St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
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Our View
Let’s learn to speak up for endangered kids, dogs
The horrible incident of a hot-car death in Georgia should have us all concerned about the vulnerability of children and pets in hot weather. What’s doubly horrible about the death of the 22-month-old toddler named Cooper is that his father is suspected of leaving the child in that hot car on purpose. The mind reels with revulsion at such a vile possibility. Whatever the case, it’s a terrible way to die. Most adults know first-hand how oppressive it is just to open the door of a car that has been parked in the hot sun for any length of time. And yet, time and again, some parents leave children or pets in a car while on shopping trips or other errands. Some foolishly believe if they “crack open the window a bit,” it will make the car more comfortable. It does not. Innocent young children and pets, who of course do not know how to open car doors, can get debilitating heat stroke or suffer death within minutes if they are stuck in a vehicle with the sun blazing down on a hot day. Most people understand that; others, sadly, do not. It’s devastating to think how many children and pets have died in hot cars. It’s just as disturbing to imagine how many have suffered terribly long, agonizing moments in a stifling car waiting for their parent or owner to come back. A child should never be left alone in a car, period, in whatever weather. Dogs, too, are better left at home, especially on hot days if they are going to be left in vehicles even for short periods of time. People have got to start learning: Do not do it! However, in the meantime, good Samaritans should learn to be vigilant and aware. If they see or hear children or pets clearly in distress in a hot car, they should take immediate action. Call 911 at once. If the situation looks drastic, a bystander should try opening one of the vehicle’s doors until law-enforcement arrives. People unwilling to try opening the vehicle should at least go into a nearby store or residence and report what they have seen so the police and/or emergency medical personnel can be summoned. All parents or guardians should work out a foolproof system that would prevent leaving a child accidentally in a hot death-trap vehicle. They should work out a call system between husband and wife and with daycare owners so a definite confirmation of a child drop-off can be ascertained daily. In addition, it’s vitally important for a parent or guardian to do a visual check inside the car before they get out and go about their business. In the case of dogs, there is another terrible hotweather endangerment that goes on far more than we’d like to think. Some dogs are tied up on scratchy patches of yard with the sun beating down on them. Some have dog shelters that are nothing but brutally hot “boxes” without ventilation. Often, the dog’s water dish is empty or filled with stale, putrid water. Bugs and summer storms can also beset these poor pets, causing them ‘round-the-clock misery. These people should not own dogs, period. Why they would keep a “pet” in such misery is beyond comprehension. And so, once again, we should be vigilant Good Samaritans. If you know of a dog or other animal in such dire, miserable conditions, call the police or the sheriff’s department. You might also want to have a friendly chat with the pet’s owner, saying you’d be glad to help make the dog’s life a bit more comfortable and happy. These innocent children and pets cannot speak up for themselves. Therefore, responsible, caring people must be determined to speak for them.
Fairness and ethics
Newsleader staff members have the responsibility to report news fairly and accurately and are accountable to the public. Readers who feel we’ve fallen short of these standards are urged to call the Newsleader office at 363-7741. If matters cannot be resolved locally, readers are encouraged to take complaints to the Minnesota News Council, an independent agency designed to improve relationships between the public and the media and resolve conflicts. The council office may be reached at 612-341-9357.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Opinion Verdict’s in: ObamaCare is working The proof is in the pudding, and the glass is half full. The verdict’s in: The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is working quite well, according to researchers from the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Center. We should all be happy 8 million of our fellow Americans have enrolled in health-insurance plans. Here in Minnesota, 180,500 people signed up during the enrollment period from Sept. 30, 2013 and May 1, 2014. That’s a remarkable 40.6 percent drop in the numbers of uninsured, a number that fell from 445,000 to 264,500. And those numbers are sure to improve during the next enrollment period for 2015. Granted, the lion’s share is due to increases in enrollment into state and federally subsidized health programs – namely Medical Assistance (Medicaid) and MinnesotaCare. But so what? How can we expect working people at or below the poverty line to afford health-care plans that aren’t – partly at least – subsidized? It goes without saying that in a society riddled by income inequalities, so many individuals and families would just have to do without health care, get sick and die – if it weren’t for subsidies. Perhaps, if wages increase substantially, more people now subsidized will be able to afford plans without the need for any subsidies – or at least less subsidies. In the meantime, there is good news popping up here, there and everywhere ObamaCare is causing good changes. In May, executives from the health-care industry testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the ACA has not – as opponents had claimed – led to a “government takeover” of the health industry, that most who signed up
Dennis Dalman Editor are paying their monthly premiums and that premiums will not skyrocket next year, as ACA detractors argued. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show the ACA has a direct bearing on major increases in patient safety, preventing almost 15,000 deaths and saving 560,00 patients from further health dangers, all while toting up $4.1 billion in cost savings. Those outcomes were made possible largely because the ACA improves health-care delivery systems by working with public and private partners and by changing the way hospitals are paid. According to HHS data, from 2010 (when the partnerships began) until 2012, there was a 51-percent decline in ventilator-associated pneumonia in hospitals; a 65-percent drop in early elective deliveries (often the cause of health problems in newborns); a 16-percent drop in the rate of obstetric trauma; a 25-percent decline in cases of pressure ulcers; and a 13-percent decline in cases of venous thromboembolic complications (which has been responsible for the deaths of about 300,000 people a year, with two-thirds of them contracting the cardiovascular illness in hospital stays). Under the ACA, hospitals get paid based on “best practices,” one of which is reimbursing them more for Medicare if they have fewer re-admissions. The ACA also made possible the formation of Partnership for Patients in 2011, a
coalition of the HHS, hospitals, employers, health plans, doctors, nurses, state governments and others. That coalition is helping reduce preventable hospital-acquired sicknesses and subsequent re-admissions, saving lives and saving money for patients and taxpayers. Those kinds of behind-the-scenes ObamaCare successes almost never make the news. There’s more news – good news: “junk” insurance plans have been exposed for what they are, people cannot be denied insurance because of preexisting conditions, children can stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26, women cannot be discriminated against by having to pay higher premiums, and there are now all kinds of free or lowcost preventive check-ups, thanks to the ACA. All those successes do not mean ObamaCare will not have glitches, setbacks, bureaucratic tangles, financial constraints and other problems. However, what program doesn’t have a constant need for adjustments? It’s bound to be an ongoing process, with fixes here and there as needed. The successes of ACA cannot be denied. But, of course, those successes, ironically but not surprisingly, have become the very targets of those who have hated the law from the get-go, from those who have voted more than 50 times in the U.S. House to repeal it. These opponents – the loudest of them – are people who despise any sort of social contract among their fellow Americans, who decry any sharing of costs through subsidies and who think more tax-cuts for the very rich and corporations will benefit working people through the ol’ rabbit-in-the-hat “trickle-down” theory. ObamaCare is working; TrickleDown is not.
IRS scam surely cost chance to golf with President Paul Ritzenthaler, St. Joseph “Be afraid! Be very afraid!” It was Chachi, on the wonderful show Happy Days who warned the world of incoming disaster. However, there are, out there, those who will use fear to swindle and con. “Be afraid! Be very afraid!” The reference has little motivation for me to alter my lifestyle until I got that disastrous call from the Internal Revenue Service, three Fridays ago somewhere around 10 a.m. My golf clubs were nestled in the back of the car, and I was ready to enjoy a late morning of golf with my cohorts. Now, understand, I am the smartest golfer in our foursome, because at any given golf outing, I get to hit twice as many balls as my golf partners for exactly the same price. Then came the call that destroyed it all. It came from the District of Columbia. My first thought was that – since President Obama was in Minnesota – he was calling to see if he could hit some golf balls with me. It’s something I would relish since, from what I understand regarding his golf game, I could finally find someone who would hit more balls than me. Actually, I didn’t answer the phone immediately, because I was checking my calendar to see if I had time for a round of golf with the Commander and Chief. Or, perhaps, I was sitting on the throne, debating on how I could best improve my five-wood shot. What transpired then was a message on my answering machine informing me I had to return a call to the IRS. And, because this was a “time-sensitive” issue,
I had to call back immediately. I returned the call ASAP, and asked for the person I was directed to talk to, Officer Heather Grey. When I phoned back I got a gentleman who had a distinct Eurasian accent and said he could help resolve my issue. He then proceeded to inform me he needed the name of my attorney because I was being assessed $6,900 in tax penalties for the years 2009 to 2013. He continued to go through the consequences for my not abiding by the commission to pay the almost $7,000. You know, liens on the house, capturing my credit card, and selling my dogs into canine slavery. When I asked why I had not been informed of this previously, he (I believe, the little thief, called himself Jeron) said the two statements had been sent to me via the U.S. Postal Service on May 14 and May 21. Now, since I collect the mail on a daily basis, I started to suspect. I told my IRS tormentor I would call my wife to see if she had gotten any notices. Jeron, being the unloveable jerk he was, said he would wait on the line while I shared my panic with my wife on my cellphone. Nope, she had not gotten any notices from the IRS, she said. It was about then she and I shared the same thought...SCAM. I then proceeded to go back on line with the little jerk and inform him (in words that are not printable) what I thought of him. After I bid a fond farewell to Jeron (again using words that are unprintable), I hopped in my vehicle and headed to the local IRS office to make sure I was not going to be shipped to Devil’s Island. The delightful St. Cloud IRS agent must have been very surprised. I could tell by the way she said “Oh, not again!” According
to her, this unfortunate scenario had been reported several times by those who had been victims of the same scam during the last couple of weeks. So here’s a warning to anyone who gets a call from the IRS scam man. First of all, don’t do what I did in a panic mode. I gave them the last four digits of my social security. That’s OK if you don’t give all of it away. Secondly, be aware when the IRS sends you information of payment issues, it will be sent Certified Mail that you have to sign for. Likewise, according to the nice lady at the local IRS office, if you get a call from the IRS, it won’t be from a number in District of Columbia. It will say “Internal Revenue Service” or “Restricted.” Also, if you don’t have a phone that shows where the call is coming from, advise the caller you would like to talk to your local IRS agent, and then, go in and see them. They are conveniently located at the corner of 8th Street and Highway 15 in the Social Security Building. And, once you get such a call, advise the local IRS, the police (as I did), and your bank, just in case. Lastly, the telephone number that gave me my panic attack is (202) 241-2158; Officer Heather Grey; and Jeron. I’m almost sure the names will be changed. But, if they do call you tell them I said...OOPS not printable. And the very worst part of this dilemma? I’m sure while I was wasting valuable telephone minutes with these idiots, I missed a call from the District of Columbia regarding a friendly round of golf with the President of the United States.