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PrintIn response to the letter by Dave Majernik about our nation's health-care system ("Would a New Health System Allow This Operation?" May 21), I disagree that our health-care system is the best in the world.
The World Health Organization in 2000 studied more than 190 health-care systems, and although the United States spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product on health care than any other country studied, it ranked 37th out of 191 countries in performance. Last year, a study by researchers for the journal Health Affairs found that France, Japan and Australia were the best and the United States the worst of 19 countries in rankings focusing on preventable deaths due to treatable conditions.
The key factor in the poor U.S. rankings was the large number of Americans who lack any type of health insurance. According to the U.S. government, more than 47 million Americans are without health insurance. Without a universal health-care system, the United States will continue to be ranked at or near the bottom in access, equity and health-care outcomes.
MARTIN MASKIEWICZ
Trafford
Necessary truth
This is in response to David J. Rosenberg's May 16 letter ("This Comment Was an Insult to City Voters"). He is disappointed that the Post-Gazette would support a school board candidate who thinks our city is racist. My reaction to this was with disgust of my own, for I am reminded of the story one of my English professors told me about the famous playwright August Wilson.
He briefly attended Central Catholic High School but was shunned by his peers because he was black. He wasn't able to receive an education there. Sure, that happened more than 40 years ago. However, today, I can name several people just off the top of my head who are racist. They all reside in the city of Pittsburgh. Mr. Rosenberg, you say the city strongly supported presidential candidate Barack Obama in the recent election. I know someone who would not vote for him because he was black.
Sure, these are anecdotal pieces from my own life, but do they not allow me to say that Mr. Rosenberg is foolish in thinking that Pittsburgh is not a racist city?
I think the Post-Gazette was correct in its endorsement of candidate Sharene Shealey, for the exact opposite reason Mr. Rosenberg states. He does not like the fact that she calls the city racist; I like the fact that she does, because it exposes a problem in this city in hopes that it can be corrected, as much as possible. After all, ignorance is never the best solution to a problem.
TIM MILAN
Hampton
Fools for Cheney
Listening to our former vice president defend his administration's actions while attacking those of our current president, I realized I had a very good reason for being skeptical. Dick -- there's an al-Qaida/Saddam Hussein connection, Saddam has weapons of mass destruction, the war will go quickly (in weeks rather than months), we will be greeted as liberators, the insurgency is in its final throes, Iraq oil revenues will pay for reconstruction ... I could go on but there's a word limit to letters and you get the gist of it -- Cheney was wrong on just about everything when he and George W. Bush were first appointed and then elected to lead the country.
Allied with right-wing media water carriers to sway public opinion to their skewed perceptions, Bush and Cheney managed to screw up the Clinton budget surplus, screw up our economy, screw up on catching Osama bin Laden, screw up the implementation of the ill-conceived war they started and screw up America's international moral standing. Now the same right-wing media outlets and personalities praise Mr. Cheney's opinions and seek to validate his claims. We should listen to them again because ... ?
Rather, I say we should heed the advice of an old saying. Remembering the words of George W. Bush: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again." And then we should heed the saying the way it's actually supposed to be said, since he screwed that up too.
RON PEDERSEN JR.
North Versailles
Affirming mistakes
Letter writer Joshua D. Bellin is eloquent in expressing his disappointment with Barack Obama's recent decisions ("Recanting Promises, Obama Betrays Supporters," May 26), which have dismayed the progressive anti-war community and are reversals of many of his pre-election stances.
Those of us old enough to be cynical are no less disappointed, only less surprised. Mr. Obama showed himself more than willing to reverse his stances for political expedience all through the campaign (Rev. Jeremiah Wright, campaign funding, FISA). And for all his rhetoric criticizing the war policies of George W. Bush, he has embraced the very principles that were most objectionable to his own anti-war supporters.
He orders the closing of Guantanamo, while maintaining "state secrets," which are at the heart of denying detainees' rights. All interrogations must comply with the Army Field Manual -- except when "enhanced interrogation methods" are needed. He promises transparency, then asserts the same radical secrecy doctrines as Mr. Bush to prevent courts from ruling on torture and spying programs.
Progressives still hanging on to their idealism when it comes to Mr. Obama should have their eyes wide open by now. Just like Mr. Bush, he is claiming "war powers" because we are engaged in a "war on terror." This was the lesson we were supposed to have learned the last six years -- Bush was wrong -- and our new president is not only not rejecting those mistakes, he's affirming them.
Betrayal, indeed, and kudos to Mr. Bellin for speaking out. He shows the principles his president lacks.
SARAH MOTT
Banksville
No free lunches
I read with interest Brian O'Neill's column about Pittsburghers being ripped off by high Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls ("Ask Not: The Roads Will Be Tolled for Thee," May 24). I agree, the situation is a disgrace. Unfortunately, nobody is talking about the real, equitable solution: raising the gas tax to levels that will fund our infrastructure needs.
To me it is very simple: Our fellow citizens need to be told that the quality of their roads will be in proportion to the size of their tax. If they decide they like potholes and traffic jams, they can leave it where it is. If not, raise it. The small car thing is not a real problem because the rate can be raised to bring in more money as gas usage falls (and have the side benefit of discouraging the use of gas hogs).
I'm tired of politicians crying that their hands are tied when they really don't have the political courage to do what needs to be done. Everyone wants something for nothing, but in the end there is no such thing as a free lunch.
BILL KULP
Upper St. Clair
Jesus and abortion
I read the editorial "Do Unto Others: What Would Jesus Say About Torturing Captives?" (May 23). The editorial board criticized so-called "Christians" who support the torturing of captives, something that is clearly against the teachings of Jesus.
Now that the paper is using the teachings of Jesus as the basis for its editorial positions, I look forward to the editorial "Thou shall not kill: what would Jesus say about the murder of babies in the womb?" It's time for the paper to criticize all the so-called Christians who support abortion.
FRED ECKHARDT
Mt. Lebanon
Denying rights is not the way to protect families
The juxtaposition of stories on the May 27 Post-Gazette's front page shows that conservative marriage activists are missing the mark.
In one story, "California Court Upholds Ban on Same-Sex Marriage," conservative activists rejoiced in the California Supreme Court's decision to eliminate gay marriage in the Golden State. According to these activists, allowing gay people to affirm their long-term commitment to each other somehow threatens straight marriage and harms family values.
Another front-page story, explains how the train-wreck docudrama episode featuring pseudo-reality stars' failing marriage gained the TLC show its highest ratings to date. Marital infidelity problems, like those alleged to have plagued the pseudo stars' marriage, are a bigger threat to traditional family values than allowing gay people to marry.
Now conservative activists, led by state Sen. John Eichelberger, are attempting to write discrimination into our commonwealth's constitution. Enshrining discrimination in the constitution is unfair and wrong. What's more, it will not help protect family values. If Mr. Eichelberger is really worried about protecting marriage, he ought to direct his attention to helping couples like Jon and Kate, rather than denying fundamental rights to gay Pennsylvanians.
JUSTIN KIDD
Squirrel Hill
