Fortunate

By: Letters To the editor | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: August 12, 2009

I have been following the Journal's coverage of Freddie Hammer with interest (" ‘He's a hard nut to crack,' Aug. 6"). Hammer is certainly fortunate to be a white man. We're talking about a guy who kills three people during an armed robbery and gets life in prison. As the Journal reported, Hammer is also a suspect in two other murders and was convicted of killing an off-duty policeman in 1979.

Question: If this man were black, is there any doubt whatsoever he'd be on death row?

BEN SALT

Winston-Salem

Let's be honest

I hope everyone read the July 23 column by Derrick Z. Jackson: "What will it take to stop the use of cell phones while driving?" A lot of statistics were given that show the dangers of this behavior. But let's just look at our own personal experiences. If we are honest, we know that our attention and reaction times are impaired. We have all seen examples of drivers stuck in situations requiring merging, caught on median strips, or at green lights having to be honked at by the driver behind them.

I once had a work-issued cell phone, and I know that I was not attending to my driving like I should have when using it. I now keep an eye open, when on the road, for drivers who are cell-phone distracted, and give them wide berth. It has become routine for some drivers to start the engine, adjust the mirror, fasten their seatbelt, put the car in gear and then dial a number. I see this all the time as people exit parking lots.

As a matter of public safety, I support a total ban on any cell-phone use while driving.

CHRISTOPHER NELSON

Tobaccoville

Another scare tactic

As reported in the Aug. 2 Journal, Sen. Richard Burr has resorted to another Republican scare tactic in claiming North Carolina's health-based economy would be decimated by health-care reform being developed by Congress ("Burr: Reform a threat to N.C."). This follows Rep. Virginia Foxx's contortion that the health-care reform proposals put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government.

These threats are their answers to a plan that would give everyone greater choice through access to either more tightly regulated private insurance or a public plan like Burr and Foxx enjoy as members of Congress; greater guarantees that one will not be denied coverage; and would lower costs to provide all Americans with quality health care through such improvements as preventive care, greater efficiency and requiring everyone to carry insurance so the rest of us don't end up paying for the uninsured's expensive emergency care.

But it is no wonder that the health-insurance industry runs on a huge 20-percent overhead (while government plans like Medicare operate with only 3 percent administrative costs) when you see the blitz of ads by the health-care industry lobbying against health-care reform and consider the costs of the huge campaign contributions to Burr of almost $1 million and to Foxx of nearly $200,000 (according to OpenSecrets.org) over the years. No wonder Burr and Foxx are scared -- scared of losing this huge campaign money and their next election.

JAMES DOUGLAS KEIGHTON

Sparta

Refusing?

The irony of the photo on page A13 of the Aug. 4 Journal nearly knocked me out of my chair.

There's Rep. Virginia Foxx standing surrounded by signs opposing the government's involvement in our health care ("No to Changes"). Does that mean she is refusing the health insurance our government provides to her as a member of Congress? Is she, along with the other opponents to equitable health care for all Americans, refusing Medicare benefits? Are they advising their loved ones to refuse Medicare since it is a government-run, single-payer program?

Government hands off my health care, but not hers, right?

LYNN SLOAN BARNES

Elkins