Commonplace Street Dangers

Incidentally, the "Smile!" and "Don't rush!" inscribed on my billfold aim to reduce stress and remind me to stow my wallet deep within my pocketbook after a transaction, even if the cashier and those waiting behind me are impatient. Evidently, I wasn't careful after making a CVS purchase, and shortly after, at the Morton Williams checkout counter, I realized the billfold was missing. Infinitely more important, of course, are the everyday dangers to life and health. I still can't find out why Elizabeth Brody is no longer a patient at Cornell-Weill Medical Center. Lack of publicity means I'd better remind you that Ms. Brody is the 28-year-old woman who suffered severe head trauma when struck by one of two cabs that collided as she waited to cross 79th and Second on July 23. No one at the Ann Taylor corporate headquarters where Ms. Brody worked as a buyer has gotten back to me. We need to know if this beloved daughter and sister survived and also about the intense suffering she endured or endures. Above all, we need to hear these often extremely hard truths from media, so that prevention of traffic tragedies and traffic crimes become a top priority of government. And it should start at the top. Does, for example, Mitt Romney's tragic experience as a young man make him more concerned about traffic safety? It surely relates to deficits and health care costs; traffic crashes cost upward of $160 billion annually. Besides zero tolerance for traffic infractions, government should go all-out on support for mass transit, the safest land travel mode. And, get everyone to slow down, slow down, slow down! Ah, and Grandparents' Day is Sunday, Sept 9. Let it not be just one day of remembering. No grandparents? Then adopt an elder who could use some family. Here's to more visible elders at those conventions and on the campaign trails. I'd vote for anyone who supported all the above. dewingbetter@aol.com