Santa Claus had many interesting requests this year, including lots of Squishmallows

Santa’s boundaries

It’s been a remarkable year and I have heard many interesting requests. I wish I had bought shares of Paw Patrol and Squishmallows. But I also received requests for Pogo sticks, Yoyos, Playdoh, and Polaroid Cameras! Why didn’t we think of those!

I see thousands of children each year and I wish I could explain the joy it brings me. My wife grew up in a house where she and her siblings were not allowed to believe in Santa Claus. Her dad called him “The Big Red Lie!” In his defense, he thought Santa took away from the real meaning of Christmas and he was right. Parents must figure out their own way of dealing with that I suppose. He did, however, mellow a bit later in life and allowed in his house.

I did get a couple of notable requests this year. I had a boy, about 7-years-old and his baby sister on my lap. When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he rattled off a list of at least 10 things. When he was finished I asked what he thought his little sister would like. Without hesitation he said, “She doesn’t need anything. She has all kinds of stuff!” Now THAT’S the Christmas spirit.

I had a little girl ask for a baby sister. A trick I learned long ago is when a child asked for a dog, the quick answer is “Elves don’t make dogs.” Without thinking, I employed the same logic with the baby sister! When she got down I whispered to her dad that I told her elves don’t make babies, he laughed and said, “I’ve got news for her, her mother and I don’t anymore either!”

Jack Pattie Lexington

Healthcare burden

Days before Christmas, Baptist Health began notifying patients that they are no longer under contract with Cigna and BCBS. Care that would normally be in-network and that took months to schedule is now the financial burden of the patients, even though they did nothing wrong. Assuming such a preposterous situation is ultimately settled and Baptist Health once again takes major insurances, many families like mine are still left with appointments now in the new year, with new deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums -- to the tune of thousands more for care than they had counted on.

Are we so jaded with healthcare in America that we see this kind of blatant mistreatment of patients to be normal? And to whom do you even turn with such a complaint? Politicians have done little. The recent “No Surprise Billing” law just means that they have to tell you before they hit you with an out-of-network bill. But apparently it does little to help a common Joe care for his family or his money.

Ebenezer Scrooge would be proud.

Sean Zehnder, Lexington

Unethical practices

Many assisted living centers are unethical! My father lived in an assisted living center in Danville for 10 months. Then they said he had to go to their sister facility in Harrodsburg because dad couldn’t get in and out of bed by himself. Dad proved that wasn’t true by getting in and out of bed unassisted, right in front of me. However, they gave me no choice and said he had to go.

After 10 days there, they said he was ready to go back to the original assisted living center, but recommended he go into their memory care unit. I was then told he wasn’t allowed back in unless he went straight to memory care at about twice the cost he was paying! He had already paid for the current month of his room but they wouldn’t allow him to go to it!

Dad’s primary care provider examined him and said that he would not benefit from a memory care unit. I had to move him that day. He is now in is a lovely facility. If your loved one is in an assisted living facility beware!

James Hurst Cunningham, Lexington

New position

I’m incredibly thankful for all that U.K. basketball Coach John Calipari has done for the school. He took us from the depths of the Gillespie years and made us the most exciting team in college basketball. But the last couple years have been tough. The basketball isn’t a joy to watch, and I’ve gone from feverishly watching every game to mostly catching up next day on the box score.

I’m not here to blame Cal. But I have a solution. Let’s promote Coach Cal to General Manager/President of UK Basketball* and get him doing what he does best – recruiting unbelievable talent and continuing to build a culture of winning basketball. Let’s bring in someone new to be the Head Coach in charge of the X’s and O’s of basketball. Let’s utilize Cal’s strengths (like bringing in a PHENOMENAL recruiting class next year) and hire someone else to focus on how to best maximize that talent. I can’t imagine Cal is going to leave Kentucky (at least not on his own terms), but why not try to give our program a jump start. Go Cats!

*I have no clue if this is allowed by the NCAA.

Nathan Simon, Lexington

Student journalism

Regarding last Sunday’s feature stories on the FarmHouse hazing death, I think at least a little acknowledgement is due to the Kentucky Kernel and their excellent student investigative journalists who broke both of these stories — with nearly the exact same details — over a month ago.

Aaron Kruse-Diehr, Lexington

Successful elections

In 2022, we had very successful primary and general elections, even with many new laws and challenges. Fortunately, Kentucky showed yet again the wisdom of its bi-partisan election systems.

As Kentucky continues to modernize our election policies and build upon these efficiencies, federal dollars can be a big help to make basic improvements to our infrastructure.

I understand that there is now money within the current 2023 federal budget proposal for election infrastructure improvements. Based upon our state population, Kentucky would land around $5.7 million of these funds. It cannot be overstated how valuable those dollars could be. Administering an election is not just about volunteers. Mid-level personnel along with necessary training, equipment, broadband access, and basic office supplies, are also costly necessities leading up to and on Election Day.

Under current law, all elections for state, local and federal offices are conducted with the financial support of the state and county in Kentucky. The federal government does not regularly contribute anything to this effort. it is past time the federal government also make a financial commitment to the efficient operation of our elections with federal dollars to support critical election infrastructure.

Bobbie Holsclaw, Jefferson County Clerk, Louisville

School conditions

Reading the article this morning about the conditions at Henry Clay High School, I was horrified. The article laid out the conditions, but really didn’t address what would be done and when. For one who is terrified by rodents, even little mice, I can’t imagine going to school, sitting in a classroom and able to learn or teach. Even the health consequences for children and teachers is not addressed for the short term. What happens while a new or renovated high school is being completed? As a former teacher, I couldn’t teach in a work place like Henry Clay.

As I travel, I see buildings hundreds of years old that are beautiful and usable. Even the “old” Henry Clay I attended is still useable as a building. Does Fayette County Public Schools and its contractors expect these extremely expensive new schools to fall apart after 40-50 years?

Simone Salomon, Lexington

Religion-based freedom

The Dec. 18, 2022 Herald-Leader carried an essay by Shelly Roberts Bendall that at its core makes the argument that every American should have freedom from religion: “Religion shouldn’t dictate laws.” Also, “It’s all about personal freedom,” which the essayist apparently does not realize is a very clear expression of her own personal religion.

More than one political philosopher, sociologist, and theologian has noted a most profound truth underlying all communities, societies, civilizations. All laws and public policy are a reflection of a people’s sense of ethics and all ethics are a reflection of a people’s religion. This is why the American founding fathers insisted that the American people had to remain a religious people because it was their religion-informed ethos that undergirded their understanding of democracy and republicanism.

It was the Judeo-Christian belief in a universal God who deemed all individuals of equal worth as his creations that underlay the American Declaration’s claim that all were created equal with God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Ms. Bendall’s freedoms rest on the assertions of western faith.

Further, contrary to Ms. Bendall’s assertion, there is plenty of “objective reason,” if indeed objective reason can be identified and defined, to oppose abortion. The prime directive of all humanity is to survive, to make it into the next day, that is to reproduce and have succeeding generations. Ultimately abortion encourages a loss in respect for life, like the present-day green environmentalists who want far fewer babies so as to have a cleaner earth and the increasing number of adults who wish to live for today with no responsibilities to tomorrow. There is then no prime directive, which has much to do with all vital and comforting human interactions, and, as men’s and women’s most creative act, much to do with other versions of human creativity, such as on-going civilization.

J. Larry Hood, Nicholasville