Letters to the Editor

Mandatory health insurance is just like mandatory car insurance. Why do so many accept one and think the other is unconstitutional ("Part of health law is voided," Tuesday)? Both require coverage so those with insurance aren't left paying for those without. When people with no insurance go to a hospital emergency room, who do they think pays for that? We all do, in higher medical bills and insurance costs.

As a 51-year-old breast-cancer survivor, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when health-care reform passed. No longer do I worry that if something happens to my husband - whom I have coverage through - that I could not purchase insurance. With no cancer history in my family, it was easy to think it wouldn't happen to me. For those opposed to mandatory insurance, what makes you think you couldn't end up in the same situation?

Mary Halloran

Wallingford

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Thank you, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, for claiming that the new health-care law requiring everyone to buy health insurance is unconstitutional ("Part of health law is voided," Tuesday). Now we all can quit paying our health-insurance premiums and cancel our policies. Since hospitals have to treat all critically ill patients, we can throw ourselves on the mercy of hospitals and doctors, and save a bundle by not having to pay premiums.

Instead of 38 million Americans without health-care insurance coverage, we will have 300 million people! This will solve the health-care problems in America.

Dave Savage

Collingswood

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The NJ Energy Coalition commends Gov. Christie, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and Exelon for their leadership ("N.J. nuclear plant to close 10 years early," Dec. 9). This compromise provides a decade of economic certainty for the company, its employees, and the community.

However, this action stresses the need for a comprehensive energy policy encouraging new generation facilities in New Jersey. Power plants like Oyster Creek far surpass the state's renewable energy sector in providing hundreds of local, high-paying jobs, stimulating our economy, and producing reliable and affordable electricity.

Oyster Creek currently produces 7 percent of our state's electricity. It is crucial that we begin working immediately on upgrading our infrastructure and developing clean, affordable sources of generation to replace Oyster Creek's output so we are prepared when the facility closes in nine years.

Robert Marshall

Executive Director

NJ Energy Coalition

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The editorial "Riding in style" was either inexcusably sloppy or intentionally misleading. I trust it's the former.

In your zeal to protect our citizens from what you see as yet another act of heedless greed by an entire class of public officials, you rail against Pennsylvania's "judges" because we "get to lease fancy cars courtesy of taxpayers." This statement has a nice ring, but it happens to be completely false when applied to most of your target group.

Only a handful of appellate court and administrative judges receive the automobile allowance referred to in your editorial. The vast majority of Pennsylvania's jurists are trial judges who do, in fact, get to work like everyone else - "on their own nickel."

It's your right to decide which issues you believe are important enough to merit the powerful weapon of an unsigned editorial. But, when you choose a subject, don't you owe your readers, and all of us in your free-fire zone, the responsibility of being accurate?

Judge Benjamin Lerner

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas

Benjamin.Lerner@courts.phila.gov

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During the public meeting at the Free Library about the duck boats ("Duck tours on Schuylkill panned," Thursday), officials stressed the need to preserve the integrity of a "process," which sounded like a process to find a solution that works for the duck boats, and not for those who live here. I hope they soon join the rest of us and recognize that introducing a raucous nuisance like duck boats into the serenity of our lovingly crafted Schuylkill Banks is a really bad idea.

Dodge Johnson

Philadelphia

dodge.johnson@comcast.net

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I hope the national sports media will now finally get off Philly fans. I kept telling everybody there

had

to be a good reason why Cliff Lee didn't "jump" on the Yankees' offer ("Philadelphia story: Lee's sold on city," Thursday). Some part of his decision had to be those "wonderful" Yankee fans who spit on a member of his family during the playoffs. The fact that Lee enjoyed playing in Philly also affected his decision. You can't help but admire a guy who has the guts to put his heart above his wallet.

Patricia O'Brien

Huntingdon Valley

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Re: "Kill the death penalty," Dec. 6:

There is no question that some who have been executed were innocent. But why do you exclude the millions of innocent pre-born babies who have been executed? That's discrimination on your part.

Molly Kelly

Horsham