One point stands out in the Journal’s June 21 article. Stan Pierce is quoted as saying "It (the disconnection policy) caused heartache in one case in five years." I find this statement a bit hard to swallow. Only two years ago, according to a column in the Journal, Dillard Duran was locking himself in the men’s room at the courthouse in order to bathe. I wonder how many other people were forced to resort to such creative means of providing for their personal hygiene?

I understand Dillard’s doctor forced him to stay in the hospital because there was no running water in his home. I would guess that this would be another case of heartache. How many other cases of heartache are hiding out in the wings and have not come forward?

Somehow this whole issue seems to be a matter of money versus people. This is sad. The sanitation district was and is not a business to make a profit. The sanitation district’s purpose for existence is to ensure the health and safety of the community. Government is supposed to be the price we pay to protect ourselves. That is why we pay taxes for and to the sanitation district. The county has a fund to take care of the people who cannot afford hospitalization. Maybe the sanitation district could set aside one percent of what it collects to take care of the less fortunate.