Treasurer must stop secrecy

Except for a small number, the world accepts the Holocaust occurred in World War II. Similarly, pretty much everyone in the world believes Bush, Cheney and Co. have continuously lied to us as they destroy American and our image.

Strict secrecy has existed as Big Oil, medical insurance companies and pharmaceuticals have written laws for Republicans who in turn are well-rewarded.

The same stonewalling is happening here in Otsego County as our taxpayer-paid servant Myrna Thayne refused to release public information even after repeatedly being legally served with Freedom of Information requests from a county rep, whose job description includes overseeing the county treasurer’s office. A verbal request should be sufficient. Why the secrecy?

With secrecy, we need to guess. Add a base pay of $62,741, $15,000 for health insurance, $11,293 for retirement, $1,882 for federal and state unemployment, $3,890 for Social Security and $910 for Medicare. We taxpayers pay roughly $95,716 per year for Ms. Thayne.

If Ms. Thayne spends half her time with estates, for which she receives separate commissions, she would, in my opinion, be unfairly rewarded $47,858 at taxpayers’ expense! Is overtime then paid? Or is another employee hired to do her work? What fees, commissions and expenses did she and attorneys get from each estate?

The state auditors reaffirm the representatives’ right and responsibility to carefully monitor our treasurer’s office, which is in disarray and clouded in total secrecy. This is not a time to back off just "to get along." With $100 million involved each year, openness is a must!

Charles Pierce
Otego

No matter which local papers you read, you are bound to come across an editorial letter by Delhi’s Bush-hating Jim O’Leary. Usually, when reading O’Leary’s denunciation of all things Republican, I merely rant, but when he gets too outrageous, I’m compelled to take pen in hand.

In a recent Daily Star, Jim lionizes Michael Moore’s latest hate-America film, and he lectures us that Moore rightly blames shortfalls in the American medical system on conservatives and Republicans, starting with Richard Nixon. O’Leary wraps up with the usual liberal mantra of "millions of Americans, especially children, are without health insurance."

Mr. O’Leary, I’d like to let you in on a little secret. The state of New York offers a spectrum of health-care plans and services for children, either without cost or with very reasonable prices. Secret No. 2 is that health insurance costs money.

If one wishes to spend his paycheck on booze, dope, etc., and not on health insurance, the family will not be covered. Everyone has choices in life. I put my money where my mouth is: I spend a ton of money on health insurance. I don’t mind; it provides me with superb health care.

Why should I have to settle for second-class socialized medicine, interminable waits for appointments and second-rate physicians, just to provide free care for a bunch of slackers who won’t pay their own way?

Michael Moore seems enamored with Cuba’s health-care system. I have this suggestion: Moore and O’Leary book a quick flight to Havana where they can wile away their days driving around in a ’54 Pontiac and denouncing the evil capitalists to the north.

Because The Daily Star recently itself editorialized that all should flock to see Moore’s latest epic, this poor letter probably won’t see print until Thanksgiving.

Joel Canfield
Treadwell