Gino Piroli – 4/4/05

This page was last updated on April 9, 2005.

Terri Schiavo case: A sorrowful occurrence for U.S.; Gino Piroli; Beaver County Times; April 4, 2005.

Below is a critique of the relevant portions of the subject column.

“Many of us were affected by the tragic plight of Terry Schiavo and the bitter infighting between her parents and husband over the decision to disconnect her feeding tube and allow her to die.

“Medical experts told us that the removal of a feeding tube to allow a patient to die is not unusual, but the family battle brought this case national attention. That saddens me because of the strong family ties we have in this area.

“In some deaths we know of sharp family divisions that usually deal with money, land and family heirlooms. One funeral director told me of controversies among family members that even got down to who gained possession of the guest book that is signed at the viewing.

“The Schiavo case was a national issue that aroused diverse emotional responses. A sour note in this sorrowful occurrence was that it was turned into a political matter, with the Florida governor, the state legislature, Congress and the president getting involved.”

[RWC] I wonder why Mr. Piroli failed to mention the courts? Does anyone want to bet if Democrats had taken the actions Republicans did, Mr. Piroli would be extolling their virtue, raving about their compassion, and telling us how proud he was to be a Democrat?

Here’s a note to Mr. Piroli. As soon as the case went to court in the 1990s, it became a political matter. Remember, courts are part of government just as the executive and legislative branches and they are just as political.

“How quickly they backed off when they found out that most Americans didn’t think they should have been involved. It was a difficult situation and one that had no winners, especially with the furor it created with various groups using Schiavo as a platform to advance their causes.”

[RWC] Exactly how did “they” back off? Short of violating the law, it appeared those looking out for Terri Schiavo’s rights did all they could do.

Let’s look at the claim “most Americans didn’t think they should have been involved.” Most of the poll results were determined by how the questions were framed and asked. For example, at least one poll stated unequivocally that Terri Schiavo was a vegetable, in a coma-like state, and on life support. In doing so, the polls conjured the image of a person in a coma requiring a respirator to breathe for her, et cetera. Anyone who saw video of Terri Schiavo saw she was not in a coma, not on “life support,” and that she responded to persons around her. Can a person be in a “persistent vegetative state” and behave as Terri Schiavo did? I don’t know; I’m not an expert in the field. In any case, at least some of the polls were rigged, intentionally or not.

Now that it’s too late, we have poll results showing what I believe most of us expected. When questions described the situation more accurately, the results showed Americans didn’t believe nourishment should have been taken from Terri Schiavo.¹

“I believe that there are different degrees of love, including marital and family, but none that approach the strong emotional attachments of parental love. I question how I would react to having a child bedridden and enduring what she did for 15 years. In the end, I identify with her parents in not wanting to see a loved one die that way.”

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“I was recently reminded that there have been no terror alerts since the presidential election. We’re always at yellow: Elevated.

“Prior to the election, the federal government was issuing orange alerts (High) almost every week, especially when there were problems at the White House.”

[RWC] A review of the Department of Homeland Security web site indicates Mr. Piroli likely is wrong. According to the DHS web site, the last time the entire country was at “orange” was from December 21, 2003, to January 9, 2004. However, from August 1 – November 10, 2004, the threat level was raised to orange only for financial institutions in the New York City, northern New Jersey, and Washington, DC, areas. In addition, there were several information bulletins throughout the year mentioning potential threats, but the threat level remained yellow.

I sent an e-mail note to Mr. Piroli on April 5^th citing my research and asking for the source of his information, but Mr. Piroli has not responded as of this writing.

“The president is now touring the country pushing his Social Security plan that includes an option for private retirement accounts. He criticizes others for not coming forward with ideas in this search for a solution to aid Social Security.”

[RWC] As usual, Mr. Piroli omitted context. President Bush criticized Democrats for presenting no ideas only after Democrats constantly berated President Bush’s ideas yet provided no ideas of their own. Even some Democrats – but not yet the leaders – now concede “no, no, no” is not a viable strategy for Democrats.

“As the president of the United States, he should offer more than rhetoric. He should have a concrete proposal to support his position. It could then generate a meaningful debate for those interested in preserving Social Security.”

[RWC] What BS! Beginning with his 2005 State of the Union address, President Bush has presented “concrete” ideas and has said he’s willing to listen to all options, though he’s not in favor of Socialist Security tax increases. It is not the Executive branch’s job to write the specific legislation, however. That’s the responsibility of Congress.

“President Franklin D. Roosevelt didn’t wait for Congress when he came up with the Social Security program in 1935. Changes should be made to ensure generations to come will benefit from a secure retirement system. Isn’t it ironic that most of the politicians who support the private funding option will never have to use Social Security when they retire?”

[RWC] “Changes should be made to ensure generations to come will benefit from a secure retirement system?” Why? Can Mr. Piroli show us where the U.S. Constitution says a “secure retirement system” is a government responsibility? We need to make sure workers who already paid Socialist Security taxes aren’t screwed, but our goal should be the gradual dismantling of Socialist Security. This process would probably take at least 50 years.

Note that Mr. Piroli provides no evidence to support his claim that “most of the politicians who support the private funding option will never have to use Social Security when they retire.”

“I congratulate AARP for using their tremendous clout in scrutinizing and critiquing the proposed changes, unlike their stance on the faulted Medicare program passed last year.”

[RWC] Here is Mr. Piroli’s idea of a valid critique. AARP is running a TV commercial claiming the addition of personal accounts to Socialist Security is the same as destroying your home with a backhoe. The ad presents no evidence to support its analogy.

Of course, Mr. Piroli ignores the fact that AARP is a business first and an advocacy group second. What does AARP sell? Financial products and services for people over 50. Some of these products are investments in stocks and bonds. Has Mr. Piroli ever heard of “conflict of interest?” I believe AARP is concerned that personal accounts in Socialist Security would reduce demand for AARP investment products and services and thus cut into AARP profits.

AARP knows there’s a conflict of interest. Its response to this point is to claim its values drive the business, not the other way around. Believe that and I have a bridge to sell you.

As most other liberals, Mr. Piroli has not made any Socialist Security suggestions of his own. I suspect he will have suggestions if Democrat Party leadership changes from its “no, no, no” strategy.

One last point. So far, the Democrat Party, Mr. Piroli, and the Communist Party USA are on the same page with respect to Socialist Security just as they were with respect to John Kerry for president. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? I didn’t mention this because I believe Mr. Piroli is a communist; I don’t. I mentioned this point to illustrate how far left Democrat leadership and spokesmen have become. I believe most rank-and-file Democrats don’t know this. If I’m ever in a situation in which communists support my position, I’ll have to take a long, hard look at my position.

1. Zogby Poll: Americans Not in Favor of Starving Terri Schiavo; Steven Ertelt; Life News; April 1, 2005.