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Letters to the Editor
December 14, 2003
Letters to the Editor published in The Daily News:
•••
New Medicines Have Spurred Advancement
New medicines created in America over the past decade have spurred wondrous advances in the treatment of the world’s worst afflictions — cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and HIV/AIDS.
In Galveston County alone, according to Texas Department of Health 2001 statistics, some 797 died from cardiovascular disease and some 469 died from cancer, the two worst killers. Even one death is too much.
More than 300 new drugs, biologics and vaccines developed by innovative United States pharmaceutical companies moved from research labs into the marketplace in that time, restoring health and enhancing the quality of life for millions worldwide.
Developing medicines is only part of our challenge. Providing consumers access to medicines is equally important.
We hope that seniors will have better insurance coverage for their medicines with the recent addition of Medicare drug coverage by congress.
We hope that state Medicaid programs will allow access to novel medications rather than impose greater bureaucratic hurdles.
And we hope that the government will defend the intellectual property protections of United States manufacturers against unscrupulous foreign manufacturers who are intent on stealing our innovation — often with the support of their own government for doing so.
With these things in place we can continue to do what we do best — developing the new medicines that improve, extend and save lives.
Alan F. Holmer, president
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
•••
(A 47-year-old Texas City man, who was part of a parade of motorcyclists delivering toys to burned children, was killed when a car pulled into the convoy’s route, police said. A 38-year-old Santa Fe woman who was on the same motorcycle was critically injured.)
People Should Watch For Motorcycles
This past weekend marked a tragedy for two individuals and the motorcycling community.
The Shriners Toy Run, a normally upbeat pulling together of area bikers to give toys to the children at Shriners, was overshadowed by the impatience of one person who could not wait the extra five or 10 minutes for the motorcycle procession to pass.
Because someone cut across the path of the bikes, lives were shattered.
The motoring public needs to wake up and realize that people riding bikes have the same rights as anyone else and deserve the same respect on the road.
Would one cut in front of a semi or a bus? Why do so to a biker? We bikers all are just like you and would like to get home to our families at the end of the day.
Unfortunately, that is not an option for the man involved in the wreck.
Please people, remember — motorcycles are everywhere. Because we choose two wheels instead of four is no reason to ignore us on the road.
Don’t let yourself be the next one that carelessly takes the life of another biker. Just think of the lives you will destroy, including your own.
Look twice, save a life — motorcycles are everywhere.
Geoffrey Fish
Texas City
How Will Galveston Respond?
The motorcycle accident was tragic.
The motorcycle community enthusiastically supports charities such as Toys for Tots. How Galveston responds to this death will have a great influence on the 2004 Lone Star Rally.
Will the motorcycle community support Galveston?
Rosita Maley
Pearland
•••
(Galveston Mayor Roger “Bo” Quiroga told the city council he was upset about a letter to the editor published in The Daily News. The letter suggested that the mayor should be tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a parking meter. The mayor asked the city attorney to look into possible legal action against the writer and suggested that the newspaper also might have liability.)
Don’t Taxpayers Have A Right To Their Opinion?
Merry Christmas, Mayor Roger “Bo” Quiroga.
I am calling on Mayor Quiroga to do the right thing and resign immediately.
That’s right, “Bo.” I said it, and I wrote it.
How dare this publicly elected official use the official resources of his office (city attorney) to seek legal recourse against a taxpayer expressing his opinion and the newspaper that allowed him the space to do it?
The Galveston County Daily News is one of the fairest papers in the sense that it doesn’t shy away from expressed dissent.
Is the mayor so arrogant as to believe all area newspapers should be his very own political mouthpiece? Is the mayor so arrogant as to believe that all within his realm are but his mere subjects? Apparently so.
When I recently disagreed with Texas City Mayor Carlos Garza, he actually thanked me for sharing my ideas. We had discourse, but I was not threatened or bullied with legal action by the city attorney.
If Galvestonians don’t want “Bo” to take his ball and go home, you had better stop complaining with his royal highness and just accept those stupid parking meters.
Shawn Christopher Phillips
Texas City
Mayor Should Not Have To Take Abuse
I would like to write in support of our mayor, Roger “Bo” Quiroga.
I have listened to and read criticism directed at him, and everyone is entitled to voice his opinion, but Wednesday’s letter (The Daily News, Dec. 10) was a cheap shot.
In the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch told his daughter to “never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.”
We should be able to disagree without becoming disagreeable. Roger has taken abuse that none of us would want directed at ourselves.
That is an unpleasant element attached to public service. I do believe that some of the attacks directed at Roger, and some of the personal jabs, have no merit.
It’s always easier to scream your disapproval from the general admission seats than it is from the playing field.
I have not always agreed with Roger, but I have never questioned his loyalty to Galveston and the citizens of Galveston. Everyone has an opinion on Seawall parking issues, and when the citizens participate in the process the city is better served.
When we make these types of statements, no one wins — especially those who initiate the confrontation.
Greg Samford
Galveston
It’s An Expensive Defense Of Ego
I’m not surprised when a man like our mayor asks our city staff to look into taking legal action against our daily newspaper and the poor fellow that felt safe enough to send his opinion in for public purview.
For heaven’s sake, it’s the opinion page.
To sic our city’s legal team, at taxpayers’ expense, on this gentleman to defend our mayor’s ego is taking this way too far.
If The Daily News is intimidated by this bullying and censors more severely its letters to the editor, then an intelligent and concerned voice will have been weakend in our community.
The “Word on the Street” page is a window on local attitudes and exemplifies this paper’s courage and outreach into the community.
If I were to censor anything, it would be this mayor’s too occasional use of the city attorney’s office to enforce his agenda and intimidate his opponents.
Bill Hynek
Galveston
•••
(Galveston’s city council endorsed a draft of the city’s beach access plan. Opposition to the plan has focused on a proposal to close more beach to vehicular traffic.)
Driving On The Beach Wrecks The Dunes
I read a letter to the editor (The Daily News, Dec. 6), regarding vehicles on the Galveston beaches. What this letter fails to mention is that our beaches are eroding at a rapid pace and must be preserved.
The reckless practice of driving on the beach for many years must be stopped before it is too late.
Beachfront property owners are paying thousands of dollars for sand dunes, which the vehicles are destroying.
The police have more important issues at hand than to stand guard over the dunes. Our subdivision is going to rebuild a dune at homeowners’ expense, with estimates over $175,000.
The General Land Office has politicians running their show and cannot give us even one positive benefit of vehicle access in respect to anti-erosion or safety concerns.
Everyone will still have beach access with parking provided and can walk just as beachfront homeowners will do.
Richard Karp
Galveston
•••
(County officials estimate that lawsuits filed by former county Treasurer Gerald Burks cost taxpayers $981,000. An editorial suggested that there was a larger lesson to be learned from the case: “Galveston County could do without the treasurer’s office.”)
System Is Working In Burks Case
“The Burks case is an example of how much harm one person in elected office can do.” And with people like him in office, who would blame anyone for wanting to eliminate that office?
And what about the county leaders that agreed to pay Burks’ attorney? The key phrase though is “elected office.”
It could have been anyone in any one elected office. I’m sure that most any county could bring up the harm that has been done to and in a county because of ignorance and greed.
As we all know, the treasurer’s office is a system of checks and balances. Sure, we have outside auditors that come in a few times a year. We, as treasurers, are here every day.
Would the public really want one person to have total control over the county’s purse strings or would they prefer to have two separate offices keeping an eye on the taxpayers’ money?
And the vast majority of us do care to do the job and more if we are asked.
And really, if that office were eliminated, how much money would actually trickle down to the people that really need it?
You know, that’s the beauty of the government by and for the people. We elected officials work in a fish bowl, and the public is watching. People like Burks can be voted out to be replaced by someone who does do the job.
Denise Bohannon, treasurer
Hockley County
Editor Wants To Destroy Checks And Balances
I read with interest the editorial by Heber Taylor regarding the office of Galveston County treasurer (The Daily News, Dec. 3).
It seems clear that Taylor is unhappy over the lawsuit antics of the former treasurer, and he may have a point there. But the assumption that this means the county does not need any treasurer at all falls rather short, does it not?
Here’s another non sequitur: Taylor seems to assume that because people can now use computers to keep up with the money, it’s no longer necessary to have someone responsible for that function. Because it’s easier, it’s not needed?
He reports budget figures, then suggests there might be better uses for the money. Let me point out what should be obvious: if the people do not elect the treasurer, then someone — perhaps the commissioners — will have to hire the same number of people, including a supervisory officer, to do the same work as the treasury department does now.
Choosing not to elect a treasurer just means hiring one instead. This will not save any money. The work will still need to be done.
I think we need elected officials who can be called to account by the voters, the way the former treasurer was.
Apparently, the people of Texas agree: no treasurer-abolition bill has succeeded in at least eighteen years. I think democracy is working pretty well here.
Jerry Stopher
Beaumont
•••
(Galveston Historical Foundation’s annual Dickens on The Strand drew thousands of visitors to the island.)
It Was A Dickens Of A Performance
Sometimes it’s the unexpected — the impromptu — that adds an element of wonder, thankfulness and uplift to our spirits and gives renewed meaning and depth to our lives.
Saturday night a large crowd gathered around the Hamilton Pipers to hear their final performance of the day. It was windy and cold but the bagpipers, led by Lars Sloan, were undaunted and the crowd was excited.
The pipers and drummers formed a large circle and the crowd encircled them. Lars stepped to the center and began the famous solo bagpipe favorite “Amazing Grace.”
As the beautiful drone of his pipes filled the cold December air, someone in the crowd began to sing aloud the words to this grand old hymn: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me ... ”
Soon several hundred voices were singing spontaneously and blending their voices with Lars’ pipes: “ ... I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”
It was the most amazing testimony.
Lars Sloan heads the Hamilton School of Piping in Houston. Under his guidance and that of the other instructors, Stanley Fontenot, Lisa Sanford and Chris Ferguson, their vision of carrying on the ancient tradition of bagpiping successfully continues to inspire and thrill audiences and adds a unique element to Dickens on the Strand.
Thank you, Hamilton Pipers, for that extraordinary holiday treat.
Gary Williams
La Marque
Parking Fees, Time Limits Cause Dickens Problem
My wife and I had a great time at Dickens on The Strand. We loved the parade, shows, shops and, most importantly, the people.
But there was one thing that marred the day. We were limited to four hours of parking.
The parking fees were new to us. We had no objection to pay, but it meant we could not stay as long as we would have liked. We did not see all we wanted to see, and we did not spend all we could have spent.
Would the city consider suspending the parking fees for these days so we could more fully support Dickens on The Strand?
Mark Leyton
Katy
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