|
Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors
[Recent Entries][Archive][Friends][User Info]
Below are the 15 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors" journal:
|
01:05 pm
[Link] |
keeping bombs off planes
Keeping planes safe
Some simple steps for preventing terrorism on planes: Ban all drinks. Have the flight attendants serve enough drinks for free or for a nominal fee. Ban all MP3 players. Let people upload their music to an airline's Web site, and listen to it on airline-issued headphones during the flight.
And so on.
Most of the "essentials" that people now bring on the planes can be easily replaced with safe, airline-issued ones for the duration of the flight.
Tags: chicago_tribune, policy_ideas, replies, war_on_terror, wsj
|
|
05:47 am
[Link] |
term limits for presidents
How Long Should a President Serve?
If we let presidents run for a third term, we should require them to resign after two terms and wait four years before running again. This way, we can hold them accountable without giving them the advantages of incumbency.
Also, third terms would be reserved for presidents whose legacies stood up to the scrutiny of hindsight.
Tags: nytimes, policy_ideas, politics
|
|
06:58 am
[Link] |
medical malpractice
The Future of Medical Malpractice
The Democrats' opposition to malpractice reform runs counter to core Democratic values. To those struggling to make ends meet, even a small decrease in cost of health care can mean the difference between getting treatment or not.
It is unconscionable to price the poor out of health care to give others a theoretical chance of collecting for pain and suffering. To those priced out of health care, the right to malpractice awards is useless!
If malpractice reform fails, at least let people opt out of the right to sue in exchange for cheaper health insurance. If most people decide to opt out, the whole malpractice debate will become moot.
Tags: health_policy, malpractice_reform, nytimes, policy_ideas, poverty
|
|
09:29 am
[Link] |
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
|
|
09:25 am
[Link] |
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
|
08:49 am
[Link] |
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
|
|
07:11 am
[Link] |
why the u.s. should support israel
If the Israelis Pull Out of Gaza
International legitimacy and the moral high ground are not security guarantees. The United States should formally commit to defending Israel once it leaves the West Bank and Gaza. Congress should authorize the automatic use of force in case of an Arab attack on Israel. This will enable Israelis to support full withdrawal and will force the Arabs to compromise by ending their hopes of destroying Israel.
Why commit to a possible future war? Because ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will aid the war on terror. Images from the conflict feed the recruiting of Al Qaeda. If committing to an unlikely future war helps us win the present one, we should take the risk.
Tags: israel, nytimes, policy_ideas
|
|
07:21 am
[Link] |
tracing sources of nuclear material
Tracing Bombs
A March 23 letter mocks the notion that ''if terrorists know a bomb can be traced, they will be less likely to try to use one.'' While suicide bombers won't be deterred by the prospect of revenge, those who send them and those who provide them with weapons will be.
Naming the culprit can also help enlist allies in our fight; many Arabs doubted Osama bin Laden's involvement in 9/11 until a video showed him boasting of the deed.
After the Iraq weapons of mass destruction fiasco, accurately naming our enemies is especially important.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas, war_on_terror
|
|
07:25 am
[Link] |
amnesty for insurgents
Saddam Hussein in Custody: A Chapter Is Closed
With Saddam Hussein captured, we should offer an amnesty to at least the rank-and-file members of the insurgency who turn in their arms. Offered from a position of strength, the amnesty would be much more likely to help end the insurgency than if offered later in less happy times.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas, related_material
|
|
08:58 am
[Link] |
israeli settlements
Israeli Settlements' Role in Mideast Conflict
Re "Burdens on Peace: Fences and Arafat's Empty Words," letters, Nov. 24: Bruce Friedman asks, "What will Israel receive in return [for removing the settlements]?" First, Israeli soldiers won't have to guard the settlements anymore and will be able to focus on protecting Israel proper. Second, Israel will rid itself of a huge moral liability when it stops controlling the lives of the Palestinians. Third, Israel will rob Yasser Arafat of his ability to blame Israel for all Palestinian woes; this will encourage the Palestinians to find better leaders. Fourth, separation from the Palestinians will silence calls for a "unified state" that would destroy Israel's Jewish character. Clearly, evacuating the settlements is in Israel's interest even without reciprocal gestures from Arafat.
Tags: israel, latimes, policy_ideas
|
|
07:31 am
[Link] |
outsourcing of jobs
India, Jobs and Peace
Re ''More 'Can I Help You?' Jobs Migrate From U.S. to India'' and ''American Official Praises India's Move to Defuse Tensions With Pakistan'' (news articles, May 11):
You report that India is attracting American jobs, and that India is moving to ease tensions with Pakistan. Could these events be related? The more American jobs move to India, the more India has to lose from an escalation of tensions. Also, higher employment means that people can find fulfillment in work rather than in pursuit of nationalist ambitions.
The United States should seek to employ more people in troubled countries, as a way of stabilizing these countries and giving their governments a stake in stability. Perhaps we could offer free English classes to increase the number of employable people. Wouldn't it be great to read someday that North Korea is reducing tensions in order to attract American jobs?
Tags: dignity, nytimes, policy_ideas, war_on_terror
|
|
09:18 am
[Link] |
preventing bioweapons proliferation
How Much Do Bioweapons Cost?
It is baffling that the FBI would refuse to pay $ 5 million (and issue immigration permits) in exchange for securing known stocks of bioweapons when we just spent billions on a war to eradicate such weapons in Iraq -- and have yet to find any ["Lethal Legacy: Bioweapons for Sale," front page, April 20].
A more cost-effective way to secure such weapons would be to offer money and citizenship to foreign weapons scientists who agree to turn in the weapons they have.
We also need to think, before developing new weapons, about whether they ever will be turned against us. Most of the weapons of mass destruction that threaten us were pioneered by the United States -- for example, the Stinger missiles that now are a threat to commercial airliners.
Once the genie is out of the bottle, who knows whom it will serve?
Tags: hidden_costs, policy_ideas, war_on_terror, washpost
|
|
07:36 am
[Link] |
getting iraqi defectors to tell us what they know
Calling Iraqi Defectors
Re '' 'Sodom' Hussein's Iraq,'' by Thomas L. Friedman (column, Dec. 1):
A potential Iraqi defector may decide to withhold his information, for fear of consequences to his country. Any revelations will trigger a devastating American invasion costing thousands of Iraqi lives. The war will destabilize the volatile region and turn Iraq into a de facto United States protectorate for years. The conscientious defector may doubt the sincerity of American commitment to ordinary Iraqis, given their suffering under United States-backed sanctions.
To win the cooperation of concerned Iraqis, guaranteeing the safety of their immediate families won't be enough. We must guarantee, to the extent possible, the well-being and dignity of the Iraqi people. A new United Nations resolution is needed, specifying our plans for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. Otherwise, an Iraqi ''Sakharov'' may worry that ''severe consequences'' mean just that for his country.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas
|
|
08:59 am
[Link] |
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
|
|
08:10 am
[Link] |
paying for terrorism insurance
Terrorism Insurance
Re ''Life Insurers Seek Study of Terror Aid'' (Business Day, Oct. 18):
The government should assume some life insurance liability for future terrorist attacks, because that would give all taxpayers a direct stake in preventing terrorism. People would be more willing to accept the inconveniences of extra security; it's their money on the line. Federal agencies would devote more resources to security; their budgets will pay for any failures.
Let's bring home the point that terrorism is everybody's problem.
Tags: nytimes, policy_ideas, war_on_terror
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
to_the_editor's journal