DIALOGUEletters
Debate goes on In response to the October Debate, “Should the government raise the retirement age?”
indispensable to help these kids “feel” the letters of a word fluidly.
Kit Hawkins
Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
Reader’s guide to
product availability
NO. I say teach them to print, teach them to
read, and if you want your child to learn the
antiquated cursive style, ask your local YMCA
to add it as a summer camp.
Lisa Fisher
San Diego, California
YES. In 1934, when Social Security was
enacted, life expectancy was less than 65.
Only those fortunate enough to live beyond
65 benefited. Today, financial advisers are
projecting [a life expectancy of] 90. In 1934,
there were about 30 people paying in to Social
Security for each person collecting benefits.
Today the ratio is less than 3: 1.
Second, the entire wage base should be
subject to the payroll tax, as is the case for
Medicare. These two measures will ensure a
solvent Social Security system for many
generations.
Member comments
BRAND X PIC TURES
Trial without error
As a medical journalist I was delighted to
see Dr. JT Flores’ article on experimental medicines [“Exploring your options,” September
2010]. Clinical trials can often be an excellent
way of obtaining the latest treatments and
high-quality medical care.
While Dr. Flores listed a number of ways
for individuals to find clinical trials, she left
out the best site of all:
http://clinicaltrials.gov.
Maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of
Health, this site is easy to use, with up-to-date
lay language details on virtually every clinical
trial being conducted in the United States,
whether sponsored by a government agency, a
pharmaceutical company or a university.
Robert Finn
Pleasant Hill, California
ALL PRODUCTS advertised are carried
at Costco warehouses unless otherwise
noted; however, products may not be
available in all warehouse locations.
■ Products are scheduled to be available
during the period of The Connection’s
issue date.
■ All ads indicate whether a product is
available only in the warehouse, only
on Costco.com or both.
■ Prices are usually not listed in the
advertising because they have not
been finalized at the time of printing
and may vary from one part of the
country to another due to shipping
costs. We hope that members
know to check Costco first when
comparison shopping.
■ To keep prices low, Costco does not
offer a telephone service allowing
members to call in for prices or product availability.
■ Shop early in the month for best selection on seasonal products.
■
Costco.com carries few of the products
available at the warehouses, but offers
3,500 additional items, including line
extensions and supplemental products.
Philip Franco
Ocean Grove, New Jersey
NO. As long as age discrimination continues
to exist, there shouldn’t even be a discussion
about the possibility of raising the retirement
age. I have not worked a day in 2010, and if I
had not been able to raid my retirement
accounts I would now be sitting on a street
corner, holding a cardboard sign.
John Pate
Thousand Oaks, California
Polio eradication
Thank you, Costco, for featuring this
world-changing program [“Global eradication
of polio?,” October 2010]. Congratulations
also to Costco’s own John Matthews, for
achieving the office of Rotary district governor
for the Pacific Northwest. It is my experience
that only the finest people are elected by their
peers to that office. It is gratifying to find out
that Costco, which I depend upon to feed my
family every day, also supports Rotary and its
causes, as do I and my husband.
Debbie Hoffman
San Luis Obispo, California
Flu shots at Costco
THE COSTCO PHARMACY flu shot program
runs until November 23 this year. Flu shots
cost $20 and are available for adults and
children as young as 4 years old.
Just one shot this year will immunize
you against H1N1 and other flu strains.
Pneumonia vaccinations are available for
$45. Check with your local warehouse for
the Flu Shot Clinic schedule.
In response to the September
Debate, “Should students still be
taught cursive writing?”
Monthly
reader
survey
YES. Cursive writing instruction is essential
for the 5 to 15 percent of kids who are affected
by a reading disability such as dyslexia. The
proven remediation approaches, such as
Orton-Gillingham, are multisensory, including cursive hand movement. These kids need
to rigorously hear, spell, read and write simultaneously in order to become accurate and
fluid readers. Cursive writing instruction is
Caring for parents
In the article [“Spotting financial elder
abuse,” September 2010] the author [implies]
that any involvement by children in their parents’ finances is only self-serving. It’s difficult
enough to care for aging parents without the
author casting aspersions upon financially caring for them as well.
As the only child of elderly, now deceased,
parents, I did know exactly what I was doing
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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 an
e-mail to
dialogue@costco.com; or write to: Dialogue, The Costco Connection, P.O. Box
34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088; or fax to (425) 313-6718. The editors reserve the right to
edit letters for publication.
WHAT DO YOU think of this issue of The Connection Tell us and
you could win a $100 Costco Cash
card! Take a moment to complete
our anonymous reader feedback
survey by going to Costco.com and
searching “Costco Connection
Magazine.” Click “Reader Survey”
on the welcome page. Upon com-
pletion, you will have the option to
enter the drawing. The September
winner is Katherine S. Wood of
Austin, Texas.
NOVEMBER 2010 ;e Costco Connection 11
