Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 14

Mar 08 2009 Post-Gazette PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE 9, 2009 WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM B-6 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ROB ROGERS Waste not Budget earmarks must pass the test of merit he Republicans may have lost the battle, but winning the war of words over earmarks. For at least two reasons that should not be. First, both Democrats and Republicans truck in earmarks, those provisions inserted in spending bills by lawmakers to fund pet projects. Second, Barack Obama, who famously repudiated earmarks last year as a candidate, has faced resistance as president on reforming the practice from none other than his fellow Democrats, whose majorities control Congress. why it surprising last Tuesday when Republican Sen.

John McCain, Mr. vanquished 2008 opponent, pushed an amendment to strip thousands of earmarks from a $410 billion spending bill. The GOP staff of the House Appropriations Committee said the inserts amount to $5.5 billion for 7,991 projects, while the nonprofit Taxpayers for Common Sense said it was more like $12.8 billion for 9,286 projects. Regardless, the Senate killed the amendment, 63 to 32. The fight end there, though.

Congress had to defer action on the omnibus bill till this week because Republicans were concerned with over- spending, some of it due to earmarks. Such discord makes life difficult for Mr. Obama, who has promised to deliver more transparent and responsible government. While Republicans may have partisan motives to stymie his progress, his party knee-jerk defense of earmarks Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid downplayed it as only 1 percent of the bill helping the cause of change. Among the earmarks in the legislation is $150,000 for a rodeo museum in South Dakota and $200,000 for an anti- violence program in California that helps gang members remove their tattoos.

While Democrats account for the majority of pet projects, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, attached 36 items worth $51.2 million, said Taxpayers for Common Sense. Some Democrats want to remedy the situation with greater disclosure, but not enough. In a trillion-dollar- deficit government, spending projects must have merit. That requires a system of criteria that determines which proposals are worth the money and which are not.

If lawmakers Democrats and Republicans do that for the taxpayers, then they should take their hands off our wallets. Downward spiral The latest jobs report tallies more misery The Bureau of Labor announcement Friday that the economy lost 651,000 jobs in February, pushing the unemployment rate up to 8.1 percent, was depressing but no surprise. Worker cutbacks are a predictable and even sensible response to the general economic downturn. Can anyone expect employers not to cut costs, to keep on board people to make things that fewer customers are buying and to offer services that are not being purchased? At the same time, the downward spiral is perpetuated as those who are released do not spend, do not pay the taxes that are supposed to help finance the governmental bailout measures and begin to seek government services that cost tax money. The administration of President Barack Obama is taking action to try to deal with the problem of the slumping economy, the latest being the measures he put forward to stem foreclosures and other mortgage miseries.

Few of his programs, however, are in place and operative or certainly in any position to be judged for their effectiveness in addressing the problems. At some point it will be time to evaluate the performance of the Obama administration, as opposed to obsessing with the damage inflicted by the policies of former President George W. Bush. But not yet. The glaring point on which the Obama administration is still lagging is in finding out what the beneficiaries of the financial bailout are doing with the large amounts of federal cash that have been put into their hands.

One example is Bank of America, which bought Merrill Lynch, ostensibly to keep it from failing. At the moment those two are engaged in an unilluminating verbal battle over some $3.6 billion in bonuses that Merrill Lynch paid its senior executives in December. The bottom line is the American people still been told clearly just why firms like AIG, Citigroup and Bank of America be allowed to fail who specifically loses if they do? nor what they have done with the taxpayer money they have been provided already. not good enough if Americans are being asked to have confidence that their government is dealing with these problems. Choice listening A familiar liberal returns to Pittsburgh radio Who needs the Fairness Doctrine? The return of liberal talk radio host Lynn Cullen to the Pittsburgh airwaves after a six-month hiatus is good news for those looking for an alternative to conservative Rush Limbaugh and his less-talented imitators who dominate the market.

Ms. Cullen, a veteran of progressive talk radio, will have a two-hour call- in show on WAMO-AM (860) Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. Longtime fans will recall that her show on WPTT-AM often opened with the theme from Lone playing upon the conceit that Ms. Cullen was the on talk radio. When WPTT changed its format in August, Ms.

Cullen lost her gig as a dependable progressive voice just as the presidential race was heating up. Suddenly, the overwhelmingly conservative slant of talk radio in the region took on an oppressive weight. The lack of ideological diversity was astonishing, given that Barack win in Pennsylvania was the key to winning the White House on election night. It was a mystery why Pittsburgh have at least one daily talk show host who reflected the views of those who voted for President Obama. When a local talk station replaced one set of conservative voices with another set after Mr.

election, the mystery deepened. To its credit, WAMO recognized an opportunity to capture an under- served segment of the talk audience. Ms. Cullen will bring new listeners and sponsors to the station. And WAMO now has a worthy lead-in to its popular Bev Smith Still, Ms.

Cullen is only one liberal voice in a conservative echo chamber. With any luck, be the first of many new alternatives. are putting many at risk In the March 1 article Vaccine you failed to mention the basic error the make: They violate the basic scientific principle of is not What that means is just because two things happen at nearly the same time does not mean one caused the other. For example, there is a correlation between a shoe size and his or her intelligence: As a shoe size increases, so does his or her intelligence. Nobody would suggest that larger shoes cause higher intelligence in children; both of these are simply a result of a child growing up.

You also mention that the of the anti-vaxxer movement has been discredited. In 1998, Andrew Wakefield co-authored a study published in the British medical journal The Lancet that created the appearance that MMR vaccines caused autism. In 2004, 10 of the 13 authors of that study published a retraction. On Feb. 8, the Sunday Times of London published an article saying that Wakefield had manipulated data in the Lancet paper (although he denies any misconduct): A review of the records of the children in the study showed that in many cases the symptoms of autism appeared before they were vaccinated.

Since that paper was published there have been hundreds of papers published in medical journals showing that childhood vaccines are safe and do not cause autism. Parents should not avoid vaccinations; by doing so they endanger their own children and the children of others. HENRY C. SCHMITT Squirrel Hill About immunity Vaccines are not required for children to attend school in Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Code, Section 28, Paragraph 23.84B: need not be vaccinated if the parent or guardian objects to it in The objection can be philosophical, as it is against the U.S.

Constitution to make a law based on religion. If vaccines are effective, how come so many children get the diseases anyhow, such as measles and chickenpox? If they are safe, how come the vaccine manufacturers induced the Bush administration to pass a law making it illegal for vaccine-related injured people to sue them? Up until the 1970s parents intentionally exposed their children to these harmless childhood diseases to achieve complete and lifelong immunity. The only real immunity in the vaccine arena is the legal immunity conferred on Big Pharma by a government dominated by the wishes of this enormous and powerful special interest. JAMES H. WINER, D.C.

Green Tree TARP possibility? I am not a financial expert, so maybe someone can tell me what is wrong with the following stimulus idea: When applying for a new mortgage or refinancing an existing one, use the Troubled Asset Relief Program money to defray the points involved in getting a loan. This would be limited to one time per residence and the offer would last for a set period. The lending institutions would still be required to pay this money back eventually. The advantages would be that banks would be able to keep an income stream instead of foreclosing. People would be better able to stay in their houses due to both the point savings and lower interest rates.

There would be more net revenue in the treasury because the points would not be deducted from taxes and the lower interest rates also would result in lower deductions. I see this as a win-win-win. What am I missing? RICH WEITZMAN Plum Down on Specter I have cast my last vote for Sen. Arlen Specter. He has betrayed the principles of the party he is supposed to represent and the ideals he should safeguard.

I know that there was rampant spending in the last administration causing many people to vote in protest of what has been happening. Even with the terrorist attacks and the war we have been waging, we watched both parties spend with reckless disregard for the workers who are paying for it. Watching the results so far of his vote for President Barack (should I say Harry Reid and Nancy solution and listening to their reasons for what they have proposed, my only response can be, case We need to stop this attempt by the administration to usurp our powers and destroy the free market. GEORGE ANN BOWER Mt. Lebanon Carlos II? As the owner of a Portuguese water dog named Carlos for 14 years, I applaud the consideration by the Obama family of one of these as their companion Water Dog Drawing Interest of First Feb.

27). They are working dogs: sociable, energetic and quite intelligent. Add to that they do not shed, and you have a fine addition to the White House. I would add a few words of advice: Look around the White House for a treadmill. They love to run and will quickly learn to walk and run on one.

It will keep the Portie in shape and burn off some of the energy. He will also enjoy the White House swimming pool, but let him go in when the girls are swimming or he will try to rescue them. Second, they love parties with lots of people and food. They are skilled kleptomaniacs when it comes to food, so one might want to have a Secret Service detail guarding it. We once had an entire roast beef dinner disappear when our backs were turned.

By coincidence, I too am a former editor of the Harvard Law Review. Carlos outsmarted me many times, so, Mr. President, you will have a challenge. I also understand that the Obamas are thinking about a suitable name. We had to say goodbye to Carlos last year, and he is sorely missed.

He was named for King Carlos I of Portugal, a dog lover and fancier of this breed. So his name, or the feminine version thereof, is available. Good luck in finding your Portie. ROBERT F. PATTON Scott Founded 1786 William Block, co-publisher, 1942-1989 William Block co-publisher, 1990-2001 Paul Block, publisher, 1927-1941 Paul Block co-publisher, 1942-1987 John Robinson Block Co-publisher and editor-in-chief Susan L.

Smith, managing editor Tom Waseleski, editorial page editor Mary C. Leonard, deputy managing editor David M. Shribman, executive editor and vice-president on we For additional letters, go to Diana Block Co-publisher and president EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Editorials reflect the collective opinion of the Post-Gazette editorial board. In addition to the co- publisher and editor-in-chief and the editorial page editor, the board comprises Reg Henry deputy editorial page editor; Susan Mannella, associate editor; Tony Norman associate editor; and Dan Simpson associate editor. Christopher H.

Chamberlain, general manager and executive vice-president we welcome your opinion Letters to the editor must include name, address and phone number for verification. Because of the large volume of mail, letters should be 250 words or less, original and exclusive to the PG. They are subject to editing for length, clarity and accuracy. Pseudonyms, anonymous letters and form letters will not be used. Please do not send attached e-mail files or more than one letter every three months.

We cannot acknowledge or return letters. E-mail Mail Letters to the Editor, Post- Gazette, 34 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Fax 412-263-2014 Blog on issues of the day with PG editorial writers at A Fine Point, open Letters wait to respond to our letter writers? At post-gazette. find a link to our new Open Letters blog, where you can register and start posting replies that will appear on the Web site. Rather respond to editorials? You can do that at the editorial blog, A Fine Point. Thanks to the Post-Gazette for reporting on the increase in opiate-related overdoses in our region Overdoses Crop Up in Rural March 1).

In Allegheny County, overdose deaths more than doubled in the past 10 years, reflecting a trend seen in both urban and rural areas across the nation. Increased purity of heroin, increased use of prescription opi- oids and lack of readily available treatment are all contributing factors. Individuals who receive treatment often face a rocky road with periods of relapse and increased risk of overdose following periods of abstinence. However, opiate overdoses do not have to be fatal. Research informs us that death from overdose typically takes one to three hours and is often witnessed by someone who, fearing police involvement, refrains from calling 911.

Prevention Point Pittsburgh is one of a growing number of organizations providing training on overdose prevention and response and prescribing Narcan (naloxone hydrochloride) to those at risk of overdose due to opiate use. Narcan is a safe, effective medication used by paramedics to reverse opiate overdose. Indi- We are working to save people from overdoses viduals are trained to recognize symptoms of overdose, to perform rescue breathing and to administer Narcan when necessary. To date, more than 400 individuals have been prescribed Narcan and more than 250 overdose reversals have been reported through this program. Prevention Point is working with other organizations, locally and nationally, to increase overdose prevention efforts and to make Narcan more readily available.

We encourage anyone interested in learning more to contact Prevention Point: www.pppgh.org or 412-247-3404. For more information on overdose prevention efforts being developed in Allegheny County, go to www.peru.pitt.edu/ ALICE BELL Overdose Prevention Project Coordinator Prevention Point Pittsburgh Wilkinsburg.