Letters to editor

Ramona’s unsung heroes

The unsung heroes of Ramona are members of the Senior Volunteer Patrol.

A few years ago, a friend of mine, Dave Patterson, made a suggestion, since I am a senior living alone, that I contact the Senior Patrol. That was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

The Senior Patrol checks in on me on a daily basis to see how I am doing. They are a kind, caring devoted group. They go above and beyond the call of duty to take care of their seniors — always low-keyed and never looking for publicity. Thank you for all you do.

Armida Franceschini

RamonaWhat others say about AAPSIn response to Darrell Beck’s specious argument against the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (Robs billions of dollars from Medicare! Death panels! Rationed care!), one need only reference the organization to which the speaker at the March 30 “informational program” belongs.Wikipedia defines it as follows: “The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a politically conservative non-profit association founded in 1943 to “fight socialized medicine and to fight the government takeover of medicine.” “Many of the political and scientific viewpoints advocated by AAPS are considered extreme or dubious by other medical groups.”“The organization opposes mandatory vaccination, universal health care and government intervention in healthcare. The AAPS has characterized the effects of the Social Security Act of 1965, which established Medicare and Medicaid, as ‘evil’ and ‘immoral,’ and encouraged member physicians to boycott Medicare and Medicaid. AAPS argues that individuals should purchase medical care directly from doctors, and that there is no right to medical care. The organization requires its members to sign ‘declaration of independence’ pledging that they will not work with Medicare, Medicaid, or even private insurance companies.”According to Mother Jones, “despite the lab coats and the official sounding name, the docs of the AAPS are hardly part of mainstream medical society. Think Glenn Beck with an MD.”

Joanne Bergen

Ramona