Be patient

Take action

Re “Medical care” (Your Views, Feb. 3): The letter writer comments on three other opinion pieces by three physicians and Bruce Holbrook on the subject of physician shortage and “the emerging health care provider crisis in Hampton Roads.”

All across America’s corporate boardrooms, when a problem is identified, the board also wants to hear what possible solutions have been explored. The letter writer stirs the pot, and the dialogue continues. What we need are possible solutions.

In the spirit of doing what I say, I offer a solution that can get the ball rolling. Invite the most powerful leaders from the hospitals, health care insurers, and our local universities and medical school to form a group to identify industry giants in our area to create 10 fully paid scholarships each year for the next 10 years. A condition for acceptance is for the recipients to practice in the Hampton Roads area for the next 10 years. One hundred additional physicians doesn’t solve the problem, but it is a start. Additional solutions need to be advanced.

It took me all of about three minutes to form this solution. You don’t like this? It won’t work? Already tried? Really? What is your solution? Another op-ed piece? I have already come up with another solution. Unfortunately, I don’t have the space to give it the proper treatment. It’s time for action.

— Steven Horbal, Virginia Beach

Do you bemoan the poor service and lack of staff in restaurants lately? Well, this generation of young adults wasn’t raised to hold these types of jobs. Service work is stressful. That’s a fact.

If you want to be part of the solution, go out to eat. Be kind and patient with your server. Be polite. Look them in the eye, as if they were real people, too. Then have some more patience because the kitchen staff isn’t much better able to handle this than the service staff.

If there’s a problem with your food, stay patient and ask to talk with management. When your meal is done, be gracious and over tip. If you can’t over tip, leave at least 20% to 25%. They’re still grossly underpaid, and if you take out your frustration with the poor state of the service industry on them, they won’t last the month.

If you want to enjoy your favorite restaurant in the future, be part of the solution and help the new generation of service workers to learn. The old days are over. You can be part of the solution, or eat fast food or eat at home. The current young people can work at lots of places that will pay them $15 an hour for a lot less trauma-inducing interactions than restaurant work. I’m old, but I’ve been there.

— Janet McDonald, Chesapeake

Americans

Re “Un-American” (Your Views, Feb. 2): The letter writers states, “I would rather be an American than a Republican.” It is a fact that the majority of citizens in our country would rather be Americans than Republicans. Americans value our Constitution and the rule of law. Americans have no interest in conspiracy theories, demagogues, insurrectionists, anti-civil rights legislation or white Christian nationalism.

Our great democratic experiment has had challenges in the past, and those challenges have been always met through hard work and creativity.

— Larry Hollowell, Norfolk

Border deal

Nothing shows the narcissism and attitude that it’s all about me more than former President Donald Trump telling the Republicans to not support the bipartisan border deal. Our country desperately needs immigration reform, and this bipartisan bill was a step in the right direction.

— Jerry P. Coffman, Yorktown