Letters to the editor - July 13, 2008

Sunday News

Published: Jul 13, 2008
00:04 EST

LANCASTER GENERAL HOSPITAL

Profits obscene
I've always received excellent health care from Lancaster General Hospital. I have nothing but praise for its nurses, physicians and clerical personnel. But if I were to pick the most disappointing institution in our county, LGH would probably be it.

The July 6 Sunday News story about Plain families being "crushed by hospital bills" noted that LGH posted a $136 million "surplus" in 2007 and about $105 million in 2006. That's nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in profit in just two years.

Health care costs are skyrocketing, and Lancaster General is obviously part of the problem. For a nonprofit institution to reap such huge bounty, and to do so largely off the backs of people who are sick and dying, is repugnant.

LGH gets terrific press by giving Lancaster a million or two in lieu of taxes. Big whoopie. Let LGH give away $50 million from its annual profits and I'll be impressed.

What LGH really should do is lower its fees so that it does less harm to families while still clearing a reasonable surplus.

"Unseemly" is too weak a word for LGH's ongoing profiteering. "Obscene" hits closer to the mark.

-Len Eiserer, Millersville


Immoral, unjust
According to your article last Sunday, LGH charges the poor who are uninsured, as well as those who are conscientiously opposed to commercial insurance, more than — as much as double — it charges the government and insurance companies for the same services. Common practice (everybody does it) is irrelevant. It is nevertheless immoral and unjust.

-Maynard Shirk, Conestoga


PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Visit unemployed
Just a suggestion for the politicians running for office and the two dunderheads running for presidency: Instead of going door-to-door or visiting other countries, go to the local unemployment office and see all your constituents at once. I'm sure you're not brave enough to face those problems.

-Shirley A. Derme, Lancaster


Mexico suffers
During Sen. McCain's visit to Mexico, I wish he had met with the people I met on my recent trip there with the human rights groups Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and Witness for Peace.

I wish he had talked with some of the more than 2 million small farmers who have been displaced since the North American Free Trade Agreement, or with the nearly 270,000 Mexicans whose NAFTA-created factory jobs have moved to Asia. I wish he had heard the stories of communities in southern Mexico where no working-age people remain. They all have made the dangerous journey to look for work in the U.S.

If he met those brave people and heard those tragic stories, he would realize that NAFTA has harmed the vast majority of Mexicans as well as working people in the U.S. He'd learn that our trade policy has led to more desperation, which has driven more immigration to the U.S.

The next president of the United States needs to rethink U.S. trade policy, beginning with a renegotiation of NAFTA.

-Holly Williams, Lancaster


Clearing up rumors
Of course, we have seen pictures of Obama with his father and his Muslim family, but I never heard the rumor that Obama has a radical Islamic background [Perspective, July 6]. There is another rumor I have heard, and maybe the bright young scholar Danielle Allen could track it down. She has done such a great job disproving the "radical" slur, perhaps this would be easier to trace.

I have heard that Obama's voting record in the Senate is 15 percent. I find this hard to believe.

-Joan Reid, Lancaster Township

Editor's note: Salon.com reported that as of June 25, Sen. Barack Obama missed 43.3 percent of the votes taken by the 110th Congress. Sen. John McCain missed 61.4 percent.


GOVERNMENT STUDY COMMISSION

Home-rule humbug
The tsunami of propaganda in favor of home rule has started, even without spending the $50,000 the Government Study Commission has in reserve to brainwash the public into believing this travesty will be good for us.

What's being glossed over or not mentioned at all is: Are we willing to throw away our right to choose for ourselves whom we want to handle the reins of county government?

At the start of the GSC, John Smucker was asked if county government works. His answer: Yes, of course it works, absolutely. He was the first one to vote to change it.

Asked again at the meeting at the Farm and Home Center, "How is county government broken?" his answer is that it isn't.

So let's eliminate three department heads, take away 95 percent of the commissioners' duties, elect two more commissioners, and appoint a county executive whom we can't fire [without the approval of four of five commissioners].

What planet is this?

-Anna Mae Ressler, Ephrata


What do others think?
In recent letters about the proposed changes [home rule] in county government, opinions by me and Bill Saylor have been made fairly clear. I'd like to stop talking and instead hear from someone who stands to gain from the changes.

-John W. Dooley, Lancaster


VINDICATION?

Story downplayed
Last Sunday, the Sunday News reported the biggest news story of the past five years. Yet, this story was not hyped by major media because it disagrees with the smug media view that President Bush acted rashly and moved against Iraq without adequate evidence of weapons of mass destruction.

The article stated that more than 550 tons of yellowcake was brought from Iraq to Canada to keep it from the hands of terrorists. This is really big news because this uranium yellowcake could have been refined into nuclear weapons by Saddam at any time and proves that he was in the process of developing a nuclear capability. It also shows again that Ambassador Wilson lied in his report about Niger's supply of such material to Iraq.

The willingness of our mainstream media to ignore this significant revelation goes hand in hand with their consistent failure to report progress in Iraq.

-Richard Marcks, Lancaster


Proof in yellowcake
Finally, the federal government has supplied information that should provide relief for those who claimed Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction. The Sunday News [July 6] reported that the removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" from Iraq to Canada, completing a secret U.S. operation, was closing the book on Saddam's nuclear legacy.

Thank goodness that senators such as Jay Rockefeller and Hillary Clinton and many others supported President George W. Bush when he proposed we take action to remove Hussein.

I do believe that Joseph Wilson (Valerie Plame's husband) must feel a bit embarrassed now, since he had ridiculed a CIA report that Niger had signed an agreement to sell 500 tons of uranium a year to Baghdad.

Great news, eh, Gil [Smart, Sunday News columnist]?

-Daniel D. Jury, Mount Joy


Front-page news
I couldn't believe the item in last week's Sunday News, under "Around the World" on Page A2. The story detailed Saddam Hussein's 550 metric tons of "seed material for higher grade nuclear enrichment" reaching a Canadian port.

With all of the charges from the left about the Bush administration lying about weapons of mass destruction, why wasn't this front-page news in The New York Times and the Sunday News? The majority of Americans are convinced by the media that Hussein didn't have a nuclear program. Why should I believe there is no media bias?

-Ronald P. Harper, Lancaster

Editor's note: According to The New York Times, the "yellowcake removed from Iraq — which was not the yellowcake that President Bush claimed, in a now discredited section of his 2003 State of the Union address, that Saddam was trying to purchase in Africa — is used in an early stage of the nuclear fuel cycle. Only after intensive processing does it become low-enriched uranium, which can fuel reactors producing power. Highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear bombs."


OTHER SUBJECTS

Pharmacists not to blame
I read with interest Albert Siegfried's letter [June 29] regarding veterans' medications, in which he unfairly insinuated that our opposition was profit-driven. Repackaging drugs opens a dangerous door for diversion and adulteration, compromising patient safety. He also confuses us with the pharmaceutical industry. We represent individual pharmacists, the ones in your community.

The problem that the bill tries, ineffectively, to address is caused by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which refuses to allow long-term-care pharmacies to bill the VA. Veterans need to demand a change in this policy. In Mr. Siegfried's example of one vet's increased drug cost, the difference in pricing was not pharmacy profit. It is due to special "trade of class" pricing for the VA.

We fully support the right of veterans to the medications they need, but not at our expense. Supporting our veterans is an obligation of all Americans.

If this bill were to pass, pharmacies would be forced to repackage VA medications at a loss. What business can provide a service at a loss? Then, who will provide pharmacy services to patients in these facilities? Who will make a midnight run to deliver a needed medication? It won't be the VA.

-Patricia A. Epple, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association


Stupidest school district
Eastern Lancaster County School District board:

With all due respect, are you people insane? What gives you the right to turn down state funds in these economic hard times?

You decide to refuse funds because you object to where the monies originated. State money can come from confiscated drug money, police auctions of goods and properties seized during an arrest, and now, thank God, gambling money. Whether you approve of gambling or not, it has been approved by the people of Pennsylvania.

You've made your point, no matter how ridiculous, and you now stand out as the most moral school district in the state — also the stupidest.You put an unnecessary burden on your constituents, all to make a point. Do us all a favor and make this point with your own money and not ours. We need the help.

-Susan McGuire, Denver


A costly hit-run
This is addressed to the person who fled after hitting our car on East Market Street in Marietta at 12:10 a.m. June 29:

Your decision is causing us a financial burden. We are dealing with our insurance company, the rental car company, the body shop and lost work and wages. Not only did you scrape, break and detach parts from the driver's side, you hit our car so hard the axle seals broke, leaving us unable to drive it.

People who saw you told us that you drove a small white sports car with a black top and a fin on the trunk. Your car will have damage to the passenger's side, and you will also need a new tire and rim. The police have pieces of your rim.

After insurance, we are still out $1,500. If the person who hit our car has any remorse, please contact Susquehanna Regional Police Department. In bad economic times, not many of us have an extra $1,500 to waste on someone else's mistake.

-Merv and Linda Gerhart, Marietta


Picking teams
In a response to Beth H. Bonner's letter [June 29], I would beg to differ with whom she considers a radical.

Funds for Animals and the Humane Society of the United States may not be radical enough for Ms. Bonner, but they are for the rest of us in rural Lancaster County, a serious provider of livestock and milk.

Lancaster County is also the home of the state's third-largest licensed hunting population. There is a lot of wild game and venison in freezers, much of which is an absolute necessity for living our rural life.

We ,as livestock growers, and sport hunters cannot have a representative like Joe Pitts voting in favor of radical animal rights groups 1 percent of the time, let alone 67 percent of the time, as he demonstrated on Project Vote Smart in 2007. He has indeed supported animal rights radicals. You say he is not on your team, and he has proven he is not on ours. Then whose team is he on?

-John W. Crawford, Strasburg


Contrasting patriots
I was struck by the contrast between the definitions of "patriot" put forth [July 6] by Gil Smart and Bill Adams. I object to Mr. Adams, but heartily agree with Mr. Smart. Sens. Obama and McCain also defined patriotism in Parade magazine in ways I don't object to.

I probably fall into Mr. Adams' "yes, but" crowd, and I would like to inform him that we are also patriots, and far from the "America haters" some on the right would make us out to be. We don't hate America, but the version conservatives are shoving down our throats.

Just as love for one's child does not mean never scolding bad behavior, love of one's country requires speaking up when those in power misbehave. I feel that most of the policies of the Bush administration, not just the Iraq War, are destroying the country. The fact that I can say so in public is one of the things that I love about America.

I am not disparaging Mr. Adams' patriotism but his jingoism, the insistence that America is right because it (the party currently in power) says so.

-Peter Whitcopf, Manheim Township


No middle ground
In a feature story [June 29], "A problem solver with a heart for the city," Charlotte Katzenmoyer, Lancaster city's highest-paid official, referred to the median strip on Harrisburg Pike as one of her achievements in office. This median strip was constructed six months ago by Franklin & Marshall College with the approval and support of the department headed by Ms. Katzenmoyer.

The median has narrowed this portion of state highway to one lane in each direction, resulting in increased congestion. Ambulances and police cars that formerly used the center lane can no longer do so. I have seen ambulances come to a standstill.

Ms. Katzenmoyer has said that the purpose of the median is to prevent pedestrians from crossing in the middle of the block. But F&M students are still jaywalking. Recently I saw a student jump over the median strip.

A petition with 80 signatures opposing this median was sent to Ms. Katzenmoyer and other city officials. There was no response. Ms. Katzenmoyer was quoted in another news story as saying that two additional median strips "have also been discussed."

Ms. Katzenmoyer should not ignore the opinions of city residents whose taxes provide her salary.

-Jeffry Rodgers, Lancaster


Rockets red glare
Last Sunday, my wife, several of our friends, and thousands of other patriotic spectators representing all races, creeds and colors enjoyed a marvelous evening at Long's Park. The weather was beautiful, the music inspirational, the cannons exploded on cue, and the fireworks were fantastic. What a country! May God continue to bless America.

-John F. Pyfer Jr., Lancaster


TV memories
"The" Lancaster That Was" photo (July 6) of the Percy Platypus show brought back fond memories of my childhood. My sister and I would faithfully watch the show every Saturday.

I even had the privilege of being on the show. It was January 1959. When it was time for the birthday song, all kids with recent birthdays would gather round the cake. I remember I was never so disappointed to find out that the cake was made out of wood.

I was wondering if anyone knows the name of the puppet shown on the left side of the photo? It appears to be a dog.

Thanks for publishing the photo and reminding me of the days of quality programming.

-David Pinkerton, Lancaster


Litter challenge
For years I have complained to myself about how hoggish we Americans have become. I am referring to our litter-strewn roads.

I admire the folks who have been doing the Adopt-a-Highway program. I have started my own program. Our golden retriever had surgery, and as part of her rehab we are walking. So as we walk, we also pick up trash.

Now my challenge to America: If we all did this, maybe we would be America the beautiful again.

We are in challenging times now, so a little walk may save gas, get us in shape and clean up our country.

Please carry a trash bag in your car, and don't throw it out the window.

-Roberta Garber, Columbia