Readers Write 7/30

HEALTH CARE

Insurers already tamper

Tom Price’s comment on health care reform is typical of the Republicans who are trying to frame the heath care debate by saying that we don’t want to involve government, and create a third party between patient and doctor (“Is Obama taking on too much, too fast?” News, July 19). This is misleading because, as anyone who has dealt with our current system for many years knows, the insurance companies are already the third party between patient and doctor. After years of frustration in dealing with insurance companies overcharging and making my health decisions, I think I would much prefer the government to have a part in it. At least the government’s main goal isn’t to make a profit off of me.

Jennifer Symms, Roswell

POLICE


Officers not well trained

Are the incidences of the officer-involved killings of a mother and grandmother in Gwinnett County, and the arrest of noted scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. connected? I say, “yes.”

After serving the public as a Marine combat veteran, firefighter, bomb technician, law enforcement officer and law enforcement chief executive, I now see common failures in the selection, screening, training and supervision of officers. As a result, the public no longer respect the police. Respect has been replaced with fear and mistrust.I’ve learned many things about policing throughout the years. One can’t be afraid and be successful on the job. Arrogance does not outweigh humility on the job. People can’t be unarrested. And, in my day, the use of deadly force was absolutely the last option. The latter is non-negotiable.

We must demand more from our public safety officials and personnel.

Ronald D. Johnson, Austell





PROFILING


Mr. Gates assumed

What has become obvious with the focus on the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. is that the issues of profiling and racism are alive and well — not by the arresting officers, but by Mr. Gates, and leaders of the black community. What no one has asked is why Mr. Gates didn’t hand over his identification, then thank the officers for investigating a potential burglary at his house. Mr. Gates chose this opportunity to create a confrontation, making an assumption, based on the police officer’s skin color, that he was only at the house because Mr. Gates was black.

Even our president stepped in. He appears to have made assumptions based on skin color. Mr. Gates, President Obama and other leaders seem to be guilty of the thing they are decrying: racial profiling.

No doubt, there are officers who have prejudices, and use their positions to exploit those prejudices. This is human nature, and it occurs with officers of all color. But, to assume an officer did something because of racial prejudice is prejudice itself, and if one assumes Mr. Gates is telling the truth, and the officers are not, then they are just as guilty of profiling and prejudice as those they are accusing.

Dana McCarthy, Kennesaw