While most of our letters come from prisoners' families and the cops, we occasionally get some thing a little different. Recently we got the email which appears below from a person concerned about helpless mentally retarded patients and what the extremist politicians are doing. The writer was obviously afraid of retaliation from the government. It's a hell of a way for a citizen to feel, but in this day and age of rabid right-wing political oppression, the government really is the enemy.
"I cannot tell you much because I could get friends and loved ones fired, but let me tell you this.
"There's a place in Venango County [in northwestern Pennsylvania] called Polk Center. This place is an institution for the mentally retarded.
[Republican Governor] "Tom Ridge and [Republican Public Welfare Secretary] Feather [Houstoun] want to shut it down. They are forcing the patients out into group-homes. People are dying there because the employees at the group-homes are not trained to handle the mentally retarded, nor are they paid above minimum wage. Therefore, they don't have much stake in the patients' health.
"For example, an 85 year-old man [was sent] into a group home and he was dead within two days. Why? Because he choked on a hot dog!
"This man was on a baby-food type diet at Polk. That kept him alive for 83 years. The Polk employees also had a relationship with him. He was cared for and loved.
"The residents at Polk may not be like you or me, but they are still human beings. They deserve the best care they can possibly receive."
We certainly agree with the writer and urge you
to phone or write Governor Ridge and/or the Secretary of Welfare:
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