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Question slanted

on health care

The Reader Meter feature on the June 27 Opinion page was a classic example of how a slanted question produces a slanted response.

You got a 40 percent "Yes" response to the question "Should health care reform include a government-run health-insurance plan?" A much fairer question - and one I believe would have generated a much higher affirmative response - would have been, "Should a health-insurance plan for the United States include both private and public options?"

Regardless of how The Press may feel about this issue, I think that your readers are best served by phrasing such a question as fairly as possible.

KIM BAKER

Egg Harbor Township

Animal research

necessary, helpful

Regarding the June 27 letter, "Animal testing simply isn't that effective":

Supporters of animal research rightfully argue that virtually every medical achievement in the 20th century relied on the use of animals in some way. The National Academy of Sciences also argues that "even sophisticated computers are unable to model interactions between molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organisms and the environment, making animal research necessary in some areas."

Animal researchers at Roche assert that "around 70 percent of serious effects that occur in humans are identified at the animal testing stage."

Women must be gravely concerned that animal testing will be slowed or completely stopped. Animal research was essential for the development of herceptin and tamoxifen, two medicines that have saved the lives of thousands of women with breast cancer.

One letter writer claimed that "just because a medication works on an animal doesn't mean it will help humans." This writer fails to understand that when a medication kills a mouse, it will most certainly also kill a human. Obviously, researchers and regulators need to know this and critical toxicity levels before a medication hits the marketplace.

The letter writer - Dr. John J. Pippin of the animal-rights group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine - asserts that 85 percent of HIV/AIDS vaccines have tested successfully in monkeys but not humans. He patently overlooks the possibility that the next vaccine may be successful.

Perhaps those opposed to animal research should bravely carry an "animal-rights identification card" that would state: "I hereby request that in the event of an accident or illness, all medical treatments developed or tested on animals be withheld."

DOUG DONATO

Margate

Money wasn't there

to fix Franklin Blvd.

Regarding the June 9 letter, "Why didn't Pleasantville fix Franklin Blvd.?":

Normally, I don't respond to frivolity. However, the statement made in the letter, "You often wonder if the City of Pleasantville knows what good sense means," ticked me off.

For the letter writer's information, our plan was to have Franklin Boulevard improved during the same time of the Delilah Road project. However, as with any road improvement project, identifying funding to complete the project in its entirety was an issue. The total cost was approximately $3 million.

Because funding was not available, the city prudently decided to improve what we consider the worst section of Franklin Boulevard. This section is from Charles Avenue to Washington Avenue, referred to as Franklin Boulevard Road Improvement Phase I.

The cost for Phase I is approximately $530,000. The funding is from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and our Urban Enterprise Zone.

I have to ask the letter writer a question: What sense were you trying to make? You could have simply called us and asked why we were not doing road improvements on Franklin Boulevard before putting pen to paper and making assertions against the city.

JESSE TWEEDLE Sr.

Mayor

Pleasantville

Charles Krauthammer

wrong - yet again

Charles Krauthammer never ceases to be the same tired Krauthammer. In his June 21 column, "Obama's response to uprising in Iran is appalling, clueless," he described our new president's conservative diplomatic position with Iran as appalling.

It was Krauthammer who promoted our disastrous war with Iraq, along with other well-organized neocons such as Paul Wolfowitz, the disgraced past World Bank president.

The security of our American people is our nation's first priority. On this point our new president has made his opinions and diplomatic direction crystal clear as we celebrate July Fourth.

As military veterans, it is for all of us to enjoy our Independence Day with our families as we pursue world peace through diplomacy.

E.H. NED McDERMOTT

Upper Township

6 comments:

• pixie1 (57) posts 9:28 pm

  "Todfiat", speaking of Somalia I couldn't agree with you more. People remember Black Hawk Down, Clinton did not let them go in with the appropriate fire power. A pilot, yes Durante, was captured and wrote a book on his experience, read it and watch the movie, "Black Hawk down". Clinton then wouldn't even let them go back and settle the score. Watch North Korea, they refer to Obama as weak, they are out of control now and they are not in the least concerned or afraid of our weak president. We are in danger !!!

• gschum (0) posts 1:51 pm

  Hey Toadyfat, while your at it, give GW credit for ignoring any follow up to USS Cole attack that occured a few weeks before his election, and for keeping us safe thru 9-11 (oops, did that happen on his watch?). Of course not having anything happen since 9-11, other than the complete melt down of our economy while he repeatedly insisted we were not in a recession, is certainly to his credit; and really raising the bar for how the International community viewed the USA following his great 8 years will be a big safety net...and who can forget the terrific support he earned from our allied nations for invading Iraq, or the cost of lives and $$$. Help me out since there surely is much more that needs mentioning. It is true others embraced his stupidty so he did have some help with all he achieved.

• todfiat (0) posts 1:11 pm

  I'd like to hear boyo Ned McDermott explain why Clinton abandoned Somalia in 1994, ignored Rwanda, and responded to Bosnia only with air strikes, while 7000 were put into mass graves in Sbrenica. And what were the documents Sandy Berger, Clinton's Natl Security adviser, pleaded guilty to stealing from the National Archives (in his socks)? A felony, BTW. And why did Clinton not authorize the sniper shooting of Bin Laden when Delta Force had him in its sights, as Berger revealed on 60 Minutes? A stitch in time saves nine. Clinton balked, & the nation got 9/11 by way of thank you from Bin Laden & Co. All the hand-wringing over Iraq and "the right war" malarkey is moot. Iraq was and is a threat, but when it invaded Kuwait, we all knew that. Saddam acknowedlge a long and extensive campaign of agitprop and disinformatyion to convince the world, and thereby its archenemy Iran, that i shad WMDs. The campaign worked. As if that is GFeorge Bush's fault, when several hundred Congressfolk & Senators were more rabid than Bush about reprisals and taking the battle to the enemy. George Bush 41 truckled to the appeasers, and refused to take the battle to downtown Baghdad. All the country club Republicans and quisling Democrats in 1991 adored the doddering old vet for being effete, as Clinton too would be. Pliable. Overly enamored of himself and "his place in history." LMAO! Impeachment is his legacy, fittingly. Bush's son set things aright. Thank you for keeping the Homeland safe for "EIGHT LONG YEARS," President George W. Bush.

• Lucinda (22) posts 9:28 am

  Kim, You call it a slanted question and I call it two different questions. The straight forward interpretation to the Press question: "Should health care reform include a government-run health-insurance plan?" is, 40% yes. Now the Press can ask your question: "Should a health-insurance plan for the United States include both private and public options?" and we can see how the readers respond. Just because it was not the question you thought they should ask, does not means it is slanted. It means it is different! The Press does provide a method for you to suggest questions.

• tiredofitall (10) posts 8:58 am

  RE-Money wasn't there to fix Franklin Blvd. Jesse,Jesse,Jesse. Thats typical of a politicians answer to a problem that has been going on for over 25 years now. If I,m not mistaken that road hasen,t been paved since I moved out of Brigantine in the 80,s. So lets cut out the B-S about having no funds to repave.

• Yugocif (92) posts 8:23 am

  Doug Donato is absolutely correct about the value of animal studies. Most people have absolutely no idea as to how a medicine becomes available to the public. They know even less about clinical trials and the different phases of clinical trials. A phase I clinical trial is used to determine toxicity. Prior to the start of a phase 1 trial, animal studies are used to determine a beginning dose that will not be toxic to human volunteers. Without the animal studies, researchers would not be able to make an informed decision about the first dose given usually to the initial group of 3 humans. Based on the response of the first three humans, the dosage is either increased or decreased. Very rarely are more than 12-15 humans involved in a phase 1 study. If a dose cannot be determined without acceptable toxicity, the research on this compound stops and no additional humans are subjected to experimentation with this compound. This is a direct result of animal studies. Many more humans would be placed at risk without the prior information gained from animal studies. If a tolerable dose that is also presumed efficacious is found at phase 1, phase 2 begins. Phase 2 is used to determine a tolerable effective dose. Again, only a few people are generally involved at this phase and the purpose is to determine if a response to disease is possible while maintaining the dosage within toxicity limits. Again only a few humans are involved in these types of trials, generally less than 60 volunteers. Animal studies provide the basic information needed to conduct phase 1 and phase 2 trials. If an effective dose cannot be determined, all experimentation with this compound ends. It is only after successful phase 1 and phase 2 trials that a phase 3 trial is undertaken. A phase 3 trial is what most physicians are referring to when talking of clinical trials and what is generally what makes the headlines of newspapers. Phase 3 trials are large and their purpose is to provide information of effectiveness. Phase 3 trials are far removed from animal studies, so talking of animal studies when talking of phase 3 clinical trials is a red herring.

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