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Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors
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Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors" journal:
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01:43 pm
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detentions without trial
The ‘Combatant’ and the Evidence
Re "Judges Say U.S. Can’t Hold Man as ‘Combatant’" (front page, June 12):
The Justice Department’s response to the ruling that Ali al-Marri must have his day in court has been to recount the allegations against Mr. Marri. If the evidence against him is so strong, why does the Justice Department seek to avoid the scrutiny of a trial? If the evidence is not so strong, it is all the more important that the evidence be tested in court.
For our Justice Department to imply that “clearly guilty” defendants do not require the niceties of a trial is chilling.
Tags: fairness, nytimes, war_on_terror
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11:20 am
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estate tax
Paying your share
Re: "The estate tax is unjust and hurts the economy," letter, Aug. 5:
The letter calls the estate tax "fundamentally unfair." What's fundamentally unfair is to saddle future generations with debt. Budget deficits are thus very relevant to the question of the estate tax. You must treat your country's debt as your own; how else can you call yourself a citizen? If you don't pay off your share of the national debt during your life, it's only fair that you should pay it when you die.
Tags: fairness, philadelphia_inquirer, taxes
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11:25 am
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mental health parity
Food for thought
Presumably, the reason insurers won’t pay for treatment of "non-biological" illnesses such as eating disorders is that these illnesses are seen as "the patient’s fault" — indicative of a lack of character or willpower ["Into Thin Air," News and Features, March 11]. But many "biological" illnesses can result from smoking, bad diet, and lack of exercise. In fact, simple guidelines exist for reducing the risk of biological illnesses via healthy living; no such guidelines exist for reducing the risk of mental illness. So if insurers cover physical illnesses to which the patient may have contributed, they should certainly cover mental illnesses, over which the patient has much less control.
Tags: boston_phoenix, fairness, health_policy
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09:29 am
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malpractice reform
Malpractice idea
REGARDING THE ARTICLE ``A booster shot for ailing Mass. health industry," (op ed, Aug. 12), here is a noncontroversial alternative to tort reform: Give cheaper health insurance to those who accept voluntary caps on any future malpractice awards. Doctors who treat such patients can pay less for malpractice insurance and pass on the savings. Patients who want the right to unlimited jury awards can keep that right without forcing everyone else to pay for it.
Tags: boston_globe, fairness, health_policy, malpractice_reform, policy_ideas
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09:25 am
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malpractice reform
Now, That's the Ticket
Torts, as Christina Forbes argues (letter, July 30), serve a useful purpose, but they do drive up medical costs. To solve this problem, let people opt out of the tort system: Give cheaper health insurance to those who agree to limits on any malpractice awards. Doctors who treat such patients can pay less for malpractice insurance and pass on the savings. People who want the right to unlimited jury awards can continue to play the lottery, but on their own nickel.
Tags: fairness, health_policy, malpractice_reform, policy_ideas, wsj
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08:49 am
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reducing malpractice costs
Voluntary Caps
Re "In Defense of Courtroom Advocates," Commentary, July 26: Bashing trial lawyers won't reduce medical costs, and capping jury awards looks politically difficult. Instead, give cheaper health insurance to people who voluntarily agree to caps on any future malpractice award.
Doctors who treat such patients can pay less for malpractice insurance and pass on the savings. People who want the right to unlimited jury awards can continue to play the lottery, but on their own nickel.
Tags: fairness, health_policy, latimes, malpractice_reform, policy_ideas
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08:59 am
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reducing prison costs
Spend on Defenders
One way to reduce prison costs is to spend more money on indigent defense (Opinion, Jan. 5). Defendants represented by overworked and underpaid public defenders are likely to get longer prison terms, costing taxpayers more than was saved on defense. Closer scrutiny by better-paid public defenders would ensure that long sentences go to truly dangerous criminals, not just those poorly represented. This is a rare chance to increase fairness and public safety while cutting costs.
Tags: fairness, hidden_costs, latimes, policy_ideas, poverty
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08:09 am
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social security obligations
Social Security's Deal
A Dec. 30 letter calls Social Security a ''welfare program,'' implying that benefits are a free gift and not an obligation. I thought it's paid to people who contributed to the fund from their earnings. They lived up to their part of the deal. Shouldn't we live up to ours?
Tags: fairness, nytimes, poverty
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to_the_editor's journal