Letters to the Editor

My name is Delor Adams, and I'm trying to help a Catholic primary and secondary school in Kenya, Africa. The students are attending school without needed supplies such as pencils, notebook paper, folders, crayons, scissors, glue, erasers, etc. The children also need book bags, clothes, shoes and books. They are in need of children's books, literature books, science, math, English, etc.

The children have many needs, and I have only been able to supply a few items. I'm reaching out for others to help me to help them. Please.

If you are interested and willing to help poor Catholic schools located in Africa, please send me an e-mail to deloradams@yahoo.com.

Thank you, and I pray that I will hear from someone soon.

Delor Adams

Aurora

If tenants have rights, who is there to enforce them?

I know of a recent situation where a lady left an apartment after a half-dozen years as resident. She was subjected to her landlord walking into her apartment unannounced at any time.

At one time, she agreed to mow the lawn at the two-apartment house -- all the while her rent was being hiked $50 at the owner's whim.

Recently, she moved, not being able to afford further rent increases.

The last insult was not receiving her security deposit. She left the apartment in as good a shape as she found it.

I guess this is what is called a legal steal.

Mel Dormer

Aurora

A study from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute said drivers are at 23 times higher risk of crashing if they are texting.

Researchers from the University of Utah studied driving and texting versus drinking and driving. Their results showed there is an eightfold greater risk of crashing when texting and driving rather than drinking and driving.

How can it be possible that it's illegal to drive drunk but not to drive while texting, when texting has been shown to be more dangerous? I strongly urge texting while driving to be banned in all states.

Due to the many tests researchers have performed on this, I am strongly for banning texting while driving. It has taken countless number of teens' and adults' lives these past years, and we need to put it to an end.

Only 14 states have outlawed texting and driving, while the remaining 36 still permit it. I have thought through the dangers of allowing it, and I've come to the conclusion that, as a country, we need to find a solution immediately.

Every state, including Illinois, needs to ban texting while driving and create a penalty that will stop people from doing so. If we can do this, we will prevent numerous crashes and deaths from occurring.

Mary F. Szatkowski

Elburn

Americans wonder how they would be affected by health care "reform" -- how much more they would pay in taxes and premiums and/or their Medicare services would be cut.

The bills:

• Are irresponsibly expensive; the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projected $829 billion to $1.2 trillion (2010-2019), and burden future generations. Leftist leadership's manipulation to hide costs will not lessen the $10,000-$16,000 additional share per family.

• Slash Medicare $400-$500 billion ($8,500-$10,000 per beneficiary), Medicare Advantage Plans ($120 billion to $10,000 per enrollee).

• Push the country toward the financially troubled, rationing-based systems of the UK and Canada, by including a government-run "public" option ("consumer" option, government subsidized "co-ops" or call it "Disneyland" -- it's the same insidious end game).

• Replace individual choice with government edict by forcing individuals to obtain governmentally acceptable insurance (dictated deductible, out of pocket and co-insurance/co-pay) or send $750-plus to the IRS, creating Comparative Effectiveness Research fiefdoms to "suggest" "best practices" to doctors, and coercing physicians to computerize medical records and share with CER bureaucrats.

(HR 3200 nixes high deductible/HSA plans. The American Academy of Actuaries found the plans saved insureds 12 percent to 21 percent.)

The 1,502-page Senate bill adds taxes, passed along via higher prices:

• $127 billion on prescription drugs, medical devices and health insurance,

• 40 percent excise tax on union and other "Cadillac" employer health plans ($201 billion). Soon, Yugo policies get taxed like Caddies.

Radical leadership is trying to finagle a disaster through Congress. A few good Democrats need to join Republicans and just say no. Americans deserve better.

Linda L. Hess

Plano

If the ongoing chaos, and clueless plan that our government officials have demonstrated in getting H1N1 flu shots to people is an indication of how they want to handle my family's future health care, please deal us out.

Like the vast majority of Americans, we have a very competitive plan presently that serves us well, and prefer not to change to the administration playing doctor.

Fred DuSell

Yorkville

November is National Hospice Month.

On behalf of the DeKalb County Hospice Board of Directors and employees, I would like to thank all who have so generously supported our program over the past 27 years.

Last year, we provided end-of-life care to more than 227 new patients and their families, patients living at home or in nursing homes. Our new music therapy program has been a wonderful addition to the services we offer.

All families continue to receive bereavement support through one-on-one contact, supportive mailings and the bereavement newsletter that is sent to more than 4,600 households six times a year. Special grief support groups and events such as our Memorial Teddy Bear Workshop are all open to the community at large with no charge.

In just this past year. close to 400 wonderful volunteers donated more than 5,000 hours of their time visiting patients, delivering medical supplies, working in the office, visiting Transitions clients, working on fundraising events, supporting bereavement program services, baking for patients and families, and raising money for our partner hospice in Knysna, South Africa.

We could not have done this without the love and support of this community, which continues to support our efforts with generous gifts of time, talents and money. It has been our privilege to be able to be part of this community since 1982.

Karen Hagen

Executive director

DeKalb County Hospice