The library closures highlight misguided priorities

It seems odd to me that libraries in our city that serve thousands of residents year-round are being closed due to a $1.2 million deficit in their annual budget ("Library System Trims 5 Carnegie Branches Across City," Oct. 7) when the very same city had no problem finding ways to cough up millions of its own money and millions more in state and federal tax dollars to provide excessive security in hosting a two-day event for a gaggle of foreign dignitaries. Most of the dignitaries saw only barricades and few of them will ever return to our city.

Perhaps our city government -- and those of us who elected them -- need to rethink priorities.

JOSH KABLACK
Lawrenceville

LRAD effects

With reference to the Sept. 30 editorial "Friday Night Rights": After the G-20 summit, Pittsburgh is truly a unique and international city.

Unique as the first city in the United States to use the military device called the Long Range Acoustic Device on its own citizens.

International as it shares that distinction with Russia.

Who approved the acquisition of the LRAD sonic cannon and then who approved its use?

Why haven't they been fired?

How can the city say that there were no after-effects from the LRAD without having medical exams and psychiatric evaluations of every person exposed to it?

Why do the local boosters think that spin will erase the images on YouTube of Thursday and Friday night during the summit?

FRANCES G. VAZQUEZ
Fox Chapel

Medicare spiral

Jefferson Regional Medical Center is one of the hospitals affected by the spiral of declining reimbursement from Medicare due to the Medicare Wage Index ("Medicare Index Costly to Hospitals in Region," Sept. 9).

This convoluted system shortchanges our region's patients, employees and communities. Because of this issue, hospitals in our region receive less reimbursement from Medicare for procedures. We also know that several hospitals have obtained increases over their regional rate through congressional action. This is a clear indication that the system is flawed.

Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have recognized that this is an issue in other parts of the country as well. Hospitals in the region are working with the Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania to develop a solution.

We are working with our Western Pennsylvania congressional delegation and Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey to address this issue. We have learned that one possible solution, a proposal submitted to CMS by MedPAC, is part of proposed health-care reform legislation. If this proposal is incorporated into the final health-care legislation that is ultimately approved, it could solve the problem faced by many of the region's hospitals.

We appreciate the attention the Post-Gazette has drawn to this issue and the ongoing support of our congressional delegation and Sens. Specter, Casey and their staff members.

It is up to us collectively to solve this issue for our region.

THOMAS P. TIMCHO
President and CEO
Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Jefferson Hills
ALVIN J. HARPER
President
Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania
Warrendale

Mr. Timcho also is chairman of the Medicare Wage Index Steering Committee for Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania.

About our Medicare

My husband and I received our 2010 report from Medicare and it has raised our premium $43 a month for each one of us. It appalls me to think they want to cut more for Medicare in the new plan and cut some of its benefits while they keep raising our cost.

Where are our representatives? They aren't paying this bill; they have their nice coverage in Congress.

MILDRED PFEIFER
Bethel Park

Pulling for whom?

I am becoming increasingly aware of what I have long suspected but was not quite certain of. I am now convinced of the motivation behind the conservative, Republican negativism. Everything that the president says or does is wrong.

There are only two reasons: One is that their bread and butter is big business and the wealthy, as well as the crazy religious right wing. The second reason is more simple and childish. They don't like losing and are totally unprepared to act as adult, beaten opponents. They are simply poor losers! What other possible reason could explain the lies that they perpetuate and their complete unwillingness to cooperate with any actual attempts to solve problems or help the middle class and the poor?

President Barack Obama goes to Copenhagen in the hope of bringing back jobs not just to Chicago but to America and is unsuccessful. The Republican conservative response to this failed attempt to help us with jobs and opportunities and promote our country is amazing glee and giddiness. Just who do you suppose they are rooting for? Certainly not this country or any of us.

BOB ATKINSON
Weirton, W.Va.

Time wasted

Regarding "U.S. Wants to Level the Playing Field With High-Achieving Foreign Students" (Sept. 28): The article details how President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan would like to add more time to the school day or school year or both. The reasons cited (other countries have longer days, test scores will improve) are dubious. The article actually cites international examples of schools that do not have longer days, and citing better test scores as a reason needs to be examined closely. The public needs to understand that better test scores only means better test scores.

No Child Left Behind tests have no ability to predict future success; what they predict well is socio-economic level of test takers.

I have a better idea. Don't lengthen the school day or school year. Just take all the time wasted on prepping students to take tests and actually engage students in real learning.

TIMOTHY D. SLEKAR
Head of the Division of Education, Human Development and Social Sciences
Penn State Altoona
Altoona, Pa.

Dangerous territory

The Rev. Eric R. Andrae's letter ("Not Those Lutherans," Oct. 8) strongly defends the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod's belief that homosexuality is a sin and condemns the Evangelical Lutherans' approval of monogamous gay clergy. The key word here is belief. Unfortunately, Rev. Andrae and the 21 co-signers of the letter do not use this word at all. All religions are based on beliefs. Yet Rev. Andrae asserts that his views are "God's Word" and he casts stones of sin at those who disagree.

The current schism in Christian denominations is primarily related to the gay issue, even though Jesus never mentioned homosexuality in his teachings. He had critical words for divorce and other practices, but none of these are fueling the current debate. Rev. Andrae and others are entitled to express beliefs passionately. But anyone who claims exclusive knowledge of God's word, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim or other, is entering dangerous territory. It can lead to an Inquisition mentality which condemns other beliefs, is intolerant of others and harms the spiritual unity of all religions.

RAY McGOGNEY
Shaler

Let's cool the hype over the swine flu

In 1973 Czech astronomer Lubos Kohoutek discovered a comet, named for him, that scientists predicted would produce a spectacularly bright display in the night sky. It was a huge media event, and the world waited anxiously for the show. When it arrived it was a huge disappointment. As my father-in-law would (and probably did) say, "Stick your finger in your eye and you get more light than that." Johnny Carson made a living for months on the "Comet of the Century," as it was called.

Today we have swine flu, the Pandemic of the Century. When it first appeared last year, the horde of experts who earn their living from such viruses warned us that this mild flu could morph into a deadly killer. It didn't morph. In the summer it moved to the Southern Hemisphere, where it spread widely but retained its nature as a relatively mild illness.

Still, the nightly news and daily papers are clogged with pictures of kids getting the vaccine. The experts and media are promoting this just like they did Kohoutek. So far it is no big deal. If it becomes more deadly, it will be a big deal, and they should let us know. For now, there's plenty of real news to exploit.

DAVID T. JACK
Baden

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