Unfair benefits

Thank you for your editorial of Nov. 12 titled "Social Security equity." As a retired police officer with 22 years of service, I am a victim of the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision.

After 22 years service with a Bay Area police department, I started a business employing several people, thus contributing to the economy, their Social Security and my own. Because I was self employed, my contribution was double.

I am now retired, collecting Social Security. I am severely penalized because of these laws. I am one of many who have been unfairly treated for a very long time.

Yes, as you so clearly reported, they deserve the support of all fair-minded people and their representatives in Washington. I am pleased you are of the opinion these bills have a good chance of success.

However, these bills have been in the House Ways and Means Committee for approximately 10 years, yet nothing has been done.

Thank you for your support and attention to the subject perhaps this kind of exposure will encourage our representatives to act in fairness to their constituents.

Harold Bounds

Brentwood

Best health care

The government health care vote in Nancy Pelosi's House was 220 yes and 215 no.

This was so close for a law that will affect our lives and

If the Senate also passes this law, we will not notice anything different for many years. It will probably take 12 years before we will suffer the government health care that the people suffer in Canada and England. God help us!

It took western civilization 1,000 years to develop the greatest health care anyone could ever image. Our American health care right now is so great it is hard to believe.

Pelosi killed our wonderful health care by five votes. Our Bay Area representatives in Congress have no mercy on us.

Why does this law mandate we buy government health care — after HMOs and insurance companies are gone — or we are fined and go to prison. Soviet tyranny?

We are not a bunch of brainless, helpless dummies. We can take care of ourselves. Let's pray for freedom again in 2010, please.

When I lose my HMO, I'm not buying Pelosi insurance. I'll save my kids money by spending my last years in prison instead of a convalescent hospital.

Mike Vukelich

El Sobrante

Disgusted

I feel really disgusted about what happened to that girl at Richmond High School.

Those people who did it might have gone to the school I go to right now. Also, they are young, and they have already lost their life because they will be in jail and they feel guilty for what they did.

I want people who don't live in Richmond to know that it's a good place, but people are making the wrong choices. Also, Richmond High is a good place to learn; it is safe sometimes.

Alejandro Sotelo

Richmond Alejandro is a 6th grader at Grant Elementary in Richmond.

Disappointed

Where was your coverage of the Oct. 28 Tea Party Express II in Walnut Creek? Although national networks covered this news event, somehow the Times just missed it.

Having lived or worked in the Walnut Creek area for 40 years, I can tell you I've never seen political energy like I saw at the Tea Party Express II.

Your lack of coverage was so obvious, it revealed the deliberateness of your inaction. Your lack of coverage of this significant community event right under your nose is something that never would have occurred when Dean Lesher owned the Times. What a sincere disappointment.

Joe Hall

Walnut Creek

Model care plan

Thanks to Business columnist Drew Voros for writing about something I'd been thinking about, that this county's health system operates the "public option" in its acceptance of anyone who needs medical care and is a single-payer.

Likewise, the Contra Costa Health Plan, which is the well-regarded county HMO, is chosen by a large portion of MediCal recipients and employed persons here because it is client-centered.

It is family practice oriented with good diagnostic practices and with prevention and patient-centered teaching. The plan has access to specialists who are not the first port-of-call for the patient but are thoughtfully included in care by primary professional care givers, hence more affordable to the system.

The public part of the system has been subsidized by the county even as the county loses necessary funds to the state's debt problem.

That which is covered by "third-party payers" is doing well as long as the scope of professional care is realistically reimbursed.

These are models that have been carefully developed and upon which to build a "public option" and "single-payer" as well as affordable health system, or a disjointed, fee-for-service, expensive medical system.

Joan Lautenberger

Lafayette