Securing the Nation
It was, as the cover promised, "the scary truth" ["Terror's Next Target?" February 19]. What I found even scarier was the specificity of the "scenario" of just how terrorists might kill thousands by hitting the Sunoco refinery in Philadelphia. After major crimes or school shootings, there are usually "copycat" echoes because of published details. So now, if one of these targets is hit, you will not only be able to say we told you so; you'll be able to say we told you how.
ED DES LAURIERS
Eden Prairie, Minn.
Your cover story ought to be required reading for every member of Congress, not to mention all bureaucrats who are supposed to be working on these issues and making us safer. How pathetic that we are so unprepared for the next catastrophe.
SCOTT CAMASSAR
Norwich, Conn.
Author Stephen Flynn's description of potential acts of terrorism is as real as any of them. He and others often correctly point out the need for long-term investments to make our critical infrastructure more secure. The real challenge is managing the costs. Virtually all of the most potentially devastating targets are in the private sector: stadiums, financial institutions, utilities, chemical companies, etc. The current administration expects that costs of security enhancements should be borne by the assets' owners. It is therefore incumbent upon Congress and the administration to encourage the private sector to develop a solution that provides incentives for companies to invest in effective security. Terrorism risk insurance would be a significant inducement for private-sector investment. The same practices that result in buildings being more resilient to earthquakes to lower insurance costs can lend themselves to building more resilient infrastructure with an incentive to obtain insurance coverage. Associated insurance incentives are key mechanisms to encourage investment.
ROBERT LISCOUSKI
Former Assistant Secretary
Infrastructure Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Accessible Healthcare
Ending the inequality in tax treatment for Americans with individually owned healthcare coverage is an important step toward making health insurance more accessible to those who aren't covered through an employer ["A Fair Health Fix," February 19]. Americans without healthcare coverage live sicker and die younger, so we must make it easier for those without to get covered. The American Medical Association plan to cover the uninsured calls for government tax credits, based on a sliding scale related to income, to purchase health insurance. The credits won't work in a vacuum. We also need health insurance market reforms to make individual ownership viable for more Americans. President Bush, lawmakers, and high-level coalitions to cover the uninsured are to be commended for re-energizing the national dialogue, and Congress has an opportunity this year to begin taking action. Reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the successful government program that covers children in low-income families, is a must and an important first step toward getting more Americans healthcare coverage.
CECIL WILSON, M.D.
Board Chair
American Medical Association
Chicago
If the United States is serious about the ideals of freedom and justice in the Bill of Rights, then it is long overdue to put healthcare in the same category as other inalienable rights.
GREG GIORGIO
Altamont, N.Y.
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