Jackson Free Press

In a speech in Jackson, AARP CEO Bill Novelli finally addressed an issue that would benefit the elderly: community care for senior citizens. I wish that he would address the issue of failure of care in far too many nursing homes in this country.

There was a time when a family member who was not considered community-worthy was placed in a back room of the house and left there to live out his or her life. Tragically, far too many nursing homes have become the back rooms of our time. If community care for the elderly comes to fruition, many of Mississippi's elderly and disabled will be able to live out their lives enjoying their own front room.

The fear of living in a nursing home looms larger for far too many people than the fear of dying. It shouldn't have to be this way, and it doesn't. Let us not forget that Mississippi and other states have a responsibility to assure that there will be no more "back rooms," where the most fragile among us live lives of quiet desperation. Those who care about the 1.6 million people living in nursing homes in this country must do all we can to ensure they receive quality care and are treated with dignity.
— Jane Marshall, Dover, Tenn

Cell Phones and Urban Monstrosities
Today I was on my way home from Brookshire's Grocery on the corner of Lake Harbour and Old Canton. Normally, I am a patient, non-aggressive driver who keeps her cool even when a suburban mommy in an over-sized Yukon (with a "Conserving Wildlife" plate no less) puts my life in jeopardy by talking on the phone instead of focusing on keeping her tires in her lane. But today, I noticed in my rear-view mirror a white Cadillac Escalade monstrosity closing in on my bumper faster than he should, so I increased my speed. In front of me was a Mazda that was slowing with their left blinker on to turn into a daycare center. I slowed down and stopped, as did the person behind me. And I watched in disgust and frustration as this idiot with too much money cut into the grass and bypassed me and the other vehicle while talking on his cell phone. My frustration was only compounded by his lack of a license plate, which I would have taken down and turned in to one of the many police officers that live in my apartment complex and are always around during Friday afternoon traffic to catch speeders.

I am a patient non-aggressive person, but I lost my cool and instead of cursing at him from within my car, I honked my horn at him. The Escalade went down to the red light staying in the right lane, and I pulled into the left turn lane. This pompous, arrogant person honked back at me, even though his action was reckless, endangering others (I see pedestrians walking on the grass side of the road every day because we still don't have adequate sidewalks), and oh yeah, illegal. Who do I have to rely on? A police officer supposedly. But where are they? They never seem to be around when they're needed. We can only hope karma shows her grace and gives him a bad deal, or he gets a flat tire when his cell phone battery is dead.

JFP is an awesome source of information, and I send respect to all those involved.
— Samantha Cartrette, Ridgeland

Previous Comments

ID

73180

Comment

It's worthless to depend on the police. If they actually cared about traffic problem, there would be less road rage. The other culprit being apathy.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-07-21T15:01:34-06:00