Barry Svrluga’s Dec. 23 Sports column, “Don’t forget that people play this brutal game,” was a long-overdue reminder of the human wrecking ball that has become NFL football.
For all its pronouncements about player safety and concussion prevention, the league does not walk the talk.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a serious concussion from a helmet-to-helmet hit by the Chicago Bears’ Austin Booker on Saturday. Though Booker received a personal foul call by the referee, he was kept in the game.
Though the NFL has encouraged players to use safer helmets and guardian caps in recent seasons, too many players are choosing to value aesthetics instead.
As long as players intentionally use their bulk and helmets to injure others, bad actors are allowed to return to the game, and coaches and team owners are not properly punished for their players’ foul play, nothing will change.
Judi Buckalew, Arlington
The writer is a registered nurse.
U.S. data needs an overhaul
The Dec. 22 news article “U.S. role as trusted information source is under threat” highlighted real disruptions to federal data systems from the past year but missed some important context: America is using more data for decision-making than ever before.
Artificial intelligence applications increasingly draw from quality government data sets, businesses make billion-dollar decisions using federal statistics, and federal payment integrity reforms are preventing fraud through modern data sharing.
I worked at the White House under George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and I also staffed the bipartisan U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking. Each administration — including the current one — made positive strides in improving how the U.S. accesses and uses data. We are continuing to learn how to better adapt evidence-based policymaking across our society.
The real challenge is balance, realism and prioritization. Resources are limited, not all data are equal, and we need meaningful engagement with stakeholders, data users and the American people to guide decisions about what to collect and archive.
The solution is building data infrastructure that survives political transitions. The U.S. should enforce the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act requirementswith congressional oversight to preserve and strengthen the government’s capacity to use the best available information for making policies and decisions. It should also support chief data officers executing the OPEN Government Data Act, which makes federal data publicly available. And the U.S. should create additional transparent systems showing what data the government collects and how it’s used.
Our democracy depends on trusted data. Trust requires institutional infrastructure with the independence, resources and resilience to serve America through political transitions.
Nick Hart, Washington
The writer is president and CEO of the Data Foundation.
Unpacking ‘reverse discrimination’
Regarding Megan McArdle’s Dec. 22 op-ed “The diversity overcorrection in the workplace.”:
White men make up about 30 percent of the U.S. population and represent 32 percent of entry-level corporate hires. They hold 44 percent of senior manager or director positions and 56 percent of C-suite positions. The most recent unemployment rate for White men is about half the rate for Black women and less than half the rate for Black men. These statistics do not tell a story of discrimination against White men in the workplace.
Whether we call it equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, or diversity, equity and inclusion, measures to prevent discrimination in the workplace do not allow so-called reverse discrimination.
People didn’t believe Hollywood was dominated by White men simply because they “overestimated” the minority share of the population. When April Reign launched #OscarsSoWhite in 2015, the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was 92 percent White and 75 percent male. If every one of the more than 500 invitations the academy extended this year is accepted, it will be 78 percent White and 65 percent male. We don’t have to overestimate the minority share of the population to know that’s not even close to parity.
Marc H. Morial, New York, New York
The writer is president and CEO of the National Urban League.
What’s wrong with Pentagon bonuses
Regarding the Dec. 18 news article “Trump taps military housing assistance fund for $1,776 Pentagon bonuses”:
I approve of the proposed $1,776 bonuses for members of the military. But, as someone who worked for the federal government in budget management, I know the “reprogramming” process for this funding requires the approval of both houses of Congress. That is to avoid the president treating the overall appropriations as a petty cash fund to spend as he chooses. The article said that during the government shutdown, the administration moved money from other parts of the Pentagon budget to keep paying troops without the approval of lawmakers. The article also noted that aides from both parties acknowledged that the move was probably illegal. If the administration wants to provide these bonuses, it should follow established procedures.
Michael Mescher, Burke
Why would the president give a military bonus “in honor of our nation’s founding” to service members and reservists but not retirees? Veterans offered their lives in service and have needs just like those in service now, if not more. Is the bonus a reward for past deeds? Or is this just a play for midterm election votes?
Peter Hutchinson, Laytonsville
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