Mississippi is in line to receive a large infusion of cash from the president’s stimulus package. Some, however, are viewing this stimulus money as a reason not to increase the cigarette tax. Stimulus money is a one-time boost to the budget. Raising the cigarette tax provides a permanent solution.

Raising the cigarette tax is not about money; it’s about discouraging people from smoking, particularly young people. That is the benefit we want. 

As a physician and past national president of the American Cancer Society, I support the cigarette-tax increase because it’s a proven way to reduce smoking and improve the health of all Mississippians.

In Mississippi each year, an astounding 7.8 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked by our children and 4,200 kids under the age of 18 become new daily smokers. Smoking causes serious health problems among children and teens, including respiratory illnesses, reduced physical fitness, poor lung growth and function, worse overall health and addiction to nicotine.

We must do everything possible to save the 69,000 kids now alive who will die from smoking. Passing a cigarette tax increase is still the right thing to do—for the health benefits to our citizens and for a steady revenue stream for our state.

Ralph B. Vance, Sr., M.D.

Jackson

Stand up to rude ‘helpers’

My heart has been burdened and it is time someone spoke up about some of the injustices that are commonplace in Vicksburg.

During times of crisis, people need hope. Our new president presented his platform for office built on hope. After living in Vicksburg for a few years and talking to many people in crisis over the years, I can see why people may feel a lack of hope.

I am not sure of the hiring requirements for the state positions, but I would hope they do not require a social work degree. If so, then wherever these individuals went to college has failed miserably to teach the true meaning of social work. When you hold a position in which you determine whether or not a family will receive assistance during a time of need, surely you recognize the humility it takes for most people to ask for assistance to begin with.

No matter where you go, there are people who are a drain on society and know how to manipulate the system, but to allow yourself to become a cynic and allow that to roll over into your job makes you one of those people who continues to rob this community of hope.

Claiming backlog, too busy, increased case loads, or whatever is just an excuse. If I went to work and decided I would take over two months to complete a project that should be finished within 30 days, I would be jobless. What gives social services workers the right to be rude, unprofessional, untimely and steal hope from families?

We, as a community, continue to empower them by not complaining and accepting this nasty attitude and treatment as part of the process. Somehow, someway, there should be a movement for attitude reform. Hey, there are many jobless people out there; I am sure most of them would be glad for a government position with benefits. Let’s make some waves to create change and reinstill hope in a hurting world.

Katherine David

Vicksburg

Sidewalks, bike paths please

Has downtown been fixed up enough for tourists and people who go downtown so that now, possibly, there could be some sidewalks and bike paths for other areas so people could walk and get around this town without having to risk their lives?

It is bad in neighborhoods with a 20 mph speed limit, which not many people drive. I heard the city would not put up speed bumps in neighborhoods because they did not want to be sued for a car being harmed. I know a family that lives by Shady Lawn Nursing Home that bought and paid for their own speed bumps.

I hope it is not me or my dogs or any of the neat kids we have growing up in the neighborhood who gets hit by a car.

I feel like it is not very hospitable for cities to not make it better for people who want and need to walk or ride a bike to get around.

And working on sidewalks and bike paths would be a very nice thing for the city to do for the people who would like to help the environment and cannot afford a car or gas to get around. How nice it would be to have a walkable city. That would truly be a red carpet city!

Mickey Loyacono

Vicksburg

The key word is temporary

I have never regarded Gov. Barbour as the sharpest tack in the box and his comments about the federal stimulus funding are foolish.

Providing temporary extension of unemployment benefits has been a common practice of the government during recessions. The word is temporary. Any required legislation to make use of the funding would also be temporary. The government quite commonly writes legislation for temporary measures, often for tax legislation. Legislators are supposed to know how to do that.

As to the application for funds by people who have lost part-time employment, benefits are for people who have already been employed and who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Companies commonly hire part-time employees and those part-time employees are often the first employees laid off when companies cut back. A person working part-time is often providing a part of the family income necessary to survive, e.g., a working mother who cannot work full time.

Gov. Barbour’s statement that “people would come out of the woodwork looking for part-time jobs in order to get the benefits” is utter nonsense. Eligibility for the funds would be defined in the legislation that is written, and would most certainly apply to people who have already been employed and have been laid off by their employers.

I would note that this is federal funding which will either be spent in Mississippi or spent in another state. I can see no benefit to residents of Mississippi if the governor continues on his present path to decline the funding.

Fred E. Camfield

Vicksburg

Delay, rudeness inexcusable

On Feb. 22, I arrived with my daughter and 2-year-old granddaughter at the River Region emergency room at 10:30 a.m. The child had an abscess that needed to be lanced and packed. She had fever, was in pain and had not eaten.

My granddaughter was triaged at 11 a.m. and we waited until 3:36 p.m. and still had not seen a doctor. I called the nursing supervisor who explained there were several emergencies ahead of us. When we had not been seen at 5:30 p.m., I again called the supervisor who called to check when we would be seen.

We were called into the exam room at 5:50 p.m., the doctor came in at 5:55 p.m. and we were discharged at 6:30 p.m.

The reason for this letter is that the nurse who triaged us never once looked at the abscess and showed no compassion for my granddaughter. This nurse never bothered to make eye contact with the child, mother or grandmother.

When the child’s mother requested a blanket or a sheet for her shivering child, the nurse responded, “If I give you a blanket, everyone else in here will want one.” She later gave the child a blanket, after much hesitation.

I am a nurse and I know some medical conditions must come before others, but to let a 2-year-old child wait seven hours in a freezing room with people coughing, vomiting and etc. was cruel and shows no compassion.

Children are very dear to our Savior and we must not only treat them with dignity and respect, we should treat everyone that way. As a nurse, you take an oath. Maybe the triage nurse and the others have forgotten that oath.

River Region is Vicksburg’s only hospital. I just hope and pray no one else has to experience what my family experienced.

A special thanks to the doctor, who was just beginning a shift at 6 p.m., for the apology and kindness.

Jenorice Linear Reed

Vicksburg