmouth, Ohio
