Letters to the Editor

I am a 1987 graduate of UC Berkeley, and in my freshman year I resided in Bowles Hall. The experience was exceptionally positive. I felt that my academic interests were fostered, and I met a number of very interesting people.

Reading your article ("Returning Students Banned From Bowles Hall," Aug. 25) I was disappointed to learn upperclassmen would not be allowed to live at Bowles. It was the example given by these more mature students which helped me adjust to life at Berkeley.

When Prakash Pinto, another freshman, and I were arrested in my room by the UC Police for "discharging fireworks at a crowd"-we had set off bottle rockets to chase away the noisy softballers on Kleeburger Field below, as we needed to study-the Bowles resident supervisor, a wise upperclassman who had lived there for several years, was the adult to whom the UC Police agreed to release us (I was a 17-year-old minor). Without the calm wisdom of this supervisor, I might have had a much more difficult time of it. I was also blessed with two more mature students in 602 Bowles, the two sophomores with whom as a freshman I shared the suite, Anthony Michael and Jason Richmond.

I hope that Bowles Hall will allow a decent number of upperclassmen to remain in residence as mentors to the young men who arrive there with little or no idea of Berkeley, the university, or the Bowles Association.

Edward M. Anderson

UC Berkeley Alumnus

Gaping Health Care Holes

Christopher J. Falvey's op-ed on the spiraling costs of health care ("The Health Care Paradox in America," Aug. 8) did illuminate some of the causes of the problem, but I feel he left the largest cause out. While pharmaceuticals account for the fastest growing cost share in health care, hospitalazation costs are still where the vast majority of health care dollars go. One reason for this is the increased usage of costly imaging techniques such as MRI. These tests are noninvasive and quick to obtain for physicians and perhaps are being overutilized-driving up costs as a result.

Falvey also makes a good point about the way Americans view health care. Although instead of feeling that being sick is the norm, I would imagine that a larger problem lies in our sense of entitlement to the best, most expensive therapy. The evil pharmaceutical companies do make phenomenal breakthrough drugs each year to give doctors a slight edge on certain diseases, but they're generally available only at high cost. A good example of this is the medicine Xigris, used to treat septic shock in horribly ill intensive care unit patients. This has been shown to reduce the death rate in these patients from 30 percent to 25 percent, a modest benefit but an edge that anyone would want. It is estimated that for every year of life saved by using this medicine, it costs $25,000. With medicines like Xigris becoming more common, how much are we willing to pay through our insurance premiums and Medicare taxes for a year of life? This is a difficult question to answer, and highlights just some of the problems facing our health care system.

Jason Etzel

UC Berkeley alumnus

Peace and Justice?

Commission Anything But

I and many other Berkeley residents are very dismayed by the contentiousness surrounding the Peace and Justice Commission. This Commission periodically and predictably erupts on the scene, causing unnecessary ugliness and ill will. There are a multitude of local issues to argue about, discuss, and resolve (such as land use, crime, taxes, budget and education) without developing expertise and policy on foreign policy matters, particularly on questions, such as the Middle East, that create great discord and disruption of the peace at home in Berkeley.

On balance, the Peace and Justice Commission does more harm than good, and I would support any initiative to disband it.

Barbara Gilbert

Berkeley resident

Sheehan's Patriotism

Cindy Sheehan is doing a great job of reminding us what true patriotism is-standing up, speaking your mind, and calling the government to account for its actions. She should be commended for taking her stand. It's past time for the rest of us to demand the long-overdue reckoning for the lunatics who started this war, and to require responsible leaders to devise a realistic plan to extricate us from the morass, which Bush & Co. are clearly incapable of doing.

David Finley

Berkeley resident

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