Letters to the Editor - March 5, 2010

Time to hear what T-Mobile has to say

To the editor:

There seems to be one integral voice missing from the debate on where to site the cell tower in the North Mianus/Cos Cob area. T-Mobile is taking a low public profile.

In a Greenwich Time cover article on Feb 2, 2010, T-Mobile External Affairs Representative Jane Builder stated only that the company is "eager to move forward on a proposal as soon as possible."

By neglecting take a more proactive role in this debate, T-Mobile appears to be ignoring the needs and concerns of the community it's attempting to "serve."

Interestingly, Yonkers and Mount Vernon use less invasive and technologically equivalent technology called DAS (Distributive Antennae Systems). By attaching antennae to existing structures such as utility poles, the need for any new cell towers is eliminated.

ExteNet, the company that installed DAS in both of those Towns, has stated that large telecommunications companies, such as T-Mobile, are some of their biggest customers.

Ken Schmidt, a cell tower lease consultant stated in that same GT article that "It costs substantially more to deploy DAS than building a tower; it's about three to four times as expensive".

What does T-Mobile have to say about taking on an added expense to install DAS rather than large cell tower(s) to provide equivalent service to the residents of Greenwich?

Melissa Piechucki and Edward Henrey

Cos Cob

Town needs to coordinate snowplowers

To the editor:

It's about time the Town of Greenwich Highway Department meets with all the town snowplowers, including those independent plowers with pickup trucks obviously hired by the town, and reeducate them that when they clean the roads, they do not deposit walls of snow in front of already cleaned driveways.

This happens as often as three to four times after a snowfall, forcing residents to continue to remove the barricade of ice and snow blocking their driveway entrance.

After Friday's (Feb. 26) snowfall, even though our road had been plowed, an independent plower in a white pickup truck drove up and down our road at least six or seven times scraping the edges of the road and lawns, and depositing the snow in front of the clean driveways.

His services could have been better used in areas still waiting for plowing.

What a terrible waste of taxpayers' money for aimless driving around when the roads have already been cleaned.

Kay and John Terzis

Riverside

Republicans are blocking health care reform

To the editor:

Any way one looks at it, the evidence demonstrates that Republicans are fundamentally opposed to health care reform that would enable all Americans to actually enjoy "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", rights enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

Republicans would have us believe that they are for cutting costs, extending coverage, reducing the deficit, improving health care and working collaboratively with Democrats, but the facts paint a different picture.

Despite months of good-faith negotiation to accommodate Republican demands, only one Republican out of more than 250 actually supported the health care reform legislation passed by the House and Senate.

This is despite the fact that Democrats significantly compromised on key priorities: a public option to make insurance affordable and introduce competition into the market, truly universal coverage (millions are still left uninsured in the current proposals) and protection of the women's right to choose.

Republicans are not committed to universal health care and protection from the catastrophic impact of serious illness on working families, leaving the United States alone among developed nations in not protecting its citizens.

The latest Republican proposal would cover just three million uninsured, only 10 percent of what the Democrats' legislation covers.

By their own admission, Republicans question why universal coverage is a priority. Sage Eastman, a spokesman for Republicans on the House and Ways Committee asked, "Why is coverage the dominant theme?"

For those who believe that Republicans are on the side of the middle class, consider the facts. Millions of the uninsured that Republican proposals won't cover are working families and their children; universal coverage is not just about providing insurance to those in poverty.

By their words and actions, Republicans are demonstrating that their primary motivation is obstruction, not solving the health care crisis.

They rail about "government takeovers" of health care and burgeoning government expenditures, but stand in the way of Medicare reforms to cut government spending without cutting benefits.

John McCain attempted to block nearly $500 billion in planned Medicare savings and costly Medicare Advantage plans that receive unwarranted government subsidies.

The Bush-enacted prescription drug benefit prohibits the government from negotiating for lower drug prices. Republicans are fine with government spending when it enriches pharmaceutical companies, but against it when it helps working Americans.

Republicans conveniently ignore the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office analysis that projects that the Democratic Senate plan would reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the next decade, and $1 trillion over the decade following.

By contrast, the latest Republican measure, according to CBO estimates, will lower the deficit in the first decade by just $68 billion, while covering only one-tenth as many uninsured.

Republicans are scaring Americans into believing that health care reform will raise their premiums. In fact, the CBO concluded that the legislation won't have much of an impact on premiums up or down.

If Republicans continue to stand in the way of health care reform, Democrats need to take matters into their own hands and use parliamentary maneuvers to let the majority will be expressed.

Jonathan Perloe

Cos Cob

Be prepared for the Aug. 10 primary

To the editor:

When someone says the Republicans are the Party of `no' and are blocking all legislative efforts in DC ... I've got news for you: the President is a Democrat. The Senate has had filibuster-proof majority. The House has a majority. It is mathematically impossible for the Republicans to have any say, yeah or nay.

For one year, not much has gotten accomplished in terms of improving healthcare delivery and reducing its cost.

Nor has Washington cleared a path allowing companies to grow their businesses to be able to provide jobs. I say if you are angry or simply disillusioned by Washington's ineffectiveness, then it is time for a change of those who represent you.

In the meantime, the party of `know' is growing. Aug. 10, 2010 may be your first opportunity to decide who the best candidate is. Be prepared for a primary, and if it's a Republican one you must be registered by Aug. 10 as a Republican.

Monique Thomas

Cos Cob