Letters To The Editor: Pitts’ Approach Causes the Vitriol
Pitts' Approach Causes the Vitriol
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I'd like to share a few thoughts on Leonard Pitts' Op/Ed column, "They Quickly Forget Sunday School Lessons." According to Pitts' viewpoint, Glenn Beck, a few other Fox News personalities, and Rush Limbaugh all claim that under the current proposals, the government will have authority to deny or pressure doctors to deny certain procedures to people, some of which may be life-saving practices. In Pitts' opinion, these people are all liars. As justification for his view, he cites a group called the Sojourners, which sent the right-wing pundits each thousands of e-mails telling them to stop lying.
Dumbing down the debate by calling detractors liars, without any apparent justification for this viewpoint, and ignoring the list of specifics as put forth by these detractors is hardly worthy of a man of Pitts' intellect. I've seen the specifics (health savings accounts, insurance availability across state lines, tort reform, no denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, mandatory coverage, etc.) put forth by some of the aforementioned liars and others that are taking the debate seriously. They have assembled those specifics into a coherent plan that would stimulate the free market system and put the government into the role of overseer and not active participant -- the ideal role for it. With no horse in the race, the government is apt to keep things running as smoothly and fairly as possible with no motivation to tilt the playing field one way or the other. I have yet to see a single coherent rebuttal to these proposals.
It may be more convenient to assail one's opponents by simply characterizing them as a pack of liars than actually addressing specific points -- but it sure does the overall debate a disservice. Pitts should know better. It is precisely his approach that is causing all the vitriol.
Barry Battista.
Mechanicsville.
Want to Protest? Start With Horrorcore
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Americans have so many options these days with which to exercise their rights to protest, it's getting harder and harder to figure out what each day's protest agenda is going to be. There's a pro-life gathering at the local free clinic, a pro-gun rally at the state capitol, and a town-hall meeting on the current health care debate. All fine choices, to be sure.
But let me suggest to those so inclined to engage in this form of constitutionally guaranteed expression that given all these options, maybe it would be a good idea to prioritize your weekly allocation of protest time based on the degree of evil being addressed. There are arguments to be made on both sides regarding health care, a woman's right to choose versus an unborn's right to life, and whether every citizen should be able to stash a few more weapons in the home. May I suggest adding one topic that isn't on most protesters' radar: horrorcore.
I, like most everyone else, have been way too busy working, paying taxes, and trying to survive a tough economy to even know anything about this genre of music. But now we all know that horrorcore is essentially rap music that focuses on rape, murder, cannibalism, Satanism, suicide, and other warm and fuzzy topics that make you wonder if we are approaching 2010, or the Dark Ages. It is a resident evil that can serve no useful purpose other than to poison the minds of our weakest and most vulnerable -- our young people.
Now we have seen how that poison can contribute to unspeakable violence, the very message that horrorcore celebrates. That's something to protest against.
Mark Singer.
Richmond.
Where Are President's Priorities Today?
Editor, Times-Dispatch: President Barack Obama is currently mired in serious issues dealing with health care, war, and a deep recession.
It is hard to believe he could take time out to go to Copenhagen to lobby for the Olympics in Chicago in 2016.
It is becoming very easy to question his priorities.
Gene Puckett.
Midlothian.
Reader Reactions
He may be a hoagie, but he ain’t no doctor.
To provide the near-blind more light re: Sept 3, 2009 issue of Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal, page A13, where the top half of page is entitled “Health Care’s Intangible Cost: Legal Liability”, and extensive article prepared by WSJ writers Dionne Searcey and Jacob Goldstein.
Sixth paragraph: “Total spending on medical malpractice, including legal-defense costs and claims payments, was $30.41 billion in 2007, according to an estimate from consulting firm Towers Perrin. That is a significant figure, but it still amounts to a little more than 1% of total U.S. health-care spending, which the federal government estimates at $2.241 trillion for 2007”.
If a guy is too lazy to visit his local library and read the article, perhaps complain to the two writers and tell them how wrong they surely must be, fine; but why show ignorance?
By the way; the $2.241 trillion health care cost in 2007 is estimated to have grown to $2.4 trillion in 2008. Also, since the GOP supported the health insurance industry in defeating the Clinton reform of early 1990’s, the insurers have increased their gross profits from reasonable 5% to 20%+, as their “medical cost ratios” have been pushed by them from 95% to 80% and less during past 15 years, as they pass more & more costs to us and pull more & more profits for themselves, all for doing same thing they’ve done for years; money-changing; absolutely providing NO health care service to the system. They don’t even have any major capital investments, as do hospitals and doctors; thus, from a ROI standpoint, they make more profit than hospitals and doctors, all for doing almost nothing, at most, deserving no more than 5% of their take. A 400% increase in gross profits in 15 years and growing. How sweet it is!
Visit a library from time to time. I know. Socialized entities, but still worthwhile.
Some blog repeaters on this forum want you to believe law suit abuse only accounts for 1% of health care costs.
Overall, the unseen “tort tax” that we all pay when we buy a ladder or a car or a Big Mac is around 18%.
That means with serious tort reform in the overall market place you would only be paying $100 for a ladder rather then close to $120. That is HUGE!
And some want us to believe in an underworld run by crooked personal injury lawyers and crooked doctors and crooked judges that this hidden “tort tax” in health care is only 1%?
Mr. Puckett
President Barack Obama is currently mired in serious issues dealing with health care, war, and a deep recession.
It is hard to believe he could take time out to go to Copenhagen to lobby for the Olympics in Chicago in 2016.
It is becoming very easy to question his priorities.
I’ll take ‘Faux Outrage’ for $1000 Alex. Sitting presidents have a history of lobbying for the Olympics. There are a multitude of things you could take him to task for, this is petty.
The less time these clowns spend legislating, the better off we’ll be.
Health care reform may be better addressed as health care delivery cost reform. We most all agree our quality of product is pretty good. Most agree access and cost are issues, while some avoid discussion of access and cost. IF cost, currently 17-18% of GDP, 50%+ than it should be as compared to other advanced nations who created better delivery systems decades ago, was addressed, affordability and access would improve + improvement of our industries in competing in a world economy where other nations long ago advanced for the better, while we advanced for the more profitable.
Mr. Battista noted: health savings accounts, insurance availability across state lines, tort reform, no denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, mandatory coverage, etc that would “stimulate the free market system”, which I think he means improvement of affordability.
Health savings accounts. Tax deductible investments by Americans to be used to pay for medical costs, excluding the primary cost; insurance premiums. For 2009 average employer-sponsored premium cost per employee with family is $13,400, split 72% by employer & 28% by employee. If one is self-employed or unemployed, premium is higher. Noted $13,400 is destined to rise to $30,000 by Y2019. Majority of families do not have the extra $ to invest in these accounts, and even for those who do, it does not lower premium costs.
Insurance availability across state lines. Top five insurers monopolize our nation’s insurance industry. You can not force BCBS of Iowa or Aetna in Iowa to sell you a lower price BCBS policy in VA since medical care costs in VA are higher than Iowa. Just how does Mr. Battista propose availability X state lines will overall, lower our nation’s insurance premium costs? Remember. Family of Five are in total control and all share same data collecting entity, Ingenix, and will have further intelligence data mining capabilities with Ingenix’s new acquisition, AIM Healthcare, to collect from you on past major claims paid.
Tort reform. Per Sep 3 Wall St Journal, total cost of such “amounts to a little more than 1% of total U.S. health-care spending”. No major cost impact in cost reduction.
No denial for pre-existing conditions and mandatory coverage. Family of Five support both. Mandatory coverage adds millions of new profitable customers. Also, A-O.K. to insure people who had acne, pregnancy, even high blood pressure years ago. They’ll just raise premiums for all customers to more than compensate themselves.
Etc? Well, whatever. Still, No one, not even the GOP in Congress, proposes any solid path in stopping cost increases as % of GDP, much less begin reducing to more than 12% of GDP. A non-profit insurance option, such as allowing us all to op for the Federal employee group plans?
Mr. Puckett - long before he was inaugurated, it was abundantly clear that the President loves the perks and soft duties associated with being President. He loves the photo shoots, the magazine covers (this month it’s Men’s Health - not bad for a smoker) and being GQ and Hollywood and glitter and sizzle. He loves traveling in circles with Oprah, he loves adding his two cents on things that don’t require his two cents and he never saw an open microphone he couldn’t pass by without opening his mouth. Oh, how he loves himself so much!
This never ending focus on getting his face on every magazine cover and weighing in on every topic no matter how mundane, how extra-presidential will be his undoing in 2012 - he simply can’t keep his eye on the ball long enough to get things done right.
Great letter Barry. If you google Leonard Pitts and find his web site, you’ll find he’s a member of a church very similar in it’s thinking as Barack Obama’s (before he threw it overboard to get elected). Pitts is a provocateur, just like Michael Paul Williams. If you can blame a white guy for something, one of those two will write a column on it - that’s what they do, that’s what they get paid to do.
He writes it, you get mad - his mission is accomplished. It doesn’t have to be the truth and so many times it isn’t - it’s his perception of the truth sprinkled with a liberal dose of dramatic license. He is what he is.
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