Day surge shows investing in cities strengthens the region

The Jan. 15 front-page article " 'Day Surge' Puts 41 Percent More People in the City" verifies what many intuitively know about commuting patterns. The data also would seem to put to rest any lingering questions about the relationship between a region's economic competitiveness and strong city.

The daily influx of workers to Pittsburgh from corners neaDay surge shows investing in cities strengthens the regionr and far around the region testifies to the symbiotic relationship of mutual dependence between city and suburb. It takes a strong region to make a strong city and vice versa. Cultivating this relationship defines the present opportunity for regional cohesiveness and is paramount to our region's prosperity. The global economy now levels competition at the regional scale, not just between cities.

The region of southwestern Pennsylvania can be likened to a shrinking island, as there is no mega-metropolitan region nearby to carry our economy. Fortunately self-reliance is this region's historic strength. Given the strong relationship between economic success of cities and that of the region, be it Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Butler, Washington, etc., each of the core cities in the 10-county region is a critical asset to a necessary strategy to build the region from within.

Southwestern Pennsylvania's road to prosperity depends on thriving downtowns that contribute to growing markets for a strengthened regional economy. The unusually high "day surge" of commuters makes the case daily for a core-cities reinvestment agenda to lift the whole region.

COURT GOULD
Director
Sustainable Pittsburgh
Downtown

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UPMC assertions

As easy as it seems for UPMC to take credit for all things health care-related in the region, the rebuttal by UPMC's Sandra Danoff ("UPMC Is Doing Its Part to Control Health-Care Costs," Jan. 15 letter) to the Post-Gazette's assertion that UPMC has contributed to the high cost of health care in the region ("UPMC the Giant," Jan. 4 editorial) has several flaws:

1) The 2005 General Accounting Office report concerning per-enrollment spending for federal employee benefits cited is not representative of the region, as federal employees make up less than 2 percent of the work force in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area;

2) Although UPMC is a dominant player in the region's health-care industry, it is not the only one. In fact, in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, UPMC has fewer than 30 percent of the staffed general acute-care beds. If, in fact, health-care costs are lower here than in other similar metropolitan areas, it is quite arrogant for UPMC to take credit for this;

3) Since it makes up a relatively small portion of the hospital beds in the region, any high costs at UPMC could be offset by low costs at other area facilities;

4) If UPMC's efforts to control costs have "produced demonstrably positive results," why not cite these? I'm sure such results would more resoundingly disprove the Post-Gazette's assertion than the GAO report cited by Ms. Danoff.

If health-care costs are in control in the region it is a good thing for everyone -- patients and providers alike -- and is because of many people in the health-care industry working together to produce such results. It is quite arrogant for UPMC to suggest that such successes are its own and irresponsible to use incomplete data sets and irrelevant reports to mislead readers.

LAURA HARHAI
West Homestead

Editor's note: The writer is a marketing analyst in the health-care field.

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Self-righteous attack

I am responding to the Jan. 15 letter "Pathetic, Not Heroic" by Jean Shields. How disappointing to read such a mean-spirited and self-righteous attack.

In her letter, Ms. Shields condemns a previous article about the Duquesne Family Center Support Group ("Young Mothers Find Comfort in Each Other," Jan. 8) for "mak[ing] mothers of illegitimate children look like heroes." According to this writer, "The majority of criminals don't know their fathers and never had good family influences." How satisfying it must be for her to place the blame for the ills of society on the shoulders of single mothers, many of whom, as the photo that accompanied the article depicted, happen to be African American.

And how simple her solution that "whenever a second 'out-of-wedlock' child is born, tie the mother's tubes." Just what we need -- a sexist, racist police state that would control women's, especially poor women's, reproductive choices while refusing to assist them and their children as they struggle to lead productive lives.

And, by the way, I thought we had gotten beyond the notion that any child could or should be called "illegitimate."

JILL M. FIORE
Indiana, Pa.

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Doodles for dollars

Regarding the Jan. 14 article touting the so-called "doodle" designer "breeds" ("Designer Dogs Are Mutts in Disguise: There's Method to Madness of Mixing Various Breeds"): These dogs are nothing more than expensive mutts. It's a shame that such an article is sure to attract people into breeding their pets to make a fast buck.

The "Labradoodle" is not a true breed; in fact, there is not even any "fixed breed type" for them. Size, coat type and even temperament can vary greatly. Since they are not a recognized breed, there are no sanctioned dog shows for them to be judged by a standard of perfection. No one knows what a perfect specimen looks like.

I know that no truly ethical and reputable breeder would knowingly allow his or her purebred champions to produce these crosses, so mostly inferior breeding stock is used to produce the pricey pups.

The doodle fanciers argue that all breeds were developed from other breeds -- this is true. However, all other breeds were created for a purpose, be it hunting, guarding, herding etc. The doodle mixes were created for one reason -- to make money.

GINA GROSS
Brookline

Editor's note: The writer is a founding member of the Greater Pittsburgh Labrador Retriever Club.

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The PG should support Ferlo's call

I am extremely disappointed with the Jan. 15 "Asides" editorial concerning state Sen. Jim Ferlo's impeachment petition regarding President Bush. How does a mature democracy such as the United States find out if the president committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" if there is not an inquiry into his more dubious shenanigans?

"King George" has done what all usurpers of power do: They keep the governed off-balance with misinformation, consolidate power and do whatever it takes to enlarge their power. It is up to organizations like city newspapers to keep the public informed with accurate and pertinent information to keep usurpers of power in check.

George W. Bush is as arrogant a leader as we have witnessed in a long time. I am fully aware that arrogance does not make a high crime or a misdemeanor, but if you knit together this administration's abuse, the ball of yarn will unravel the house of cards that King George has built. At the very least, we expose the schemes that were hatched in the White House and make adjustments for the future.

It is imperative that we send a message to this president and all presidents of the future: The governed will not permit abuse of power and neglect of the social contract that we call the Constitution. How many more blunders must we endure for King George and his neo-con chicken hawks? It has simply become embarrassing.

The message that Sen. Ferlo wants to send must come from as far and as wide across the United States as possible to show how important the American people think this matter. And for the Post-Gazette to characterize Mr. Ferlo's action as "howling at the moon," I can say only that it is troubling that a newspaper charged with the public's trust would not be howling right alongside Mr. Ferlo.

TIMOTHY BURAK
Lawrenceville

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Not his job

Evidently the state Legislature is going through a time where there is nothing pressing for our public servants to do. This must be the case if you look at the projects recently undertaken by Sen. Jim Ferlo. Our state government needs to be as huge as it is, because our representatives seem to be responsible for national issues.

Mr. Ferlo thought it would be in his district's interest last year when he traveled to Texas to support Cindy Sheehan, a real "Jane Fonda" patriot ("Ferlo Joins Vigil Outside Bush's Ranch in Texas," Aug. 16). He now has a section of his Web site devoted to impeaching the president.

The real point of this letter is not to argue that, once the decision has been made to take action, elected officials should support the effort that sends many of Mr. Ferlo's neighbors overseas to perform necessary national security tasks. The point is that we have enough going on within the commonwealth to keep him busy.

If the state senators and representatives stuck to Pennsylvania's problems, we could probably have the slot licenses and facilities running by 2010 or 2011. Leave the national issues to Pittsburgh City Council, which penned a resolution to condemn the war just as battalions from the local and regional area were deploying to do what needed to be done.

ROBERT BAILIE
Brookline