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May 7: Nursing care, vaccine safety, mass retirement

May 7, 2008

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Nursing care is county's business

Regarding the editorial "Suffolk should get out of nursing home business" , about the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Yaphank: As long as we have residents unable to provide for themselves, or who are unable to afford private nursing care, it is the business of our county to care for them.

It could and should be a place that the county is proud to support. The people who live at the facility are hardworking and have given years of service to our community. In their time of need, why can't they count on the county?

I am a food service worker at the facility and I have come to know and respect the residents who call John J. Foley home.

Nanci Dallaire

Ronkonkoma

Safety of vaccination

I am pleased to see your coverage regarding measles ["Measles outbreaks on rise," News, May 2]. Regarding "philosophical exemption" for vaccination, these decisions are being put into the public forum driven by fear.

It is the responsibility of the media to provide balanced reporting. I have typically enjoyed your health-related information and have come to expect a high standard of reporting. The public needs to understand that we cannot make medical decisions based on fear - medical decisions need to be based on scientific data and sound medical research.

Quality studies have been conducted and continue to be conducted on the safety of vaccination. Members of the public need to become informed consumers who look at the sources of information and make educated decisions about the health of their children.

Carla H. Retnauer

St. James

Editor's note: The writer is a registered nurse.

Plan for mass retirements

I read with interest Joye Brown's column about someone who retired from Nassau County one day and was hired back the next day at roughly the same salary . Is this a retirement issue?

"State pension specialist" E.J. McMahon's solution of pushing for a defined contribution system is interesting. If this individual were in a defined contribution - a 401(k)-like plan - he or she would be allowed to withdraw money and still continue working at 59Â½ years of age. He or she would not have to wait until age 65 and would not have to go through the ruse of retirement. How would this act as a deterrent to the current situation?

The answer is not the retirement system. There are plenty of restrictions to limit the money that a retiree can make on the public's dime. The answer is for all governments to begin to plan for the retirement of the Baby Boom generation. There is too much institutional knowledge lining up at the door that will be lost forever unless governments plan for the transition.

Kenneth Brynien

Albany

Editor's note: The writer is president of the New York State Public Employees Federation.

Americans have too much gas

I am German and moved to the United States six years ago. It was like paradise - I was used to much higher gas prices. It is a little higher now, but guess what: In Germany and other European countries, people still pay almost twice as much for one gallon.

The average salary over there is not as high as here. People there just don't get behind the wheel every time they have to go somewhere, and they don't think they have a birthright to drive the biggest car available.

Maybe it is time to walk to McDonald's or to the dry cleaner. And maybe start looking for cars with a better fuel economy. They are not as sexy and masculine as a Hummer or Chevy Suburban, but they get you from A to B.

Lothar Miller

Long Beach

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