Letters to the editor (11/15/09)

Everybody's mad at the medical insurance companies because they've got everyone over a barrel; the voters, the docs, hospitals, and local/state/federal governments.

But let me ask you, when was the last time any of you asked the doc or the pharmacist why you were prescribed a $120-per-pill medication for nauseau? When was the last time any of you told the doc that you really didn't need an X-ray, a CAT scan, and an MRI to diagnose your stiff knee/hip/arm/elbow/shoulder/neck or whatever?

In truth, don't you and your doc sort of conspire on 'iffy' dianostics, over-the-top procedures, and expensive meds and it's OK "because insurance will cover it"? Don't the docs and pharmacological companies sort of conspire via 'incentives' to make sure the newest drug is prescribed because the old patent ran out and the only difference in the new one is the quantities of inert content? But it's OK because insurance will pay for it.

How come the national debate doesn't include the whole mess?

-- Jim Turley

Anchorage

Teens: Stand up on escalators

In the wake of the recent escalator mishaps this past year downtown, I have noticed a disturbing trend among teenagers: They seem to be losing the energy to stand on escalators.

I am not saying this to be funny.

I work part-time at Penney's and have had to tell teens three times in the past three months not to sit on the steps of the escalator. Once, it was a whole group of boys with baggy pants. All three times, the escalator was about a quarter of the way down when they felt the need to sit.

They all have looked at me indignantly when I have said they should stand up. The baggy pants are hazard enough standing on an escalator.

Personally, I do not want to witness an escalator "accident." How long would it take for the bone to break and a leg to be severed?

-- Rochelle McDonald

Anchorage

America is worth saving, Sylvia

In her letter Nov. 9, Sylvia Carlsson blindly spews the same degree of hatred for those she disagrees with.

Her freedom to express her bias has been paid for in full by those who think America is worth saving. She has no monopoly on free speech. I maintain that those she berates have every bit as much right to their view as she does in broadcasting her discontent.

Ms. Carlsson reflects upon the Holocaust and compares it to her view of hatred. The Holocaust resulted from people being silent followers for too long. If the voice of salvaging the American way of life displeases her so badly, then maybe she could explain why so many others want to live here. The America we and our families enjoy is worth saving, and if it takes a loud voice to salvage the remaining remnants of moral value this country was founded on, then by all means let those voices be heard first.

-- Ron Siebels

Anchorage

'Pro-choice' vote is a killer

As Christians we are not here to be in a popularity contest but to serve God. If you voted for a "pro-choice" candidate (pro-abortion) in the election, you have aided in an abortion. You are responsible for the death of those little children the same as you would be if you helped in the surgical room.

Some Christian people try to rationalize why they vote for pro-abortion candidates. They would argue there are many areas of concern that their candidate works for. Are there any more important than the 4,000 babies that are killed each day in the United States?

The next time you vote, please remember that you are Christian and you have a moral obligation to make sure that you do not aid or assist in an abortion. Someday you will have to answer for your actions.

May God forgive us.

-- Robert McMorrow Sr.

Anchorage

Assembly, hands off my cash

Every mature person understands there is a difference between "wants" and "needs" and knows that "needs" must come before "wants," especially when there is a shortage of money. Grown-ups also understand that life is not fair and that we are guaranteed equal opportunities to succeed but never promised equality.

People who work hard and live responsibly will always have more than those who do not. It is the right and responsibility of those who have to help those who have not, but government does not have the authority to take anything from one person to give to another. Redistribution of wealth is robbery, and robbery is wrong whether it be at the barrel of a gun or by taxes.

Anchorage Assembly, stop trying to right all the wrongs in the city and just do your job!

-- Dianne Dahle

Anchorage

Stop blood-hungry sharks

I don't think my recent back surgery resulted in a great loss of blood but it was still enough to attract the sharks. My insurance company will be making a tidy profit on the claim, but wait! They subcontract with another company who sends out complicated instructions that I must follow in order to prove that my condition wasn't due to someone else's negligence. And that's not all! They subcontract with a different firm whose job it is to try to chisel a few extra dollars out of the surgeon by questioning his charges.

So now we have four different businesses who made money from my back surgery, and three of these business did absolutely nothing to contribute to my well-being. This is insane! I pray for the day when we'll be able to have a national health care plan so that doctors won't have to inflate their prices in order to provide for the parasites who swarm around the scent of blood.

-- Eric Treider

Soldotna

Commerce Clause holds power

Senator Murkowski is a bright person and capable of sounding moderate on some occasions. I recall her summer rebuke of the Tea Party folk claiming that the President wanted to "pull the plug on grandma."

However, her apparent position that health care legislation now being considered by Congress is unconstitutional, is immoderate and inaccurate. She knows better.

Of course, the Founding Fathers did not specifically authorize Congress's power over health care legislation. Nor did they speak to NASA, Social Security, the FAA, the Air Force, or an interstate highway system. Sen. Murkowski is well aware that the Commerce Clause will be the source of Congress's power over health care. Why couldn't she tell the Tea Party crowd this fact? It could have been a great teaching moment.

-- Andy Josephson

Anchorage