Letters to the Editor — Cara Mendelsohn, Medicare plans, Exxon Mobil, DART
Police hide further information
Re: “Data Release Trims Incorrect – Councilor Questions Decision To Remove Some Crime Data From The Public View,” Tuesday Metro & Business Story.
Thank you, Cara Mendelsohn, for taking the trouble to ask Chief Eddie García, the city and its administration about ever less transparency in our police department. As the co-founder and longtime director of Truett Area Crime Watch here in East Dallas, I’ve seen our police hiding more and more information about crime in Dallas.
Refusing to keep the “scanner” running that tells us where, when and why our officers are on the scene for various crimes is just another way to keep citizens in the dark. The removal of even more information from the reports and the requirement that anyone who wants that information must submit a request for freedom of information is a deafening slap in the face of hard-working detective guards in this city.
We rely on solid coverage from the Dallas Police Department to keep our members informed, uphold their interest in preventing as much crime as possible, volunteering for the Volunteers in Patrol, and being active in all respects the security and quality of life in their neighborhoods. Everyone is talking about transparency, but they are constantly reducing it.
Ellen Childress, East Dallas
Use Medicare
Subject: “Seniors Prefer Advantage Plans – Additional benefits and low costs make them attractive, but there is a tradeoff,” by Mitchell Schnurman, column for Tuesday Metro & Business.
As a traditional Medicare beneficiary, I am outraged without mentioning who is paying for all of these additional benefits of the Medicare Advantage plans. A short story. In 2003, at least three of the CEOs of the country’s largest for-profit insurance companies testified that private for-profit insurance companies could cover Medicare beneficiaries for 95 to 97% of Medicare costs.
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 was passed and enacted by President George W. Bush. How Much Do These Plans Save Medicare? It must be trillions – no! Billions? No not really! Maybe millions? We’re sorry! It’s zero.
We are now paying these for-profit insurance companies 110% to 120% of the cost of providing equivalent coverage to a traditional Medicare beneficiary. If the Advantage plans were paid the same as traditional Medicare, there would be no additional benefits.
The estimated administrative burden for Medicare is 6 to 8% versus over 20% for Advantage plans. They have to cover their million dollar salaries and the cost of those commercials and advertisers.
Michael A. Coughlin, Dallas / Lake Highlands
Exxon gains amid lockout
Subject: “Exxon Mobil has its most profitable quarter in 7 years – Irving-based company plans to spend up to $ 10 billion to buy back shares,” October 30th Metro & Business story.
Exxon Mobil directors are bathing in riches while robbing the employees who make all the money for them. In the Texas Golden Triangle, over 600 refinery workers have been unable to go to work as of May 1. Exxon Mobil locked them out!
If we weren’t sure how deep the company will sink, the subheading of this article says it all: “The Irving-based company plans to spend up to $ 10 billion on stock buybacks.”
An earlier truth, now a myth of our system, is that companies use their profits to improve the economy. Buybacks do nothing other than increase shareholders’ wealth.
Gene Lantz, Dallas
DART disappoints drivers
Lately I’ve had to use the DART system fairly regularly – something I’ve only done on rare occasions so far. What I discovered was disappointing to say the least. In about seven days I made four trips on the blue and green light rail and two bus routes.
On each of these trips, scheduled trains or buses were delayed or never arrived at the scheduled time. That is an abysmal error rate of 100%! Such a poor performance is almost unfathomable. The worst happened on November 3rd, when I waited in the rain at a freezing 43 degrees for over an hour while two scheduled arrival times came and went.
I know without a doubt that if my job was that bad, I would be short term unemployed. But DART has announced sweeping changes to their system that I expect will be a fiasco. Perhaps more attention should be paid to the basics, along with a renewed focus on achieving basic standards of service and effectively serving customers.
Are the DART board and senior staff that far from reality? I’m not looking forward to the outcome of this new scheme.
Scott Cisney, Dallas / Lakewood
Fraudulent calls get away with forged ID
Can someone explain to me how we get so many calls where the caller ID has a company name on them but if we answer them is it a scam? I’ve had calls from supposedly big corporations, government agencies, etc, but when I answer they’ll be junk.
Why would a major auto dealer call me for a medical warning chain? How do you enter a fake ID when calling people? It’s such a waste of time and a real effort.
Nancy Block, Irving
Back to scare tactics
It is becoming increasingly clear what the Republican politician’s phrase “Make America Great Again” is supposed to refer to – back to the days of the book burnings and the kinds of scare tactics used by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Daryl Davis, Dallas
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