To the Editor:
Last September, my COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) flared up.
I had received a temporary prescription for Prednisone, which relieved the symptoms. Unfortunately, my prescription expired on Oct. 10, a Saturday, the start of a three-day weekend.
I phoned my prime care doctor’s number at Bassett Hospital and explained to the nurse on duty that I needed a temporary refill of the Prednisone. She told me there was no one available in Prime Care and that I would have to go to the emergency room.
I called the ER and explained my predicament and was told to come in and someone could help me. On arriving, I told the ER receptionist my need and she referred me to the triage nurse, to whom I also explained that I needed a temporary renewal of my Prednisone prescription.
She said a doctor in the ER could help me and I was sent to an examining room in the ER where I again explained my problem to the ER nurse, who checked my vital signs until a doctor could see me.
I again explained to the ER doctor that all I needed was a temporary renewal of the Prednisone, showing him my empty pill bottle. He insisted that some extra tests were necessary because I was short of breath.
To make a long story short, three hours later I was given a prescription for Prednisone and sent home. But that is not really the end of the story.
When the final bills came to me (courtesy of the Center for Medicare Services) there were 24 charges totaling $2,643.80. While Medicare took a haircut on some of those charges and my Medigap insurance paid the deductibles, I was not out of pocket for any of it, but Medicare and the Medigap insurance companies paid an extraordinary amount of money so that I could get a $3.10 prescription refilled.
My daughter is a healthcare professional at Rhode Island Hospital. I asked her why the system was so inefficient. She said that there are certain protocols that ERs have to follow in order to avoid medical malpractice issues. The trial lawyers are calling the shots on medical procedures.
From what I have read of the two pieces of health care legislation that have passed in Congress, neither has addressed the medical inefficiencies or the legal obstructions that are endemic in our health care system. Congress prefers to demonize the insurance companies rather than reduce the costs of health care.
Your government, and mine, at work

WILLIAM DORNBURGH

To the Editor:
School-based health clinics are popping up everywhere, but parents should know that their right to decide what’s best for their children is being sacrificed for this convenience.
As stated in the clinic waiver parents are required to sign, state law does not require parental consent or notification for treatment or advice about drug abuse, alcoholism, sexually transmitted disease, reproductive health or mental health issues. Reproductive health includes contraception and abortion.
Furthermore, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, parental consent is not required for minors who can give informed consent and are mature enough to make their own health-care decisions. The determination of maturity is up to the health-care provider.
The Guttmacher Institute, the educational arm of Planned Parenthood, says that, in most cases, state laws apply to all minors age 12 and older. That means a sixth grader can be treated for depression or drug abuse or given contraception and taken out of school for an abortion without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Yet they cannot get an aspirin without parental consent.
The World Health Organization has labeled the birth-control pill a carcinogen. A recent study by the Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center shows a strong connection between the use of oral contraceptives and the deadly “triple negative breast cancer.”
The study found that the connection was highest among women who began using oral contraceptives while they were teenagers. Those who start using oral contraceptives before the age of 18 multiply their risk by 3.7 times.
Considering how serious the consequences may be from such treatments, parents have a right to know what medical care their children are receiving. We need to tell our legislators that we don’t want school clinics unless the laws are changed to guarantee parents’ rights to have input in their children’s health care.

PAUL J. WENNER
Stamford

To The Editor:
No, it’s not Columbus Day, nor Flag Day, nor Independence Day, nor Memorial Day, nor Patriot Day, nor Pearl Harbor Day, nor Presidents Day, nor
Veteran’s Day ... nor any other day that we celebrate which could come under the rubric of being particularly “patriotic.” If I’ve left any out, please excuse my ignorance; I apologize.
So what brings me here, during the early winter time, finding myself writing about that topic? I can’t recall exactly what inspired it, because it’s a topic my mind has long been focused on. However, a recent issue of an ACLU newsletter reached me and reinvigorated my need to push all sorts of practical matters aside to write about patriotism. (Hey, it’s more fun doing that than cleaning up my messy workshop.)
You see, there is this case, recently won by the New York ACLU on behalf of a man who attended a baseball game in NYC, who, at the time of the seventh-inning stretch, felt that he had to go to the men’s room to relieve himself. Well, that’s the time selected for the playing of “God Bless America,” and people are NOT ALLOWED to wander about or use the facilities at that time.
He had been prevented from entering the men’s room and when he insisted, two of “New York’s Finest” (so they’re called) not only physically prevented him from entering but hauled him away and ejected him from the ball park. The ACLU called this an act of “enforced patriotism.”
Well, although this tyrannical approach by the authorities in itself was reprehensible to me, I was also bothered by the ACLU calling this police action “enforced patriotism.” Enforced fascism, maybe, but not patriotism. What, pray tell, is patriotic about a song?
The Oneonta City public meetings start off with a pledge of allegiance, for some reason, as if allegiance to a flag (and what it stands for) has anything to do with the political machinations of the city board. And what does this public display of one’s supposed loyalty have to do with anything?
I once had business before the city board and when I knew the pledge was coming up, I conveniently went to the men’s room. Fortunately, there was no police presence there to prevent me from going in.
At the Town Of Oneonta’s board meetings, I didn’t use the lavatory as an escape mechanism since, after all, I am a town citizen and have full rights there.
I usually sat right down front, since I was more visible there, and when the time for the pledge came I just held my seat. Not only would I not make this meaningless pledge, but I wanted it to be a public issue.
Alas, Duncan Davie, then the town supervisor, never made it an open issue, and I had hoped that he would ... just as he had once made an issue of my wearing a baseball cap during a meeting (hey, this wasn’t a church!) while a woman at the meeting was wearing a hat and had been free from assault.
We argued the sexism of his ruling and I wasn’t going to remove my hat ... but when the woman voluntarily removed hers, I felt it was time to make peace, and back down; I had made my point.
I had asked a woman I know, who also was against this kind of public display of fealty, why she stood up for the pro forma pledge (which is just what it is, an empty form that everyone follows, similar to the “Heil Hitfer” in Nazi Germany).
She told me that she stood up but didn’t say anything. I said, “Yes, but everyone thinks that you’re saying the pledge; you need to make a non-verbal protest of this inanity.”
So, what’s the definition of patriotism? It means simply the love, support and defense of one’s nation. And how do we enact, make visible, this patriotism? Is it by singing some songs? Is it by taking a pledge saying that we are indivisible (just look at our Congress and see how divided this nation really is), and that there is liberty and justice for all? Ha ha! Do you really believe that justice is meted out to all equally?

IRWIN GOOEN
Emmons

To the Editor:
In the months just before the Year 2000, there was a lot of silliness. Many thought their computers would crash. Some believed the world might end.
Just as silly was the belief that 2000 was the first year of the 21st century.
Eventually, common sense prevailed and 2001 was recognized as the beginning of the new century.
Recently, I’ve heard some mention on TV of 2010 being the first year of a new decade.
Obviously, some who have a clear conception of months, weeks, days, hours, etc., lose contct with reality when considering decades and centuries.
A decade is ten (10) years; every decade ends in a number with a final digit of 0. A century is one hundred (100) years; every century ends in a naumber with O the final digit.
Surely, this is only common sense – whatever happened to common sense?

WILLIAM F. ROBERTS
Otego

To the Editor:
The to-do over Tiger Woods’ recent auto accident points out strongly something that has been evident for years. It seems that too many think (or the media seem to think) that they deserve to know all the details of the incident.
The fact that Woods is a well-known and admired celebrity, I believe, is beside the point. Do we feel the need to know all the details about every similar incident? Hardly.
The point, is seems to me, is that people are too “concerned” about matters that really don’t concern them personally – the anti-abortion movement a prime example. How much difference might it make if all this misplaced curiosity was turned upon the activities – or, more precisely, inactivity – of our elected “representatives”?
And, following up on such increased awareness of the work being done, or not, more citizens urging state and federal officials to actually work for the public good, not primarily for personal gain.

WILLIAM F. ROBERTS
Otego

To the Editor:
The recent collection of adult specimens of Ixodes scapularis Say, the black-legged tick (also called the deer tick) in local state forests may indicate that this species, the principle vector of Lyme Disease, is becoming more widely distributed in the area.
If individual ticks feed on the white-footed mouse, a common host of immature stages, the potential for movement is in hundreds of feet. Adult ticks feeding on the white-tail deer may be carried for 1-3 miles, while those attached to a deer hunter may be transported from 5-150+ miles by car.
Effective repellents are readily available and should be used by hunters! Products containing DEET in concentrations of 15 percent or higher can be applied to exposed skin and to fabric for protection up to several hours per application.
Clothing can be treated with Permethrin, which when properly applied can provide long-term protection, which can remain effective through two normal laundry cycles.
Careful inspection of the body at the end of each day of exposure and careful removal of any attached individuals should be a regular precautionary measure. Pathogen transmission appears to occur only when ticks have fed to repletion, which requires several hours.

WILLIAM BUTTS
SUNY Biological Field Station


To the Editor:
The Oneonta World of Learning would like to thank the Oneonta community in their ongoing support.
On Oct. 18, Jason Curley and the Hartwick College Nusic Department, along with the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble and the Hartwick College professors, along with the First United Methodist Church held Hogwarts & Hartwick feast and concert.
This event was attended by over 100 people, raising more than $650 for the Oneonta World of Learning.
We are grateful to the following groups and organizations:
• Dr. Jason Curley from Hartwick College, and FUMC’s Jeff Gardner and Lisa Jo Bezner specifically for dreaming and delivering this fabulous event.
• Hartwick College Music Department – Dr. Diane Paige, Lynda Clark and other staff and students for assisting with public relations, coordinating entertainment, decorating, cooking, serving and cleaning.
• The Youth of First United Methodist Church for providing prizes and assembling and decorating gift bags.
• Hartwick College faculty and friends for representing the Hogwarts professors and sponsoring dinner for five needy families.
• Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble and Hartwick College Wind Ensemble for generously providing enchanting music.
• Generous donations of gifts and prizes from individuals and local businesses.
As an organization that is dedicated to enriching the lives of children and their grown-ups through play, we rely heavily on the support of the local community.
We are extremely appreciative of those organizations that can recognize the importance of our mission and can understand the impact that we will have in this community.
With the continued support of organizations such as Hartwick College, First United Methodist Church and others, The Oneonta World of Learning will thrive and enrich the Oneonta community.
Thanks again to Jason Curley, Hartwick College and The First United Methodist church. We are grateful.

AARON SORENSEN
Oneonta

To the Editor:
This November, many families in Otsego County are thankful for something special: the gift of their friendship with a New York City child.
Through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Town program, local families open their hearts and homes to inner-city children as volunteer hosts for up to two weeks during the summer.
By volunteering as a host family for summer 2010, the spirit of Thanksgiving can continue in your home throughout the year.
One child recounts the activities she tried in Friendly Town during her visit. “I saw things here that I don’t get to see in New York – like deer, frogs and the stars!”
Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities.
Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2009, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and into Canada. Additionally, 3,000 children attended five Fund camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves 2,000 young people each year.
For more information, please call me at 432-6476. Also, check out the fund’s Web site – www.freshair.org.
DARLENE PONDOLFINO
Oneonta

To the Editor:
In its Oct. 23 editorial on the Fox-Bassett affiliation Hometown Oneonta has demonstrated that a solid grasp of the facts need not be a prerequisite for expressing an opinion. While I always support the rights of the free press, one would hope that there would be some effort to glean the facts before opining in such a public forum.
Both Fox and Bassett have historically been successful in pursuing their respective missions. Fox has always been and continues to be an excellent community hospital. Bassett, since its founding in 1927, has always pursued a much broader mission that encompassed the provision of primary and specialty care to a larger geographic region, research in both basic science and community health, and the training of physicians and other allied health professionals.
I share the author’s healthy respect for what has been accomplished under Dr. Streck’s visionary leadership. However, to imply that Bassett’s prominence as model for rural healthcare only emerged during his tenure belies the contributions of such luminaries as Dr. George Miner Mackenzie, who pioneered the salaried group practice model that has since been widely emulated, and the establishment of the Bassett annual payment plan in 1941, which was a precursor of modern health maintenance organizations, in addition to that of Dr. James Bordley III, who oversaw the formal affiliation with Columbia University in 1948 and the development of a research program in the 1950s and ‘60s that fostered the early work of Nobel laureate Dr. E. Donnall Thomas among others.
It was this legacy of innovation that led the Carnegie Commission to cite Bassett as a model rural health system in 1971.
Secondly, the author states “Fox’s board was right to resist its absorption into the ever-growing medical behemoth, even as hospitals in Cobleskill, Little Falls, Delhi and Sidney succumbed.”
Wouldn’t it have been worth the time to research the circumstances surrounding each of these affiliations before characterizing them as hostile corporate takeovers? In each of the instances cited, community members who cared about their local hospital actively sought affiliation with Bassett in the face of increasing financial distress.
Since becoming Bassett affiliates, each of these institutions has demonstrated significantly improved financial performance while sustaining and adding to the services in the community. If there is any remaining doubt that these institutions have been well-served by their affiliations with Bassett, one need only travel to such neighboring communities as Stamford, Hancock, Ilion and Herkimer, where the local hospitals that failed to successfully pursue such affiliations are but a distant memory.
We would encourage Hometown Oneonta to contact board members at the Bassett affiliates to gain their perspective on the relative merits of affiliation.
I’m not sure that anyone but the author sees the Fox -Bassett affiliation as “an affirmation of Bassett’s Weltanschauung.” Having been a proud member of the Bassett team for more than 25 years, I can say that Bassett’s world-view (or Weltanschauung for those non- German speaking) espouses that those of us who choose to live in rural areas shouldn’t have to sacrifice access to outstanding medical care based upon that choice.
It would seem that this is a world-view that we would all actively embrace, rather than merely accept with a resigned sense of inevitability, as the author suggests.
Finally, if we have learned anything from the current healthcare reform debate, it’s that classic economic theory does not prevail in the business of healthcare. Adam Smith’s observation, “Monopoly is a great enemy to good management,” is a catchy quote, but it has nothing to do with our evolving health system, and it has no bearing whatsoever on Bassett’s current affiliations or its future affiliation with Fox Hospital.
The facts indicate that, quite to the contrary, Bassett’s past affiliations (which would never come close to any legal definition of monopoly) have indeed led to benefits for the communities where hospital boards took a pro-active role in defining their future.
We would hope that, in the future, Hometown Oneonta would spend a little more time researching the facts prior to shooting from the hip with ill-informed opinions. If you choose to do the research, you may indeed write a future opinion piece that congratulates both the Fox and Bassett Trustees for acting in the best interests of their respective institutions and the patients they serve.

MICHAEL STEIN
Executive Director
Government &
Community Affairs
Bassett Healthcare

To the Editor:
President Obama said: “Our goal is not just to rebound from this recession, but to start building an economy that works for all Americans, where our stock market isn’t only rising again but our businesses are hiring again. That’s our goal.”
Our economy is in much better shape now than it was when Obama took office. Last January, our work force was hemorrhaging 700,000 jobs a month and our financial system was on the brink of collapse.
The Obama administration has put more than $1 trillion into bolstering financial institutions, giving them liquidity and presently they’re again making lots of money. Now, we need to loan money to the people who create most of the jobs in this country, and that is small business.
Last year, the Bush administration loaned $700 billion to the multibillion-dollar financial institutions. That money didn’t go to community banks that make the loans to small businesses that create 65 percent of the new jobs in this country.
A lot of small businesses in this country need loans to survive the recession. The Small Business Administration must start backing up larger loans, so that banks actively seek people with SBA loans.
The Obama administration has initiated a federal program whereby a small-business person can go to a bank for a loan and it’s backed by the federal government. That is the way our taxpayer dollars helped Wall Street to send the Dow Jones Industrial over $10,000.
Wall Street got its money and access to the capital. Now, it’s Main Streets turn.

JEREMIAH O’LEARY
Delhi

To the Editor:
I think the idea for branding Oneonta with “The Hills Are Alive” is great, creative and exciting. I hope it takes off.
I enjoy Hometown Oneonta, celebrate your success and wish you more of the same in the future.

ROSE BEERS
North Franklin

To the Editor:
It’s time for truth. As we approach Election Day, it’s important to know that Dick Miller is the only candidate for mayor for Oneonta who has both a record of performance and a commitment to the community.
An experienced executive, who has a record of investing to improve a neighborhood, the respect of a bipartisan group of state and federal officials, and a record of successfully managing multimillion dollar budgets. That’s Dick Miller.
Dick Miller is the only candidate who successfully raised private funds for a visionary project leading to the construction of the area’s first LEEDS-certified green building.
Mr. Miller was instrumental in formulating a comprehensive plan that will help protect the integrity of our residential neighborhoods.
Dick Miller has taken the strongest position against natural gas drilling within our precious watershed.
His leadership on environmental issues was plainly demonstrated through his work in expanding Riddell State Park and protecting the Pine Lake environmental center.
Dick Miller is the only candidate with demonstrated success as a leader in both public and private colleges. He is the only candidate to bring students, residents and college officials together to improve a neighborhood.
His experience in business and education has given him a state-wide reputation as a person of action, a sound decision maker, and an astute manager.
Dick Miller shows a passion for making Oneonta even better. Remarkably, he is the only candidate to actually invest time and energy in learning the duties and responsibilities of the mayor’s office.
The fruits of his work are visible. His record of achievement is clear. The prospect of an even better Oneonta is best served by electing Dick Miller our next mayor.
JOHN S. NADER
Oneonta

To the Editor:
Re: The headline “Burns overturns Bernier on Tickets” on Page 3 of the Oct. 10 Daily Star:
This is not the first time Otsego County Judge Brian Burns has overturned a decision made by Judge Lucy Bernier in Oneonta City Court. In this case, Bernier ruled that the system used by almost every police unit in the state is not valid. This is the ticketing system that is approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles, state police and mandated by state law.
Other decisions that have been overturned involve small claims court. In a recent decision, Judge Burns said, “Cross-examination of adverse witnesses is a matter of right in every trial of a disputed issue of fact … Although the procedures in small claims court are relaxed, the rules of substantive law must be followed and a person’s Constitutional right to due process of law include the basic right to cross-examine witnesses.”
It is clear that the law was not followed. Judge Bernier permitted one party to submit evidence AFTER the trial was over.
Imagine yourself in small claims court, you present all the evidence and feel you should win, but later you get a letter from the court indicating that the other party was permitted to submit more evidence so you lost. You were not permitted to review the evidence, or ask any questions. You just lose.
I wonder, “Are there other cases that exist, where due process was denied in Judge Bernier’s courtroom? How many other cases are out there?”
Mike Getman has served as city prosecutor, assistant district attorney, currently serves as the chief assistant district attorney for Otsego County, an assistant county attorney, a law guardian representing children, and assistant public defender.
Professionally, he has prosecuted cases and been a public defender.
The CLEAR choice is Mike Getman on Nov. 3 for City Court judge

BARBARA JASS
Oneonta