To dedicated workers
This letter is a statement of appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our public health workers in Arkansas and our nation (and around the world). To lab workers, epidemiologists, public health administrators, staff in county health units, and others, we owe a debt of gratitude. These people contribute consistently, but over the past year they have faced extraordinary demands.
The decisions they must make are difficult and often controversial. It is easy for those of us not in the trenches to second-guess public health recommendations, even when we don't have experience or expertise, and especially when we have no responsibility for the outcome. The real workers must make critical decisions in real time, with incomplete and evolving information. And they do it with the well-being of all of us in mind.
Thanks to these dedicated workers for their service, day in and day out.
RANDAL HUNDLEY
Little Rock
Being carefully taught
It seems more and more that rudeness, lack of empathy, and sheer hate are becoming major emphases in our society. From attacks on Asian citizens to African American profiling to literal attacks on the bastion of our democracy, so many of our "hotheaded" countrymen and women seem to forget exactly why this country was founded and what its example means to so many other countries of the world.
"Me first!" "My way or no way!" "Whites only!" These tenets, and many more, all seem to be the rallying cry of those who fear truth and are blind to accepting beliefs other than their own, and who are so often wrapped in a warped sense of the factual accounting of activities. They seem to have abandoned tolerance, compassion, and respect for others' opinions, beliefs, and heritage.
How can we begin to turn around this legacy of hate and indifference to the opinions and rights of others? Many forces and beliefs, of course, fill the answer to this question, more than can be stated here. But I believe the core of the problem begins with our childhood experiences and beliefs, and most certainly those of our parents, and perhaps grandparents, whose influence is the overwhelming force in shaping our personalities and concerns.
There's a song in Rogers and Hammerstein's musical "South Pacific" whose lyrics sum up my thinking exactly: "You've got to be taught to hate and fear. You've got to be taught ... to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made and people whose skin is a different shade. You've got to be taught before it's too late, before you are 6 or 7 or 8, to hate all the people your relatives hate. You've got to be carefully taught."
Think carefully about this. What are you teaching your children?
RAY MOORE
Little Rock
Training is called for
Figuratively speaking, the White House "went to the dogs" on Jan. 20. First dogs Champ and Major have now brought a literal meaning to that phrase.
Perhaps their owner should also attend remedial training to get his mind right.
LYNDEL DEAN
Cabot
On credit for vaccines
In a CNN interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated, "When I saw what happened in New York City ... that's when it became very clear that the decision we made on Jan. 10, to go all out and develop a vaccine, may have been the best decision that I've ever made." Conservative talking heads immediately began spinning because Fauci was taking credit for what their ex-president had claimed with his Operation Warp Speed. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, took to Twitter shortly after the interview aired, and posted, "If it were up to Fauci we still wouldn't have a covid vaccine." The question: Who actually deserves credit?
On Jan. 18, 2020, HHS Secretary Alex Azar briefed Trump on the threat of covid-19. On Jan. 22, he dismissed concern and stated, "We have it totally under control." On Feb. 27, Trump stated that a miracle might make the virus disappear. Trump finally declared the U.S. outbreak a national emergency on March 13, then two months later on May 15, he announced Operation Warp Speed.
During the four-month period before Warp Speed was announced, American biotech firm Moderna began working with scientists from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose director is Dr. Fauci, on a vaccine. Development was started before the first coronavirus case outside China was confirmed on Jan. 13. On Feb. 24, Moderna shipped its first batch of the vaccine candidate for clinical study. The first participant in the study was dosed with the vaccine on March 16, with Dr. Fauci stating, "Finding a safe and effective vaccine to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2 is an urgent public health priority. This Phase 1 study, launched in record speed, is an important first step toward achieving that goal."
Credit for swift development goes to Big Pharma companies such as Moderna and medical professionals such as Dr. Fauci who had the foresight to begin development and testing while Trump was still downplaying the virus. History will credit Trump with the multitude of American lives lost because of his neglect.
KENNETH WEBER
Greenbrier
Greater access to care
I would like Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton to support S828, which would provide for the coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare Part B.
I am a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist, and currently, recipients of Medicare Part B cannot see me even though they can see similarly licensed professionals, including social workers. This is an inconsistency that needs to be addressed so that recipients of Medicare Part B have greater access to mental health care, as my two licenses are among the most common types of licensed mental health providers.
CURT MATZENBACHER
Springdale