Letters to the Editor
From our weekly issue dated July 07, 2010
(Editor“s Note: Views and commentary, including statements made as fact, are strictly those of the letter-writers.)
Typed, double-spaced letters are considered for publication. Hand-written letters that are double-spaced and legible also can be considered. “Thank you“ submissions are not accepted as letters.
Insurance questions
From Ellis Couron
Cave Junction
I have three insurance companies that pay medical costs when needed. When we received a bill from a recent visit to our eye doctor there was an “out-of-pocket“ expense for what is called “refraction“ that neither insurance company would pay.
When I phoned the insurance company I was told that “refraction“ is a test for distance that isn“t necessary for eyeglasses. When I contacted the provider I was told that “refraction“ was done with the instrument used to measure one“s eyes for the prescription.
I have no idea why this discrepancy exists, but I believe that the insurance companies probably know what they are talking about since they have to pay the bills. In any case it is a problem that should be settled by the providers; not by the patient.
In the meantime, providers are charging fees ranging from $25 and up for “refraction.“ My Medicare booklet describes refraction as, “An exam that measures how well you see at specific distances.“
Medicare states that this test is not necessary for providing a prescription for glasses, so why is this being done and why are patients being required to pay this out of pocket“
Swan song sung“
From Linda McCleary
Selma
Spring is in the air and the scent of wild flowers entice a day of fishing or a walk around the lake. Wonderful time of the year to hang out and watch all the baby goslings or ducklings, but where are the family of swans“
We look forward to a new arrival of baby swans that can usually be seen —with what our family has nick-named “Ma and Pa“ swan — by this time of the year. The last time we saw the parents and babies they where nesting were McMullin creek enters Lake Selmac. Just wondering if anyone has seen them this year“
Swans form monogamous pair bonds that last for many years, and in some cases these can last for life. I have lived just up the road from the lake for about six years and have enjoyed the very friendly and photogenic couple every year I have been here. I hope a predator has not claimed the life of our beautiful feathered friends. Does anyone know how long the swans have lived in the lake“ How they got there“ Just wondering.
Traffic light not wanted
From Harry E. Abrams
Cave Junction
My response to Lloyd Franklin“s request for another traffic signal in Cave Junction: I do not want to see another one anywhere in Cave Junction. One is not needed.
I would rather see any money spent on getting the Cave Junction Swimming Pool fixed for the kids who want to use it. If it is so difficult to get across the street in front of Taylor“s then go where there is a light
As far as I am concerned, the one on Watkins Street can go. That is my request, rather than Franklin“s.
Swerving off path to prosperity
From Ed Feulner
The Heritage Foundation
When future historians characterize this era, chances are they won“t label it as America“s “golden age.“ Indeed, they may well mark 2010 as the year the United States became the home of the “mostly free.“
That“s the finding of the latest “Index of Economic Freedom,“ an annual compendium published by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.
The United States earned an overall score of 78 out of a possible 100 points in the Index. That was good enough for eighth place globally. But that score was down 2.7 points from last year. It“s the biggest drop recorded among the world“s 20 largest economies. The decline was comparable to Venezuela“s (down 2.8) and Yemen“s (down 2.5), two poster children for bad economic behavior.
Our economy moved from the rarified air of the “free“ to the more crowded (and less economically successful) realm of the “mostly free.“ That could haunt Americans for years to come.
That“s because, as the Index editors note, less economic freedom means less economic prosperity, which hurts everyone“s bottom line.
The reason for the drop is obvious: In the face of a global recession, American policymakers intervened repeatedly in the economy. Uncle Sam bailed out banks, insurance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The government bought two major automakers, then announced a program (Cash for Clunkers) that aimed (unsuccessfully) to create demand for new cars.
Our government pumped out hundreds of billions in new federal spending, but failed to prop up the economy. “The early evidence is that such spending did not work,“ the Index editors write. Our nation“s 10 percent unemployment rate backs them up.
Throughout its 16 editions, the Index has repeatedly shown that economic freedom isn“t a dogmatic ideology. It actually represents the rejection of dogma and the embrace of diverse and even competing strategies for economic advancement.
Yet the USA is leading a trend, as we so often do. This time, though, the trend line is down. “The average economic freedom score for the 2010 Index is 59.4, down 0.1 point from 2009,“ the editors write. “This is only the second time in the history of the Index that average scores for countries measured in successive years have declined.“
That could be a problem. After all, none of the other systems tried throughout human history have come close to economic freedom in terms of providing broad-based prosperity. Experience teaches that even the best efforts of central planners and bureaucrats do not lead to sustainable growth. As the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall reminds all of us, countries taking that approach fail economically as well as politically.
The surer path to prosperity and a healthy society is the path of freedom: letting individuals decide for themselves how best to achieve their dreams and aspirations. By spreading economic power and decision-making throughout an economy, economic freedom gives ordinary people greater opportunity and more choices.
People in economically free societies live longer and healthier lives. They enjoy greater political freedom and can better defend their human rights. Economic freedom reduces poverty, opening the gates of prosperity to even more people worldwide.
It“s not too late to reverse course. It looks as though ObamaCare — a trillion-dollar, centrally planned government intervention in the economy — will fail this year. That“s a start on the road back to economic freedom.
Policymakers should take other steps to advance freedom. Our goal must be to get the USA back into the Index“s category of truly free economics, so that we can once again enjoy the growth that position brings.
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