Today's Letters: Beware: Pakistan could turn against us

I'll wager that Pakistan's intelligence service played a significant role in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. All signs, of course, will point to al-Qaida as the culprit. But good spies do not allow themselves to get caught when they do their dirty work. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, will round up the usual suspects.

This is what happens when America threatens a known nuclear power. Pakistanis are not cowardly or stupid. When they lack sufficient firepower, they will use wiles and deception to attain their goals. Pakistan has just eliminated its most prominent pro-Western politician, the leader who represented influential Pakistanis who wanted to join with Europe and America.

We will find that the Pakistani army is firmly in control of Pakistan, whatever clothes Musharraf is currently wearing. Pakistan has deceived us as it has built up its nuclear arsenal. It has pretended to favor Israel and to aid us in Afghanistan. If President Bush cuts aid, Pakistan could overtly turn against us.

This is why we must make peace in the Middle East under the terms that are currently available. The alternative may be a war that would be devastating to both the United States and Israel, and perhaps damaging to the entire world.

Arthur Volbert, St. Petersburg

What would the Founding Fathers do? Dec. 28, commentary

Selective history on religion

David Ignatius is so selective in picking sources to support his denouncing of any public trace of religious faith in presidential candidates that he distorts history.

Most, if not all, of our presidents have been Christians and many of them - including Jefferson and Adams, whom he cites - openly expressed their faith and reflected it in their actions in office.

In their book, God in the White House, Edmund Fuller and David E. Green note that the mother of one president was a minister; the fathers of three were clergymen; five married parsonage-born women; one - James Garfield - was a preacher in the Disciples of Christ denomination; another occasionally filled a pulpit; two, while colonels in the Army, doubled as chaplains; two others studied for the ministry; and a large percentage served as church officers.

David McCullough's biography of Adams states flatly, "As his family and friends knew, Adams was both a devout Christian and an independent thinker, and he saw no conflict in it."

Jefferson, in a letter to Charles Thomson, wrote that his compilation of the teachings of Jesus "is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."

Adon Taft, Brooksville

A New Year's resolution

It's the time of year when we make our New Year's resolutions. Here's one.

We were once an industrial nation, with men and women who made a decent wage to buy the products produced. Now our greedy large corporations have decided they can make more money with cheaper labor overseas, so one by one they are moving their companies overseas. It's not just trinkets - it's canned goods, clothing, footwear, foods, toys, most of which are inferior.

Why don't we stand together and not buy this merchandise not made in America? If we don't unite and stop buying this junk, we could fall into another depression.

Read the labels and make a resolution not to buy until they bring industrial jobs back to America.

Marion Walsh, Spring Hill

Thirsty counties seek to tap rivers Dec. 22, story

Market pricing on water

Florida's vast underground water supply is a remarkable resource. Its supply of fresh, pure water has given generations of Floridians a cheap source for watering their lawns, cattle, golf courses and parks. It's there during drought or rainy cycle.

Sadly, this flow of spring water has given generations of Florida's public officeholders a free pass to skip their responsibility to manage a critical resource wisely. Due to Florida's flat topography, the management tactics that work in other places must be adapted to be effective here.

This article on the water situation covered many key points, but it didn't offer a prospect for how future Floridians will pay for the water they use.

Our energy picture has some similar economics, but for some reason we pay for gasoline quite differently than the way we pay for drinking water. As the price of bottled water continues to close the gap between its price and unleaded regular, it is appropriate to consider water management in a similar way.

Why not let those who are willing to pay high prices for water use as much as they like - as long as they pay full price for it. Market forces don't represent the perfect model, but it's a much simpler and more accountable way to manage resource allocation.

If someone is prepared to spend a staggering sum to water his St. Augustine grass, that's fine. What we should not be doing is subsidizing the misuse of precious water resources via our public agencies, especially as subject to local political pressure.

Likewise for golf courses: If golfers want to pay their cost for green golf courses, fine. But it isn't fine for residential customers or municipalities to foot the bill.

As long as we remain in a dry cycle, the free ride's over. Since wet years are the exception in Florida's recent past, the fight is on for those who like the free ride. We need the media to keep the heat on the public agencies and their leadership.

Jim Parker, Lakeland

America's system of health care is shamefulDec. 22, letter

Insurers squeeze patients

The letter writer discusses how patients aren't given treatment without insurance, and that "the very first thing asked of patients visiting a doctor's office/ER is what kind of insurance do they have." As someone who works in a physician's office, I can tell you that may not be the case in the near future, as many medical offices are making the decision to not accept any insurance.

Most of us would never tolerate waiting six-plus months to be paid, but this routinely happens in medicine. The fault usually lies with the insurance companies, who squeeze the patient for higher and higher premiums while paying less and less to the physicians. Payments are delayed because the insurance company requires "medical notes" to be sent. Well, they're sent - again and again - but miraculously the insurance company claims to have not received them, thus delaying payment.

Politicians are fighting to get insurance for every American. The irony is that if that ever happens, physicians - at least ones in private practice - may have already taken themselves off the provider list. Look at the salaries paid to health insurance CEOs for the answer as to why this is happening. Insurance companies are getting richer by making policyholders pay higher and higher co-pays - which in fact often exceed the allowable payment to the doctor, meaning the patient is really paying the freight. That fact, coupled with the slow payments to providers, helps keep the insurance company coffers full.

At some point, as consumers, we'll all probably be better off with only catastrophic coverage, especially if private practice physicians cease being providers and adopt flat-rate office visit charges.

Diane Wayne, Tarpon Springs

[Last modified December 30, 2007, 20:28:06]