DIALOGUEletters
Debate goes on
In response to the April Debate,
“Should we remove the income
tax on unemployment insurance
benefits?”
NO. No one likes paying taxes. However, taxes
pay for services. If we drop taxes in one area,
they’ll need to be raised in another, so dropping tax on unemployment benefits would be
a temporary fix for some, but wouldn’t be a
solution to the bigger problem.
Carol Walker
Santa Cruz, California
YES. I can hardly express the anger I feel after
reading the comments of those who think
these benefits should continue to be taxed.
Their responses are uninformed and cruel.
Clearly their families haven’t been brought to
their knees due to job loss. Trust me, unemployment is not fun and relaxing.
These payments are not welfare. You have
to have had a job and paid taxes in order to
receive these benefits.
Mary Leo
Oceanside, California
In response to the March Debate,
“Should animals have the same
rights as people?”
NO. There is no way that animals have the
same level of consciousness as people. The
person who thinks that animals should have
the same rights as a human has never seen
1,500 pounds of a stark raving mad cow
staring them in the face, blowing snot and
Correction
ALERT CONNECTION READERS
pointed out that April’s Fresh Views
columnists, Paul and Sarah Edwards,
were featured with an incorrect link to
their home page. The correct link is:
www.middleclasslifeboat.com.
then promptly running
over them.
Until that stark raving mad cow can explain
why she ran me over in
English, then she should
stay resigned to her place
in the world, that of a
cow used for producing
meat and milk.
PHOTODISC
Fallon Turner
Sierra Valley, California
YES. This seems to be a
silent topic as the animals cannot speak for
themselves. It’s about basic human decency.
As Mahatma Ghandi said, “The greatness of
a nation and its moral progress can be
judged by the way its animals are treated”.
Claudine Cheung
Randolph, New Jersey
Odds and ends
Tuned in to Kirkland
Signature tuna
Here is a personal testimonial as a follow-up on
your tuna update [Buying
Smart, April 2009].
I was recently planning
to cobble up my famous
tuna salad. I had only one
can of Kirkland Signature™
tuna left in the cabinet. Since
I use two cans for my recipe,
I went to the store and purchased one can of tuna.
Got it home, opened
both cans and was really surprised. Brand X had more
water and less tuna, it was a
darker color and it had a
very strong odor. I used
both cans and finished my
salad. It wasn’t all that bad,
but it did not have that “clean” taste I expect
and get with Kirkland Signature. So, I paid
more and got a lot less. Won’t do that again.
R. Wagner
Reading, Pennsylvania
Changing oil habits
I enjoy reading The Costco Connection
each month, but was disappointed in the statements about oil-change intervals [“Oil you
need to know,” April 2009]. While 3,000 miles
or three months used to be a rule of thumb,
most experts are now suggesting following
the manufacturer’s recommendations in the
owner’s manual. With improved lubricants
and cleaner-burning engines, intervals for
both conventional and synthetic oils are sub-
stantially longer than your article recommended. Taking care of our autos is important,
but so is avoiding waste and environmental
harm by excessive oil changes.
Michael R. Gallagher
Hillsboro, Oregon
Horowitz to the rescue
More than one year after I filed a refund
claim with an online travel booking company, I
finally received a refund of $1,255 for a disputed
flight in December 2007. After multiple contacts with the booking company over a nine-month period (and no refund in sight), I turned
to David Horowitz for help. He went well above
and beyond my expectations to help me with
my claim. I honestly believe that without his
help I would still be waiting for my refund.
A big thank-you to David Horowitz and
to The Costco Connection for making him
available to us consumers!
Carol Bezzola-Schmid
Felton, California
Giving kids a boost(er)
Thank you for the thoughtful overview
of child car booster seat safety [Consumer
Connection, March 2009]. I hope that parents will not only review and consider the
information presented, but that they will also
take note of the following:
A. Weight is not the only criterion for
moving a child from a harnessed child safety
seat to a booster—some children reach 40
pounds before they have the age or maturity
to remain safely seated in a booster. Fortunately,
there are now many child safety seats on the
market in a variety of price ranges with 50-
to 80-pound harnessed weight limits—
convertible seats (which can be rear-facing or
forward-facing) and combination seats (
forward-facing seats that can be used with an
internal 5-pound harness, or without the harness as a belt-positioning booster).
B. Vehicle seat belts are designed to fit
adults, and many children will not fit them
well until they are around age 8 to 10 or older.
Child Passenger Safety technicians recommend using the “Five-Step Test” to determine
if a child can fit the vehicle seat belt safely
without a booster:
Have something to say?
Readers are encouraged to submit letters
to our editors on any topic or issue covered
in The Connection. Please include your
full name and phone number or address.
Send all letters to: Dialogue, The Costco
Connection, P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA
98124-1088; fax to (425) 313-6718; or
e-mail to
dialogue@costco.com. The
editors reserve the right to edit letters
for publication.
