Corpus Christi Caller Times Letters to the Editor

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Thursday, November 18, 1999

Letters to the Editor for November 18, 1999

New shelter welcome
   The article Nov. 2 about the second animal shelter to open got my attention. I'm an animal lover and I think it is great that someone out there cares about all these animals.
   Since the euthanasia rate is so high, we were long overdue for another shelter in our community to help out animals in need. P.A.L.S. is a great place for all sorts of animals in search of a second chance in life.
   With advertisement and word of mouth, hopefully, the shelter will get enough donations and volunteers to run the shelter.
   Gisel Rios
   (Bishop)
  Language mastery crucial
   On the front page of the Caller-Times (Nov. 10), an unidentified person is quoted as saying: "I am white and cannot get a good job because I do not speak Spanish. I believe this is not fair and very wrong." The basic problem here is not that the individual in question is white, but that he or she lacks an important job skill in the context of South Texas. Being "white" does not prevent one from speaking Spanish.
   This problem will continue to haunt us until we require foreign language training - especially Spanish - of all elementary and secondary school students. It should be more than obvious that speaking a foreign language is a marketable skill - like computer literacy - and one that is particularly valuable in South Texas, where substantial minorities or majorities are Mexican-American. Some school districts in Houston add a permanent $3,000 to a teacher's salary for being bilingual.
   It is clear to every resident of Monterrey, Mexico, that in the age of NAFTA, and in a global economy, knowledge of English is valuable. It should be equally obvious to us that knowledge of Spanish is valuable. Language fluency is only easily acquired in one's early years, which gets us back to the elementary schools. "Bilingual education" should be interpreted to mean mandatory teaching of both English and Spanish.
   Richard Hartwig
   (Kingsville)
  A huge resource
   It's truly a shame that we can't hand down our history through genetic memory, i.e., genetically pass on our wisdom to our offspring. Such a perfect transfer of past experience would help each following generation appreciate its present situation and prevent "take it for granted" attitudes. I mention this as a way of introducing thoughts I've never had since reading an article the Caller-Times published on Oct. 26, entitled "CITGO files motion to declassify refinery suit."
   I doubt that many people in Corpus Christi realize the CITGO refinery had its beginning in the 1930s. Or that many appreciate the fact that while owners of the refinery came and went, the refinery and its contributors stayed in Corpus Christi. This single refinery has been a huge economic resource to the community due to the billions of dollars it has pumped into the local economy.
   Still today, this single refinery provides jobs for over 1,500 local people and has a total economic impact in Corpus Christi of almost half-a-billion dollars a year. This continues in spite of the heavy regulations placed on it by federal and state agencies, and the relentless pressures of the marketplace. Unfortunately, as is often the case, once a benefit becomes common- place, it is taken for granted, i.e. it will remain because it has always been here. What's worse, not only are the benefits unappreciated, they are all but forgotten.
   If the truth were admitted, Corpus Christi is as it is today because of the local refining and petrochemical industries. And it would serve an unappreciative community right if the industries decided to pull up and leave. Boy, wouldn't that be a black day? What would happen to home values then? How many neighbors, friends and family members would be forced to move away in order to find jobs? Think about it - it may be that the community is the one that is in debt: in debt to the refining and petrochemical industries that provide the wages and tax revenues Corpus Christi must have to exist.
   Jack T. Beavers
   (Aransas Pass)
  Outdated attitudes
   In regards to the letter (Nov. 11) from Mrs. C.H. Jentsch, I realize why I was so glad that the Caller-Times and Six News were doing this report on diversity and racism in our world today.
   With her letter, Mrs. Jentsch just proves that many people are still in the mode of thinking that our young ladies and our young men cannot think for themselves. If Mrs. Jentsch would read the Roy Miller High School Buccaneer newspaper, she would see that these young people don't just write the pros and cons for persons with Hispanic names, but they write for anything that they feel strongly about.
   As we all know, there is something called freedom of speech that is our constitutional right, which is not affected by the color of our skin. Wouldn't it be a boring world if we could not voice our opinions every once and awhile?
   I believe that if Mrs. Rothschild and Mrs. Brauer would do the things Mr. Flores has done for Roy Miller High School, they, too, would have the backing of these fine students. I would like to thank Mr. Peltz, Mrs. Wall and the Buccaneer newspaper staff for their great work.
   Sylvia Mejia
  See beyond
   I have noticed how the media (including the Caller-Times) tend to skew our perception of reality. The media often focus their attention on the worst events because "it sells."
   We need to learn to see beyond what media show us: For example, the media will focus on a small, racist KKK rally, yet barely mention the large, diverse group of people who showed up to protest the KKK rally.
   The recent focus on our local diversity and "racism" is just another example. Sure, there are jerks, rude clerks, and hate-mongers among us. But there are also quiet acts of kindness and compassion all around us. All we have to do is look. Instead of looking for "racism" (again, there are jerks among us), look for the good things that occur every day. You will find what you look for.
   Wyn Kelly
  Pharmaceutical frenzy
   This is in response to the article "Clinton criticizes drug makers for high prescription costs" (Oct 26).
   America has a new drug problem. Pricey pills are driving drug spending to record highs. Prescription drugs are often the largest monthly medically related expenditure for senior citizens. No citizen should be forced to choose between buying groceries and filling a prescription.
   A nation is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, and we must help these individuals obtain prescription drugs.
   Americans are increasingly demanding the latest brand-name drugs in a ferocious attempt to preserve their health and their youth.
   All of the new designer technologies have the capacity to increase the quality of life, and all are going to be very expensive, and it is going to literally break our banks around the year 2005.
   The pharmaceutical frenzy is going to get worse in the coming years as drug giants crank out more new medications to salve an aging population. Time is running out to fix this problem, but I believe that Bill Clinton's new plan is a positive first step in protecting those who have a low income and who have high drug costs.
   Monica Mora
  The real victims
   I remember very well when I got paddled in school. It was a turning point in my life. I knew that I didn't want to misbehave again. I didn't go whining to my parents because I knew that they would reinforce the discipline at home.
   As far as being traumatized, that is exactly what it is supposed to do.
   Kids who have learning disabilities should have special considerations when it comes to corporal punishment. The real victims are the teachers.
   They are being traumatized every day by misbehaving, disrespectful kids. The quality of educators hasn't declined, but the quality of parents has.
   Walter Rives
  Callous conduct
   On the use of Spanish in the work place, several instances may explain some "Anglo" criticisms, especially in a hospital setting.
   A delightful elderly Anglo woman was admitted with her second cancer, this one fatal, and she was aware of it. I found her crying and unable to speak. The next day she explained her dismay. Two "Mexican" nurses came to her room and spoke only in Spanish to each other. This meant to her that neither cared that she was dying.
   Another patient, an elderly black minister, was hospitalized, terminally ill. When I entered his room, his two daughters, both teachers, immediately requested that he be transferred to another ward. Their reason? Two "Mexican" nurses were in his room speaking only Spanish and not a word in English to the patient or his daughters. They wanted a ward where someone cared.
   In a more dramatic setting, seven or eight of us answered an emergency call for a cardiac arrest. These minutes are crucial. During this activity, two nurses were at the foot of the bed observing and chatting in Spanish. They had to be told that if they had something to offer to say it in English or take their gossip out into the hall.
   Each incident was thoughtless, inconsiderate and ill-mannered.
   John J. Kovaric, M.D.

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