DEAR EDITOR:

In the April 15 edition, The Vindicator editorial board expressed angst regarding the divergence between infant mortality rates and diseases of blacks, Hispanics and whites. The board insinuated that something malicious is occurring or that there is a dearth of money for government programs. According to the same Ohio Department of Health study cited by The Vindicator, Asians have had lower infant mortality rates than whites several times since 2017. Is there discrimination in that case, or some cultural value among Asians? Keep in mind that Asians are a lower percentage of Ohio’s population than blacks, but surprisingly few studies refer to them as a minority.

Nationally, a 2021 Centers For Disease Control study showed that Hispanics have lower infant mortality rates than American Indians or Pacific Islanders. Are Hispanics simultaneously being favored and discriminated against? Authors and social scientists Charles Murray’s and Richard Herrnstein’s 1994 landmark book titled “The Bell Curve” revealed that black women who are married have lower rates of infant mortality than white women who are single. This remained true even when the white woman had a higher level of educational attainment. Even if black infant mortality rate was diminished, the disparity with whites could still expand if white infant mortality rate diminished by a greater margin.

The Vindicator states that the CDC indicates that blacks have a 200% greater chance than whites of dying from asthma, but the same data shows that whites have a 14% larger chance of death from asthma versus Hispanics. Is this asymmetry due to different access or some other factor such as heredity or lifestyle choices?

Organizations who engage in statistical deception prefer vague or emulsified categories. Even within racial groups, one could aggregate (breakdown) whites into Irish, Bulgarians, and Poles. Hispanics could be examined by Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Venezuelan. Blacks could be analyzed by those born in the U.S. versus Africa or the Caribbean.

Undoubtedly, disparities would be seen within those subsets. Proportionality has never been the standard anywhere in world history. Those who point to gaps have a virtually boundless supply of grievances which can generate taxpayer dollars without ever demonstrating any net results.

BRIAN VERCH

Howland