OTHER VOICES
Daily stress
If COVID- 19 doesn’t kill you, high blood pressure will. I went to gas up the car using my Mastercard credit card. At Sam’s Club the card went through., but canceled out just before pumping the gas. I went to two other service stations and ditto, same problem. I finally dug out my Discover card and things went as normal and I got a tank full of gas.
Later, I got a text message from Mastercard saying my December bill payment was past due. Apparently, the credit card company has not yet received my check, so they charged my account $ 25 late fee plus canceled the use of the card. I got a similar dunning notice from my life insurance company for what seems like a payment not yet received though sent well within the time period allowed.
I always pay bills within less than two to three days from receipt. Now I hear that our sterling United State Postal Service is operating at about one- third manpower. Apparently, postal employees are benefiting from being allowed to call in sick under COVID rules every three days for testing, yet still getting full pay.
There have been many, many complaints that the postal system is about broken, and the mail is just not getting through, at least until an inordinate amount of time has passed. This looks like too big a problem for our political types to resolve.
They also have not a clue how to make banks and credit card companies ( also any number of other larger institutions) to clean up their maddening customer relations policies and procedures.
So, here goes another relaxing glass of wine to mollify my frazzled nerves. Happy New Year to everyone. I’m all for going “off Grid.” LAURENT DESCHAM Annapolis
Coronavirus numbers
The Capital had been reporting on nearly a daily basis the number of cases by ZIP Code along with the state’s version of the same in parentheses. What is missing is a better sense of how each zip code ( community) is doing in a relative sense which would be more clearly spelled out by adding positivity rates, for example.
We have all learned over the months that there are many statistical ways to “slice and dice the data” and it would be helpful to each community within Anne Arundel County if The Capital would put more analysis into the numbers reported.
Otherwise, I think readers like me just scan it ( glaze over) and miss the importance of what each number represents, good or bad. Thank you.— MARK WALTHERS Gambrills
John Rosemond
I commend Dr. Robert Herman’s letter regarding columnist John Rosemond. Over the years I have been astounded by many of his parenting views, which seem to be escalating in hyperbolic nature not based in fact.
His opinions on ADHD, autism and child psychiatry are outdated at best, and as Herman maintains, dangerous to children, while doing a grave disservice to the parents and medical professionals who care for them.
It’s well past time for The Capital to replace Rosemond’s column with something— anything— more current, relevant and informative.
LORIN HAMLIN
West River
Surplus population
“If the sick, the poor and the homeless would rather die then they should be about it and decrease the surplus populations” Whosaid that?
Was it Ebenezer Scrooge or President Donald Trump?
JOE GRUVER
Arnold