UPMC wants access while limiting it for others

Regarding the July 6 article "Mayor's Foes Say Golf Outing an Ethics Bogey": Not one week earlier, UPMC had instituted a policy to restrict relationships among physicians and pharmaceutical representatives citing that acceptance of pens, samples and educational lunch meetings would be an ethics breech. Give me a break.

Because my husband works in the pharmaceutical industry, I know that these samples and educational interactions are valued by physicians who utilize them to cut through the bureaucracy of Medicare and health-care systems like UPMC (which tracks physicians on the number of patients seen per day and amount of time spent per patient).

Meanwhile, at UPMC's invitation, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato attended an event that included golf ($27,000 per threesome), breakfast, lunch, gift bags and other goodies. The story mentioned that the lavish outing preceded a City Council vote regarding a $10 million state grant for UPMC. The day before the outing, UPMC also won a 6-1 planning commission vote to post its 20-foot logo on top of the U.S. Steel Tower. No ethics violation here.

If UPMC were a Greek god it would be Hypocrites!

TRINA LEONARD
Jeannette

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Not in a trance

In response to Patricia Moran's statements ("Dense Defenders," July 8 letters) that Pittsburghers are not smart and the most dense people she has ever seen, because they are forgiving and willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt, I can't help but notice the resemblance to millions of other Americans.

If we have been "hypnotized" by the mayor, what about our American cousins who must have been hypnotized not only to elect, but re-elect, George W. Bush as U.S. president? If Ms. Moran is worried that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is going to lead us into bankruptcy, what must she think about where the Bush administration has already led us?

Wake up, Ms. Moran. You may meet other Pittsburghers like me who are smart, open and caring.

K. KATZ
Mount Washington

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Mayor taking action

For 25 years residents of the South Side have been fighting to keep their neighborhood safe. How the chaos reached its current proportions is a question I cannot answer. What I can say with absolute certainty is that finally someone with the ability to make change is doing something about the quality-of-life issues we are dealing with.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's allowing this community to speak to him is not unusual. The fact that he heard, understood and acted upon what we told him is the important thing. In addition to beefing up enforcement, the mayor has formed the Mayor's Advisory Committee on South Side. I am a member of this committee, which is made up of local residents, business owners and members of the mayor's staff who attend evening meetings that take them from their families. The goal of the committee is to find proactive, creative solutions to the public safety issues facing law-abiding residents, business owners and visitors on the South Side.

Everyone, including the mayor, acknowledges that we have a long road ahead. Are we wary and watchful? Yes, but change cannot occur without the first steps being taken. The fact that this administration has been willing to act is extremely important, and I for one am grateful to all who are working with us on these problems.

The South Side has the potential to be the crown jewel of Pittsburgh. Thank you, mayor, for understanding the value of our neighborhood and for helping us achieve our goals.

SUSAN McCOY
South Side

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Better light-rail way

The expansion of the "T" to the North Shore is terrific and long overdue. I hope that the light-rail system will soon reach into the North Hills and East End as well. But let's speed up the process.

Why the costly, risky and time-consuming task of tunneling under the Allegheny River when there is already a bridge over the river? The Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge, conveniently located next to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, has two decks.

The upper deck has two tracks, which are used by Norfolk Southern freight trains and Amtrak passenger trains. The lower deck is not being used. Wouldn't using the existing bridge be a more practical endeavor?

RICK MILLER
North Versailles

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We have the workers

In Jack Scalo's June 26 letter ("Essential Labor"), he makes the outrageous statement that his roofing company employs Latino nationals because it is "unable to find enough people here who are willing and able to meet our standards, including being drug- and alcohol-free, able to be trained to perform at a high level and willing to come to work every day."

Such a statement is an insult to every person living in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, where there is no shortage of unemployed and underemployed men and women who are simply looking for an opportunity to be paid a fair wage for a fair day's work. Perhaps Mr. Scalo has chosen to utilize the recruiting tactics recently espoused by the law firm of Cohen & Grigsby, which conducts seminars on how not to find qualified American workers ("City Law Firm's Immigration Video Sparks an Internet Firestorm," June 22).

The truth of the matter is that Western Pennsylvania has 17 outstanding union building trade apprenticeship programs that produce the finest skilled labor in the country. There is no need or reason to import workers in this region, other than to undermine the standard of living for local men and women.

As business manager for the Pittsburgh Regional Building and Construction Trades Council, I would have no trouble finding dedicated, drug-free, skilled workers for Mr. Scalo's company or other responsible contractors who are willing to provide respectable wages and benefits for a hard day's work. All they need to do is ask.

RICHARD STANIZZO JR.
Business Manager
Pittsburgh Building and Construction Trades Council
Beechview

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Spontaneous order

I was disappointed to see the Post-Gazette publish Michael Gerson's factually inaccurate explanation of spontaneous order in "A Libertarian Utopia in Cyberworld Is Not So Utopian" (July 7 column).

Mr. Gerson argues that the online video game Second Life provides a window into what a libertarian America would look like, since the online world relies on the same localized spontaneous order supported by proponents of libertarianism.

Spontaneous order is a theory advanced by Nobel-winning economist F.A. Hayek to explain the process by which individuals acting in their own self-interest will organically develop the best -- not perfect, but best -- solutions to social problems. Far from being uncoordinated, as Mr. Gerson asserts, spontaneous order arises from the overlapping interests of members of society who bond together to realize these interests for their mutual gain. Examples include language, the first forms of currency and even the communal relationships that Mr. Gerson falsely identifies as antithetical to libertarianism. To quote Dr. Hayek, "We have developed these practices and institutions by building upon habits and institutions which have proved successful in their own sphere and which have in turn become the foundation of the civilization we have built up."

The reason spontaneous order does not emerge in Second Life is because, unlike in real life, individuals can hide behind their avatars and escape responsibility for their actions. Mr. Gerson should realize that video games may provide a great source of fun, fantasy and escape but are no basis for a political philosophy.

SAMUEL ECKMAN
Oakland

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Yes, utilities should be regulated

I was heartened to see the July 4 Perspectives piece by David Hughes ("Re-regulate Electricity in Pennsylvania").

When my wife and I returned to Pittsburgh in 2000, we had a bright young salesman come to our door and ask us if we would like to sign up for electric service from the company he represented. I don't remember the name of the firm, but I had never heard of it. I asked him if his company would be installing new poles, transformers and wires to supply its product, and he replied, "No, our company buys electricity in bulk and then passes the savings on to its customers."

I wondered if they had found a silo full of extra electricity outside of Altoona. He was completely flummoxed by this point. I then asked how it was possible for his firm to add an extra layer of salesmen to the distribution of electricity and save money at the same time. He had no reply.

All public utilities are monopolies granted by government to provide services to the public. Failure to regulate these monopolies in the public interest is a failure of government. Lack of regulation is a license to steal. Has the memory of Enron already faded? An informed electorate should toss out any legislator who is unwilling to vote for well-regulated utilities.

DON BELL
Beechview

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First Published: July 11, 2007, 1:00 a.m.