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Letters To The Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2008

Don't Restrict PSAs

Regarding "The Wrong Call On Prostate Cancer Screening" (Other Views, Sept. 2):

Thank you for publishing the article by William Catalona on the topic of prostate cancer screening. The task force report he rebuts has little credibility in the real world. My physical examination seven years ago, including the digital examination, did not reveal the presence of cancer, but the follow-up PSA test did.

Three years after surgery the PSA again signaled the presence of prostate cancer. The "cell" was so small it could not be seen by an ultrasound, which led to the planting of a "seed" so that external radiation could "see" its target. There are periodic PSA tests to monitor my cancer status. One can only surmise what my situation would be without the PSA test.

The report of the federal task force lacked sense or substance. It was asinine and irresponsible to suggest the PSA test may "do more harm than good." One can only hope the above report is not used to justify a reduction in health care for men.

Every cancer authority says early detection provides the best hope for a cure. Since prostate cancer is the "second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States," it would be an enormous tragedy to restrict the use of the PSA in the fight against cancer.

JOSEPH POWELL

Valrico

Over 50? Take Test

I am a prostate cancer survivor. I am also a 40-year career life-insurance agent and glad to report that the best life insurance that I ever bought on my life was a PSA prostate screening test at age 57. It possibly saved my life.

I agree with the expert on prostate cancer, Dr. William J. Catalona, that the recent federal task force report that cancer screening may not be necessary at ages above 75 is flawed. I stand with Catalona not just because he removed my cancer, and I stand by my urologist, Dr. James E. Alver, for his insistence that I have a PSA test.

I consider myself as a blessed man to have beaten prostate cancer, and I urge all men over age 50 - and specifically 75 as well - to have the test that has proven to be the best life-insurance policy that I could ever sell them.

KEN COCHRAN

Temple Terrace

Government Efficiency

Regarding "To Get Factory Jobs Back U.S. Must Solve Health-Care Crisis" (Our Opinion, Sept. 1):

The editorial stated many problems that U.S. industry faces due to the high cost of medical insurance for employees, but offered no ideas about what to do except to say health care insurance should remain in the private sector. Which is where it has remained for the lifetime of our country, and it continues to cost more and offer less.

Medicare - until it was privatized in 2003 - was a government-run single-payer system that was effective and efficient. The VA, which is a government-run system, gets higher marks from its consumers than does any other private system.

When 45 or more million Americans cannot buy health insurance because they're not healthy, wealthy or lucky and another 80 million remain underinsured, and when more personal bankruptcies are filed because of exorbitant medical bills, your paper clings to avoiding government operation of universal insurance and single-payer system.

Why not consider that government can run some things better than private enterprise? H.E. "PAT" CROW

Sun City Center

Spend Money Here

Is anyone listening? The headline in The Tampa Tribune read "U.S. To Give Georgia $1 Billion" (Nation/World, Sept. 4). The U.S. infrastructure - bridges and roads are in dire need of repair. New Orleans' levees need to be fixed yesterday. U.S. citizens have no health insurance. Is anyone listening?

BETTY ERBE

Zephyrhills

Not Really A Problem

The Sept. 1 Metro headline "Universities Enroll Fewer Blacks" is partially correct, but is chosen to portray the worst possible interpretation of the facts in the story. Extrapolating the statistics furnished by the writers, the real facts show a much different situation.

At the major state universities cited, total black enrollment is down a mere 44 students compared to last year's freshman class of 3,410, a paltry 1.25 percent. The article does mention the troubled economy as one reason for the declines, so possibly a drop of only 44 could be interpreted as real progress. But, and this is a major but, if you include the 250 black student increase at HCC, there is an overall increase in enrollment of 206, a much better statistical 2.7 percent increase.

Wouldn't it have been much better to have a headline such as "Black Enrollment On The Rise" with a sub-headline "In Spite of Troubled Economy"? A much more positive approach, wouldn't you say, and, heaven forbid, actually the truth!

Some people look at the glass as half empty and some as half full. I prefer the half-full scenario. Sure wish our city's newspaper did the same.

JOHN H. BOYET

Tampa

Let's Just Be Americans

We have arrived in this nation where blacks have been on equal footing in all areas of society. Why do the media dwell on keeping them separate? They are Americans. We are said to be a melting pot. Why do the media constantly have stories about the first black to do something? Your story on Sept. 1 is about black student enrollments in colleges.

Blacks have proved that they are able to stand confidently next to any other race in all areas of life. Why not allow this to be without dredging up the unfortunate past they suffered on a continuing basis? I get the feeling that the flames of racism are being fanned.

Let's all be just plain Americans with no more separations by race, religion or national origin.

LEW OLIVER

Riverview

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