In time of division, column on retiring doc gratifying
Many, many thanks for Laurence Reisman’s insightful tribute to Dr. Asoka Wijetilleke. In this time of so much conflict, it is gratifying to read about amazing, sensitive people in this world such as Dr. Wije, who are still giving back with tenderness and care.
What a testament to a beloved pediatrician.
One can only hope that those he touched will in some way be inspired to “pay it forward” to others in need of comfort.
What an absolute joy to read this first thing in the morning. Thank you so much.
Susan Smith, Vero Beach
Road rage predatory driving; collaborate to stop it
Road rage on the Treasure Coast has become a pattern: tailgating, pursuit, brake-checking, threats, guns and vehicles used as weapons.
Our officers and deputies are working. Port St. Lucie police maintains a traffic unit. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office eliminated its dedicated traffic unit and assigned traffic enforcement to all deputies. The problem is not effort in the patrol cars. It is strategy above them.
Speeding is easy to count. Road rage is harder. It may begin with a gesture on U.S. 1, continue through several turns and end 30 seconds later with a crash or a gun. By the time police arrive, the danger has already detonated.
Leadership must stop treating this as a speeding problem. Road rage is predatory driving: sustained tailgating, blocking lanes, following motorists, swerving at them, forcing confrontations and intentionally striking vehicles.
The Treasure Coast’s major roads also cross city, county and state jurisdictions. The pavement is continuous. The bureaucracy is not. An enraged driver can move from Port St. Lucie streets to county roads, Interstate 95 or Florida’s Turnpike in minutes.
Port St. Lucie police, the sheriff’s office and the Florida Highway Patrol should create a joint aggressive-driving detail using unmarked moving patrols during commuting hours and weekend evenings. They should map every road-rage call, especially reports that “this driver is following me,” and publish monthly results by road and time.
The sheriff’s decision to eliminate the county’s dedicated traffic unit deserves reconsideration. “Every deputy handles traffic” sounds efficient until those deputies are also answering burglaries, domestic calls and mental-health emergencies.
Our officers deserve support. Residents deserve prevention. A thousand speeding stops may look productive, but they do not equal a sustained road-rage strategy.
After repeated pursuits, collisions and gun threats, reacting afterward is not enough. Leadership must act.
Darryl J. Benjamin, Port St. Lucie
Fauci not responsible for columnist’s healing
Normally, I agree and appreciate Blake Fontenay’s opinions.
However when he erroneously lauds Dr. Anthony Fauci as saving his life when in the intensive care unit with COVID, I have to vehemently disagree.
No, Blake, Fauci didn’t save your life. The doctors, nurses and other health care workers were the ones who, though their education, experience and dedication, saved your life.
These heroic healthcare workers, unlike others, continued to work long, hard hours during this pandemic, jeopardizing their and their family’s health, life and welfare.
They were the ones at your bedside! They were the ones assessing your condition(s) and making decisions based upon their education, background, experiences and critical thinking skills. Fauci was nowhere near you nor was he instrumental in making these decisions.
Give credit where credit is due; not to this narcissist man.
Jan Belwood, Palm City
Like these potential consequences of Democratic Socialism?
For those of you who think Democratic Socialism is good, have you considered some of the possibilities if their policies are implemented?
Let’s start with closing jails: no need for police, lawyers, judges or courts. A slap on the wrist is enough. If someone damages you or property, there is no jail, no crime. If someone breaks into your home, who do you call? You cannot protect yourself or be your own police force because you do not have a proper weapon for this situation. If you think a bat or a knife is good enough, go for it.
Medicare for all: I paid for my Social Security and Medicare all my working life, but putting tens of millions of people on it who did not pay anything into it does not seem to work using simple math.
Open borders and no border patrol: I would bet anyone reading this locks their doors at night, during the day while they are home and away. Why should the doors to our country be left open? How many of you reading this live in a gated community?
No ID (identification) for voting: If a guy walks up to your door dressed in rags, very dirty, needs a shave, carrying a big, long knife and says he is from the IRS and wants to give your tax returns an audit, would you let him in without showing some form of valid IDENTIFICATION?
These are just a few examples. If I had room for 10,000 words, I could make many more examples that are just as scary. So, for now, please consider these possibilities.
Tom Campbell, Vero Beach
How many people really want to live in socialist-type nation?
The infatuation with Democratic Socialist candidates makes me wonder: Do people really understand what adoption of a socialist economy would mean?
On the surface, it sounds good (“free” everything), but in the end, would we really prefer shortages of everything and the government deciding on our wages or where we live?
In the early 1990s, as the Soviet Union was coming apart, I visited Russia. Much of my time was spent in a city on Lake Baikal in northwest Russia. A contingent from northern Wisconsin and Minnesota citizens (called the Red Finns) had moved in the late 1920s and early 1930s to escape the Great Depression and to participate in the “miracle” of the Russian socialist economy. For most, it did not go well.
As Russia was changing in the early 1990s, things were pretty grey (and still are). People worked and got along, but many things were in short supply. The “perhaps bag” was a fixture. (People carried shopping bags in case they saw a line by a store indicating that “perhaps” they could buy something.)
I vividly recall a conversation with locals about the economy. One person said, “Yes, they pretend to pay us and we pretend to work.” Another recounted his experience in a factory that manufactured parts for obsolete tractors. The parts were made, but, because they were useless, they were regularly dumped in an empty field.
People were assigned to state-owned apartments. Those with important skills (or good connections) had better places and country dachas. Most found themselves in less attractive settings. Restaurants did not have menus: Your server told you what was available. Take it or leave it.
This is not the world I want to live in. Somehow, I have the feeling those excited about having a socialist country wouldn’t want it, either.
Daniel H. Pilon, Vero Beach
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida doc loved. Stop St Lucie road rage. Socialism perks | Opinion
Reporting by Letter writers, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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By Letter writers, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
