I welcome all the support and information from activist volunteers and others who have contributed extensively to the Carnegie Libraries. My family always benefited tremendously from the libraries. I found both the Mount Washington and South Side branches relaxing places to work.

The news about Doug Shields' proposal to send some much-needed money to the libraries ("City May Bail Out Libraries With Fuel Fund Glut," Oct. 30) is the first time I've seen any recognition from the city that there's a problem and that the city government could do something about it.

I lived for several years in Mr. Shields' district and was impressed by his community involvement and his good reputation in the community. Nonetheless, the problems of the libraries are not dissimilar to the problems of the schools. It is appalling that we have so few young families choosing the city to live in or school their children. We found both to be acceptable and welcome for our child, now attending the University of Pittsburgh.

For there to be extended debate about this proposal to send excess budgeted money, not needed now, to the libraries, even for a year to come up with a good solution, without a concrete alternative, would be intolerable.

FRANK CORRENTI
Mount Washington

Humility lacking

Rob Rogers' "Brewed on Grant" (Oct. 28) rightly references the negative impact that blogs, tweeting and, might I add, the Internet are having on public libraries and newspapers, two institutions that virtually everyone would agree are essential to learning and quality of life.

Newspaper publishers and editors, though, need also to look at their editorial pages when analyzing their problems. Simply stated, newspaper editorialists, be they on the right or the left, have too often become condescending toward large numbers of their readers and potential readers.

Liberal pages, for example, often depict Republicans and conservatives as heartless and devoid of ideas and leadership. Even Democrats are not safe as evidenced by the Post-Gazette, which chastised Clinton supporters for not thinking their votes through following her decisive victory over Barack Obama in the 2008 Pennsylvania primary ("O Bummer: Clinton's Pennsylvania Win Promises Only Trouble," April 24, 2008).

Conservative editorial writers are equally troubling. Repeated reference to Democrats as "dimmycrats" is offensive to the large number of people who support that party. I know thousands of Democrats. I disagree with them on many issues, but virtually none of them are even remotely dim, but moderate or even conservative on at least some issues.

No one would advocate for newspapers to take only middle-of-the-road or nuanced positions. To the contrary, strong opinions foster healthy debate and discussion.

A bit of humility, though, and an understanding that those who hold opposing views might put more people on subscription lists and more quarters in the honor boxes.

VAUGHN GILBERT
Elizabeth Township

Using what exists

Jennifer Schnakenberg is right to be concerned about the size of 1117 S. Negley Ave in her Oct. 30 letter ("How Can Such a Large Home Be Truly Green?"). A solution to this problem went unmentioned in the article on Oct. 24 ("Extreme Green Makeover"), division of the house into zones, allowing us to seal off lesser-used areas, thereby lowering energy costs.

LEED for Homes agrees with her so that the threshold for certification increases with the size of the house. For our home to simply qualify for certification requires points that would earn Gold LEED certification for the average-size house. This is why almost every green feature available in 2009 is found here except solar and geothermal possibilities.

We share her yearning for a realistic vision of sustainable living, but surely that must include the wonderful large homes already existing in our city. The message is not about kings; it's about caring.

JANET ANTI
Squirrel Hill

The greed goes on

I have never been against people, businesses, corporations, etc., making an honest profit. I was in the working world for 25 years and expected to be paid a decent wage for my endeavors. However, there are those who are never satisfied with "enough." My Medicare supplemental insurance provider is a perfect example.

Each year, my premiums have gone up and the increase was usually accompanied by a decrease in services (often subtle and buried in medical legalese). But my recent notification for the 2010 increase was a shocker. Silly me, I thought the 2009 increase of $10 a month was unconscionable, but for 2010, the increase will be almost four times that amount. My co-pays will increase as well.

When does this stop? When is enough enough? Something has to be done to regulate these greedy providers, already enjoying scandalous profits, from robbing a captive population.

Like many, I am on a fixed income and will have to rob Peter to pay Paul, but I shudder to think what the years will bring if there are no other options or regulatory controls to curb this heinous practice. If you think the emergency rooms are overcrowded now and taxpayers are overburdened, wait until all the people like me can no longer afford to carry health insurance.

M.C. LUNN
Plum

Another blow

Another UPMC moment! The cost of my husband's supplemental insurance premium for UPMC for Life has risen 86 percent for the year 2010. Plus co-pays have also increased. Now that UPMC has enrolled so many Medicare people, it has followed the others, Highmark, Advantra, etc., with high percentage increases each year.

Another hit to the fixed-income group of people.

MARIANN BRAYER
Verona

Industry arrogance

How can UPMC raise the monthly premium on its popular Medicare Advantage HMO-Rx plan by 86 percent from 2009 to 2010 ($28.50 to $53) in a year when there was no inflation and without a word of explanation?

The arrogance of the health-care insurance industry is a major reason why America's health system is currently in the chaotic state that it is.

I have repeatedly requested an explanation from UPMC and received no answer.

R. EDWARD CHRISTNER
Peters

Not so funny

There's enough ugliness in the world without finding it on the comics page. On Oct. 30, one comic strip had drugs and another comic strip had porn. Nice. "Rex Morgan, M.D." had a character saying, "Take it easy, man. I just called to get some weed" and "For Better or For Worse" actually showed the father looking at a porn magazine!

My 8-year-old daughter likes to read the comics sometimes ... I'm glad she didn't see last Friday's lovely kid-stuff. Thanks for keepin' it real.

DIANE DANIELS
Indiana Township

Read what real climate scientists are saying

In the Oct. 27 PG, letter writer Fred Brewer writes that "global temperatures haven't risen since 1998" ("Re: Temperatures"). Actually, every single year from 2001 through 2008 has been warmer than all of the years of the 20th century except for 1998. The year 1998 was abnormally warm due to a strong (warming) El Nino event, while we're just now coming out of a (cooling) La Nina event. It's easy to get fooled by this selective misuse of data. Also, we're currently sitting at the bottom of the 11-year sunspot cycle. For three years, solar energy has been at its faintest in 30 years, even as the climate heats. When the next El Nino hits, and the sunspot cycle resumes, warming will accelerate.

In the Oct. 28 PG, letter writer Vince Oddo ("The Climate Hoax") declares that "global warming is leftist propaganda and one big hoax." The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has included more than 2,500 scientific expert reviewers, 800 contributing authors and 450 lead authors. Researchers aren't highly compensated. Any one of them could make a lot more money writing for the deniers.

Mr. Oddo wonders why Al Gore doesn't debate the global warming deniers. Why should he? He isn't a climate scientist -- only someone who trusts experts more than sloganeers. But the debate that Mr. Oddo desires is indeed happening every day. If you don't want to wade through the massive IPCC reports, then check out the Web site www.realclimate.org. This Web site, maintained by real climate scientists, objectively discusses and debates the issues and clarifies a lot of misunderstandings.

RICHARD L. MYERS
Richland
The writer, who has a doctorate in atomic and molecular physics, recently retired from a career related to air pollution monitoring.

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