The U.S. is becoming its own worst enemy

The election of Barack Obama as president of the United States was filled with hope that we as a nation would come together in an effort to correct some long-standing problems: health care, climate change, neglected infrastructure and alternate energy sources, to name a few. Alas, it is not to be.

If health-care reform is enacted it will be so diluted as to do little good. Lean will be the accomplishment toward climate change, alternate energy sources and even infrastructure. Why such failure? It is that the Democrats have conveniently -- convenient for the GOP -- shot themselves while solution hunting. Once it was obvious that Republicans would oppose every Democratic effort, Mr. Obama should have excluded them as possible allies.

The real culprits are the Blue Dog Democrats, who should have stood behind Mr. Obama and passed legislation smoothly and quickly, which would have attenuated the endless rancor that infects the airwaves. Ronald Reagan told the nation that "big government was the problem, not the solution" and 30 years later we've ended up with a nation of predator businesses that sold our work force out to enrich their upper management.

We've ended up with citizens too selfish to care about those less fortunate, we've encouraged gluttony to the point that we can't manage our personal debt. We've inherited a mecca that is crumbling into ruin as we quarrel over states' rights vs. federal government. Nations without similar philosophical arguments will now write history. We are our own worst enemy.

JOHN BROBST
Bradford Woods

Is the fix in?

I was notified by my health-care supplier that my Medicare supplemental insurance is going up next year 44 percent over what I paid this year. In addition, my co-pays go up and my drug cost is up. This really hits home, and it is one big reason why we desperately need comprehensive reform that includes a strong public option. Preferably, I believe we need a single-payer system like Medicare. Ninety percent of such a system is probably in Medicare already. Why not just modify it to cover everyone and work out the cost issues?

I cannot condone a 44 percent-plus increase in my supplemental insurance in one year. I will either have to change suppliers or reduce my coverage. How many years will this go on? I can see the day when affordable health-care insurance is going to be out of my reach if we allow this to continue.

These health-care suppliers are wallowing in our excessive premiums and have been for years. They arrogantly tell you what they will cover from year to year and what they won't cover, and if you don't like it you can go bye-bye. They are bold as brass -- especially to do this at this particular time when Congress is debating their future. They shove it in our faces. They must think the fix is in!

I urge our Congress not to let this happen. Put these guys in their place. Show them the people still run this country. Give us comprehensive reform with a strong public option. Give this country back to us, the people who elected them and whom they represent. Don't let big health-care suppliers lobby it away from us.

DAVID TURNER
Mt. Lebanon

For patients' sake

The health-care reform proposals put forth by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance Committee both recognize the fundamental need and urgency to substantially increase the size of the primary care work force to accommodate the millions of newly insured who will require a primary care physician.

The HELP Committee proposal is nebulous, stating only that we must "reform Graduate Medical Education to increase the supply, education and training of doctors ... especially in ... primary care" without providing a plan to do so. The Finance Committee proposal details the need to "increase the number of training positions ... with priorities given to primary care." This plan misses the mark altogether.

The issue is not the need for more residency training slots. In fact, according to National Resident Matching Program data for 2009, more than 200 residency slots in family medicine programs went unfilled nationwide. The focus should be taken back to school -- back to medical school -- and should be twofold. There must be a paradigm shift with greater incorporation of primary and preventive care into medical school curricula, and there must be greater incentive to choose a career in primary care, either through medical school student loan forgiveness or medical school scholarships for individuals willing to commit to a primary care residency early in their medical education.

Implementing such changes will fill vacant residency slots as well as any slots created to accommodate greater primary care patient demand.

TODD OTTESON, M.D.
Franklin Park

Villains and patriots

I was delighted to learn of the dismissal of charges against the Post-Gazette reporter ("Charges Dismissed Against PG Reporter," Oct. 15), but remain upset at the breaking of cameras and the arrest of members of the press related to the G-20 summit protests. A free press is fundamental to the protection of our rights.

I would like to thank the members of the press who came and worked under adverse conditions. I would also like to thank the many members of the various security and police forces who did their jobs under very difficult situations -- individuals who worked 12-hour shifts, away from home, sleeping in office buildings and who were sometimes assaulted verbally and with rocks. Finally I would like to thank the peace-loving protesters, many of whom came from out of state, slept and ate in less than optimal conditions and risked arrest, tear gas and rubber bullets to have their voices heard.

The real villains are the small group of people on both sides (police and protesters) whose lack of concern for their fellow human beings resulted in the breaking of windows and the arrest and harassment of innocent people. The patriots in both groups have much more in common with each other than with their rogue counterparts.

The true patriots (police and protesters) love our country greatly and are willing to risk their lives defending it. I would love to see these individuals meet in a peaceful neutral setting to discuss rules of engagement that protect humans and property while allowing the freedom of speech that makes our country great.

VIRGINIA DATO
Squirrel Hill

The library blame

Did you ever see "The Music Man"? All through this library crisis ("Library System Trims 5 Branches Across City," Oct. 7), this is all I can think of: The old ladies of the town resent and gossip about Marian the librarian and her "relationship" with the town's (old) philanthropist. In one of the songs, they sing, "He left River City the library building, but he left all the books to her!"

Sort of like Andrew.

Most people don't realize that after Andrew Carnegie provided the buildings, it was up to the communities to continue to find the resources for the books and staff. The real culprit here is not library Director Barbara Mistick or the Carnegie Library board, but the Legislature and local politicians who remained mute when the budget cuts were proposed and then passed. The same politicians are now among the loudest critics. Let's put the blame where it belongs.

REBECCA DENOVA
South Side

Working on this maternity unit has been a joy

I am deeply saddened by the announcement that Ohio Valley General Hospital will be closing its new maternity unit ("Hospital Gives Stork Walking Papers," Oct. 13 Business). I feel this a great disservice to Kennedy and surrounding communities. Those who have delivered their newborns at OVGH would surely agree that a smaller community hospital has a lot to offer. There is something to be said for a doctor who knows you by name and nurses who remember you from when you had a baby years before.

As a registered nurse on the maternity unit at OVGH, I would like the opportunity to thank all the families who have touched my life. It has been a great privilege to serve you. Words cannot express how much it has meant to me and my co-workers to be a part of one of the most significant days in your life. To be one of the first people to hold your new babies and have the joy of watching you bond with your newborns has been nothing short of a great honor.

I am grateful for each and every mother who chose to have her baby at OVGH and wish you and your families well in the future. We will miss you, and we hope you will miss us, too.

JAMIE SARTORI, R.N.
McDonald

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