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DAILY 03-11-10 MD RE A20 BLACK
A20 R KLMNO THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2010
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
d letters@washpost.com
FGHIJ
an independent newspaper
Misplaced blame on runaway Toyotas
Frank Ahrens quotes an auto industry consul-
EDITORIALS
tant who claims the problem with runaway Toyo-
tas almost always lies with drivers who step on the
wrong pedal [“Why it’s so hard for Toyota to find
out what’s wrong,” Sunday Business, March 7]. I
Haiti and transparency
find this assertion infuriating. I know exactly
where my foot was on the two occasions that my
2004 Prius accelerated out of control on the Belt-
way last year — firmly on the brake until the accel-
erator popped back up from its unnaturally de-
Mr. Préval comes to Washington — and drops the ball.
pressed position. The dealership blamed “floor
mats,” but I was using small carpet squares that
ENÉ PRÉVAL, president of Haiti, has own people. Transparency International, which their cronies in the private sector have enriched didn’t reach the pedal.
R
been in Washington discussing how to measures perceptions of corruption worldwide, themselves lavishly in the past. To assert, as the The condescending assumption that drivers
help his earthquake-ravaged country has consistently rated Haiti among the world’s president does, that such troubles all belong to don’t know what they are talking about when they
ahead of a major international donors most corrupt countries. Shattered institutions, an history is to turn a deaf ear to donors’ legitimate report problems like this is why I must now men-
conference this month. Unsurprisingly, anemic state, a history of graft and the sudden and pressing concerns. tally rehearse how to put my car into neutral every
given Haiti’s history of wasted and purloined for- deluge of aid money make Haiti a perfect storm for What’s more, it’s a public relations debacle at time I venture out on the highway.
eign aid, he is being asked about the perils of cor- corruption risk, according to Roslyn Hees, an just the moment that Haiti needs to burnish its PHYLLIDA PATERSON, Silver Spring
ruption and what measures the Haitian govern- adviser to Transparency International who co- image so that the world’s outpouring of com-
ment might devise to minimize misuse and theft authored a handbook called “Preventing Corrup- passion can be fashioned into a long-term,
of the billions of dollars in recovery assistance tion in Humanitarian Operations.” multibillion-dollar recovery package. Mr. Préval,
Behind the eight ball on health reform
flowing into the country and the billions more ex- No one accuses Mr. Préval of the abuses who has scarcely addressed his people in public
pected. Surprisingly, he seems utterly unprepared associated with so many of his predecessors. But since the Jan. 12 quake, has not shown a particular I feel compelled to draw your attention to the
to discuss the matter. his insistence that Haiti’s government has nothing knack for outreach and message refinement. If he March 6 Drawing Board cartoon [op-ed] that
If ever there were a place and time ripe for graft, to do with corruption since aid money is funneled expects Congress, international financial institu- showed a donkey about to corner-pocket the
it’s Haiti circa now. Despite laudable steps by Mr. from international donors to nongovernmental tions and the world’s other major donors to pony health-reform eight ball as an elephant says, “Let’s
Préval to get a handle on corruption in recent organizations rings hollow. up billions to rebuild Haiti, he can help his cause start over . . . ” There was obviously a mistakenly
years, the country remains an extravagantly While it’s true that the government is notor- by taking concerns about corruption seriously and omitted word balloon over the donkey that said
crooked place in the view of international donors, iously weak and lacks resources, now more than spelling out ways the government can help the something like: “Now that I’ve just about cleared
the business community, and, most important, its ever, it’s equally true that government officials and international community to contain it. the table, you want in on this game?”
I would like to think The Post might value the
presentation of some context regarding the game
Systemic
TOM TOLES
the Democrats in Congress are playing and not
just take a cheap shot at those who should have
been included much earlier in the process.
JON STREUFERT, Catharpin, Va.
breakdown
Snow angels at D.C. hospital
Four years after the Rosenbaum
Theresa Vargas’s Feb. 28 and March 4 articles,
respectively, on dismissals at Washington Hospital
case, the District’s paramedic Center [“11 nurses fired after snowstorm absences,”
system is still seriously flawed.
front page, and “21 hospital staff out in the cold,”
Metro] missed an opportunity to tell a compelling
HE DECISION not to immediately story.
“T
transport a 2-year-old with respira- While it is unfortunate that a small number of
tory symptoms is inexcusable.” That employees lost their jobs in the aftermath of the
judgment by Joseph Wright, senior blizzard, the remarkable story was that more than
vice president of Children’s National Medical Cen- 1,100 professionals put patients’ needs above per-
ter, is troubling testimony of the problems that — sonal considerations and came to work. In a week
four years after the David Rosenbaum case — still in which airports closed and governments were
exist in the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Ser- brought to a halt, life-sustaining and often life-
vices. City officials are appropriately examining saving care continued uninterrupted at Washing-
the case of Stephanie Stephens, a Southeast tod- ton Hospital Center. During the week of storms,
dler who died last month after emergency person- nearly 750 patients, many critically ill, received the
nel decided against taking her to a hospital. They care they needed. Fractured hips were fixed, heart
need to determine why more progress hasn’t been attacks treated, burn victims cared for and, joy-
made in fixing the systematic deficiencies first ously, 90 babies were born.
identified in Mr. Rosenbaum’s case — which, trag- None of this would have been possible if not for
ically, appear to be a factor in the death of this the selfless professionalism displayed by nurses,
small child. technicians and support personnel who, at great
Responding to a call of a child with trouble personal sacrifice, showed up and stayed as long as
breathing, emergency personnel went to Stepha- required. They did what was needed for their pa-
nie’s home on Feb. 10. But instead of taking her to tients. Despite their having to work overtime, sleep
a hospital, they advised her mother to run a hot on cots and eat hospital food, complaints were few.
shower to clear the child’s congested lungs. Less The people of this city should know that no matter
than 24 hours later, after another 911 call, she was what catastrophes befall them, the medical care
dead, reportedly from complications of pneumo- they have come to depend on will be there.
nia. The similarities of her case to that of Mr. Ro- LISA M. BOYLE, Great Falls
senbaum were pinpointed by Dr. Wright in an The writer is president of the medical staff at Washington
outraged letter he recently wrote to this page: Hospital Center and associate chair of the department of
“The scope of practice for emergency responders surgery.
does not include making independent transport
decisions based on presumptive diagnoses.”
The faulty presumption in the 2006 Rosen- provements, such as toughening of qualifications medics to meet minimum national standards.
A boon for our transportation systems
baum case was that the retired journalist was for new hires. But it is clear that progress has It’s encouraging that Mr. Fenty has ordered an
drunk and not, as was the case, the victim of a stalled. Medical providers have yet to be fully in- investigation, involving Attorney General Peter The March 5 editorial “$7 a gallon?,” which
mugging and in need of urgent care for injuries tegrated into a department that clings to a culture Nickles, into the circumstances of Stephanie’s called for a higher federal gasoline tax, made two
that caused his death. Yet another problematic where firefighters are valued over emergency case; personnel directly involved have been reas- important points and missed the mark complete-
case was that of Edward L. Givens, who died in medical personnel. The No. 1 recommendation of signed to administrative duty pending the out- ly on an equally important one.
December 2008 after complaining of chest pains the Rosenbaum task force was to provide equiv- come. But it is premature, and wrong, to con- Unquestionably, Americans must change their
and being advised by emergency medical person- alent pay and benefits for medical personnel and clude, as Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin told Fox transportation behavior. Traveling by car will be
nel to take Pepto-Bismol for what was likely acid unify operations. But Mr. Fenty and the D.C. City News this month, that current procedures are ad- part of our culture for years, but so increasingly
reflux. Council have been at an impasse over how to ac- equate. One need only look to Stephanie’s case or will mass transit, telecommuting and fuel-
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wasn’t in office when complish this. There has been a revolving door of listen to stories across the city of 911 calls gone efficient vehicles. Equally unquestionable is the
the Rosenbaum case was bungled, but once elect- people serving in the critical role of medical direc- wrong to know that Mr. Fenty must renew the re- fact that we cannot continue to use vital road-
ed he reached out to the Rosenbaum family with tor. Training, as Dr. Wright’s letter pointed out, is form of this department. We would urge him to ways and expect to pay the same gas tax we did 20
promises to do better. The family dropped a inadequate — a complaint that echoes the find- reconvene the Rosenbaum task force to assess the years ago. That’s just economic common sense.
multimillion-dollar lawsuit, and a task force was ings of an investigation last year by the Washing- department’s progress and plot where it still The editorial missed the mark, however, on
formed; the result was some commendable im- ton Times, which revealed the failure of D.C. para- needs to go. how to use the funds generated. Americans un-
derstand the importance of sound investments.
We also understand the importance of good
Another food recall
transportation systems. So why would we ever
consider investing the money we all faithfully pay
at the pump each week in anything other than im-
proving the transportation systems it was gener-
The Senate continues to sit on legislation that would improve safety.
ated by? Don’t we owe ourselves at least that
much?
HANKS TO federal regulations that took dressings to chips and dips. As of Monday, 101 would require companies to develop and imple- BLAINE D. LEONARD, Reston
T
effect in September, a new salmonella products containing HVP have been recalled. But ment written food safety plans. They would in- The writer is president of the American Society of Civil
contamination attributed to a flavor en- because it is used so widely, more recalls are ex- clude developing procedures for conducting haz- Engineers.
hancer was caught and a recall begun. But pected, which could make this one of the largest ard analysis, instituting preventive controls and
inspection documents released by the Food and food recalls in U.S. history. taking corrective action, including recalls. These
Drug Administration on Tuesday showed that a No deaths or illnesses have been reported in records would be accessible to the government in
Las Vegas company continued to distribute the in- this salmonella incident for perhaps two reasons. an emergency. The FDA would get the power to re-
Immigrants should learn English
gredient even after samples came back tainted. First, the ingredient is cooked during processing quire product recalls. And the secretary of health I am quite sympathetic to the bilingual liaisons
Unfortunately, legislation that would have pre- or by customers at home, thus killing whatever and human services would be required to create a who are losing their jobs because of budget cuts by
vented contamination at the source and would salmonella may be lurking within. Second, a cus- food-tracing system, which would make it easier the Prince George’s Board of Education [“Tongue-
further secure the nation’s food supply languishes tomer of Basic Food Flavors reported the contam- to find sources of contamination. tied over loss of school liaisons,” Metro, March 7].
in the Senate. ination to the FDA under a new law that required All these common-sense measures passed the But I am not sympathetic to folks who have been
We’re refocused on food safety because salmo- the customer to do so. This allowed the agency to House in July. The bill has been sitting in the Sen- living in this country five or 10 years and still
nella was found in the hydrolyzed vegetable pro- inspect the Las Vegas facility last month. ate since. We know that there is other legislation speak only Spanish.
tein sold by Basic Food Flavors. The ingredient is So the system, such as it is, worked. But it could waiting, but the Senate really needs to move on I am an immigrant, and when my folks and I
used in a slew of products, from soups and salad work better. The Food Safety Enhancement Act this bill. came to this country in 1940, the first thing we did
was learn English. There are many free English
classes. I know — I teach some of them at the local
elementary school to immigrant parents and at
First Korean Church of Virginia and First Presby-
LOCAL OPINIONS terian Church of Annandale.
ABCDE
English is the language of the land, not Spanish
3 Join the debate at washingtonpost.com/localopinions
EUGENE MEYER, 1875-1959 or Farsi or Urdu or Pashto or Korean. Most other• PHILIP L. GRAHAM, 1915-1963
KATHARINE GRAHAM, 1917-2001
immigrants are eager to learn and improve their
With violence at home and abroad, who really wins?
BOISFEUILLET JONES JR., Chairman
English. I think those Spanish speakers should
KATHARINE WEYMOUTH, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer turn off their Spanish TV stations and spend the
I am a retired 79-year-old teacher who was re- ed States is fostering a form of terrorism that in-
News pages: Editorial and opinion pages:
time learning English.
MARCUS W. BRAUCHLI FRED HIATT
leased from D.C. jail on Feb. 16, after serving a cites rather than quells violence. We see the re- Executive Editor Editorial Page Editor JOHN BAER, Annandale
25-day sentence for nonviolently protesting U.S. turning soldier broken in body and spirit, view
RAJU NARISETTI, Managing Editor JACKSON DIEHL
ELIZABETH SPAYD, Managing Editor Deputy Editorial Page Editor
involvement in the war in Afghanistan [“At 78, photos of the innocent victims of a drone bomb-
SHIRLEY CARSWELL
war protester is hardly retiring,” Metro, Jan. 26]. ing and are made aware of the destruction of the
Deputy Managing Editor
Business and advertising:
The stories I heard while incarcerated confirm enemy’s infrastructure. At the same time, we ask
Hold the snark on drone pilots
STEPHEN P. HILLS, President and General Manager
my belief that when society fails to address the that no American child be left behind, but who is
Vice Presidents
I must take exception to retired Lt. Col. Stephen
ROGER ANDELIN ......................................................................................... Technology
needs of the poor and underserved in our city, going to nurture the orphans and the children of KENNETH R. BABBY .................................................................................... Advertising Kiss’s sneering comments about drone pilots [let-
many of them respond by engaging in criminal soldiers who have been traumatized by war? And
BENJAMIN C. BRADLEE .................................................................................... At Large
USHA CHAUDHARY..................................................................... Finance & Admin/CFO
ters, March 4].
acts. I’m in no way excusing their lawlessness, should we not be concerned that violence exists
JAMES W. COLEY JR.......................................................................................Production
These men and women are engaged every day in
L. WAYNE CONNELL ......................................................................... Human Resources
but I am convinced that adequate education, de- in the streets of Washington, where children are LEONARD DOWNIE JR. ...................................................................................... At Large the bloody business of hunting down and killing
cent jobs and support systems that help them to killing other children? In the light of these
GREGG J. FERNANDES .................................................................................Circulation
JOHN B. KENNEDY ............................................................................................... Labor
this country’s enemies. Seated at their combat
realize their inestimable value as members of the crimes against the entire human family, I am left ERIC N. LIEBERMAN ......................................................................................... Counsel consoles, they contribute extraordinarily to our
human family would better serve us to counter- with this question: Who can claim victory?
CHRISTOPHER MA ................................................................................... Development
GOLI SHEIKHOLESLAMI ...................................................................................... Digital
safety and well-being. Their accomplishments de-
act our alarming incarceration and recidivism For these reasons, I will continue to speak
STEVE STUP ..................................................................................... Digital Advertising
serve recognition, even if they don’t take place un-
rates. truth to power even at the risk of jail.
The Washington Post Company:
der fire.
DONALD E. GRAHAM, Chairman of the Board
In funding illegal and immoral wars, the Unit- EVE TETAZ, Washington 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 (202) 334-6000 BARRY L. NEWTON, Ashton
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