Letters to the Editor

Trivial story made front page

I have noticed an increased emphasis in your paper on the trivial activities of Main Line socialites, but your article in Friday's paper on a woman's shoe collection - "Her sole obsession" - was placed on the front page. Are you serious? Fluff pieces like this belong in the entertainment section.

The only thing appropriate about the placement of this article was that you placed it next to a story titled "Inquirer sells its building." That headline should have read "Inquirer sells its soul."

Roy Wilson, Plymouth Meeting

National debt is real threat

Back in May of 2010 when our national debt was $13 trillion, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States' huge national debt was becoming a major threat to the U.S. security and leadership in the world.

As of July 27, the national debt is $14.5 trillion. Our debt was identified as the number-one threat to our national security by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen.

Now Obama is talking like a kidnapper and making all kinds of threats to our family and friends if we don't pay the ransom. If our credit rating goes down it will be because we are still on a spending binge with no end in sight.

Joseph DuPont, Towanda, joedupont@juno.com

Don't write off minority students

John F. Kennedy said, "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education." Currently, in this state, African Americans are among the lowest achievers in public schools, yet their schools receive the least amount of funding and are even looking forward to greater cutbacks. What message are we sending to these children? Are they less than their white counterparts? Are they incapable of learning? Are their lives valued? What do we expect of their future if we aren't investing in them?

These students can learn, and they will learn if given the chance.

Sherita Rooney, Narberth, SR731480@wcupa.edu

No-tax pledge is pernicious oath

Thursday's editorial "Reflect your district" pointed out that Reps. Pat Meehan, Mike Fitzpatrick, Jim Gerlach, Frank LoBiondo, and Jon Runyan all signed on to Grover Norquist's no-tax-increase pledge. These representatives also took an oath to uphold the Constitution. It seems to me that steadfast adherence to a pledge that is effectively undermining the country's fragile economy, in order to curry favor with the likes of Grover Norquist, violates their oath of office.

Patrick J. Hagan, Ardmore

GOP no better than Democrats

House Speaker John Boehner exemplifies why the Republican Party offers no solutions, leadership, or value to the American public. The "Party of Lincoln" has sunk to the point that its only agenda is to throw the middle class under the bus in order to protect tax breaks for the wealthy.

We desperately need an alternative to the 50-year-long financial irresponsibility of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the Democrats. The GOP isn't it.

Donald W. Hiorth, Phoenixville

Hospitals shouldn't have to pay

Your July 25 article "Not so many unhappy returns" reports how hospitals are now spending substantial money to hire nurses and social workers to monitor discharged patients in hopes of preventing readmissions. These expenditures are draining sorely needed money that could provide care for inpatients.

Those who benefit from the outpatient monitoring by saving on rehospitalizations - patients, private insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid - should pay for the programs.

As it stands now, hospitals are being penalized for most repeat hospitalizations after 30 days. It is totally unreasonable that hospitals should pay for outpatient monitoring and also be penalized for a readmission. Neither should occur.

What responsibility does the hospital have if the patient is noncompliant, does not take medications, and does not follow instructions regarding diet and follow-up with his or her physicians?

Noncompliant patients should pay more for health insurance, as they do for auto and life insurance, if they are higher-risk because of their own poor choices.

Stephen Weinberg, M.D., Cherry Hill, seweinberg@gmail.com