My care, my choice

After reading the article in, I believe, Tuesday's paper, about hormone replacement therapy, and compounding pharmacies not being sanctioned by the FDA, I'm a bit angry. It's the same old stuff. Control and profit. Who's in control? Who's making the profit?

Natural against synthetic. Who makes natural? God. Who makes synthetic? Drug companies. I understand that "natural" cannot be patented, "synthetic" can. With that in mind who makes the profit when the synthetic sells? Drug companies. Who works hand in hand with the FDA to get their products approved for to market? Drug companies. Who gets to be in control? The FDA.

Who makes the profit when a natural product sells? The company who used the naturally made product and put it into a form that is able to be used in the human body. Who has control? The consumer.

As a consumer it is my responsibility to be informed. Do I want a natural product that works with my body, or a product that will take care of the symptom but may also create side effects? Have you watched TV commercials lately? The FDA does inform about the side effects.

It is also my responsibility to find a doctor who is trained in the use and administration of naturally made products. Who makes the choice of which doctor to use? Me. Who chooses the compounding pharmacy? Me, the consumer. Yea, free enterprise system. Under socialized medicine I'm at the mercy of who's in charge. ... Not so good.

Gayle Weber

Racine

Test scores can't determine pay

For those advocates of aligning teacher compensation with their student test scores, I have the following questions:

1. Are you assuming there are standardized tests for all disciplines? How would teachers in the woodworking, childcare, ceramics, computing, and French classes be reviewed for merit pay? Would the quality teachers who work with students who wear diapers, drool, and need nursing assistance leave their specialty to qualify for more pay?

2. Are you assuming that all teachers work with an even mix of talented students? Would every teacher be scheduled to work with special needs students as well as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate candidates?

3. Do we want our best teachers to dedicate themselves to working with the most needy or with those students with the most potential for high test scores? With government funding going to Special Education, and teachers vying to instruct the intellectually motivated, who will focus on the "middle-ground" children?

4. Since WKCE tests at the high school level are administered early in the school year, how can the current teacher be given the responsibility for those results?

Claire Wagner

Racine

Thank you

The Caledonia Historical Society and its Depot Committee would like to thank everyone involved in the recent relocation of the former Sturtevant Depot to Linwood Park. We would like to thank the Canadian Pacific Railroad, Heritage Movers, We Energies, AT&T, Time-Warner cable and their subcontractors; the municipalities of Sturtevant, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia; and the following law enforcement agencies: Sturtevant Police, Mount Pleasant Police, Caledonia Police, Racine County Sheriffs and the Wisconsin State Patrol.

We would also like to thank any citizens who where inconvenienced by road closures during our four hour odyssey from the Canadian Pacific yard to Linwood Park during the wee hours of the morning on Oct. 26.

I would be remiss if I didn't also thank again all the wonderful people, organizations and businesses that donated goods, services and money. That list is long and growing daily. There will be a special memorial in the depot to all that gave so generously.

Everyone mentioned above was a link in the nine-mile chain that stretched from the Depot's old home to it's new home. It's a strong chain, strong enough to preserve our history and heritage for many generations to come.

Michael E. Michna

President, Caledonia Historical Society

Bad equation

The headline for Friday was: "Stimulus = jobs saved". This headline is an equation. I read the article looking for the information to fill in the equation. On the stimulus side I found $17,521,852.00 (taxpayers dollars spent this year). On the jobs saved side I found a few new staff positions, three continuing programs, (special-ed, troubled youth and bilingual reading ), and an added data warehouse. The equation would then read ... $17,521,852.00 = a few staff,

3 programs and data warehouse.

This must not be all the information on the jobs saved (created) side of the equation. Could you please print the rest of the jobs saved information so I can then move to the next logical equation. Stimulus spent divided by jobs saved (created) equals taxpayer dollar per job.

Ray Johnson

Racine