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Wednesday, April 27, 1977
University Daily Kansan
Comment
Opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Kansas or the School of Journalism
Hospital limit a dud
Following fast on the heels of President Jimmy Carter's belt-tightening energy message to Congress is another bombshell—a request that Congress limit the profits of most of the nation's hospitals to nine per cent and to combat ever-increasing hospital costs.
The measure, if passed, will impose a nine per cent ceiling on hospital costs, effective Oct. 31.
It's a good idea. Hospital costs have risen 1,000 per cent since 1950, and are now rising at a rate of 15 per cent a year. For most Americans, the ceiling could provide welcome relief from the already exorbitant rates charged by hospitals for daily services. Public reaction to Carter's proposal should be favorable, and is thus well-timed in the wake of expected negative responses to higher gasoline prices.
CORPORATE AND medical associate reactions have been swift. As expected, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, the nation's major healthcare insurer, has endorsed the plan. The American Hospital Association, however, has expressed its administration's efforts "scare tactics."
V. Dell Nyland, president of the Kansas City Area Hospital Association, stated the fundamental argument against the proposal Tuesday: "Carter's objective of containing costs will have the obvious effect of reducing hospital staff; we have the same demand as present for hospital services . . you have to reduce the number of services."
NYLAND AND the AHA have a point; hospital services cost money and hospitals need a profit to survive. Increasing demand
for these services requires increased investment in capital and labor.
Perhaps the AHA should take a look at what Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is doing. After being placed under state price ceilings, Johns Hopkins brought in a number of cost-efficiency experts in an attempt to reduce costs. Suggestions by the experts were implemented, including putting some nurses on a 10-hour day, four-day work week, and disposable items in food service areas and a reworking of laundry procedures.
The net result was an annual saving of $1.2 million a year. And, much to the hospital administrator's credit, John Hopkins is now one of the merger's proposed nine per cent a year profit.
THAT BIT OF news is encouraging. But just as it would behove the AHA to take a look at John Hopkins' record, it wouldn't do any harm for Carter and his aides to inspect it. The John Hopkins cost-reduction program took three years to succeed.
months. And that is virtually impossible.
To further complicate matters, hastily implemented cost-reduction methods would probably start with the firing of lower-level personnel. Salary cuts could be inevitable and pay raises could be stopped.
The same public Carter hopes to help would then suffer the consequences of the ill-staffed and ill-equipped public hospitals that would result.
That might be the most bitter pill Carter, in his first year as President, will have to swallow. In this case, the hastily conceived hospital-cost-ceiling bombshell is a dud.
Cohorts that I I've always been a Jimmy Carter fan. I was one of the brave few that picked his bandwagon to win by at least 100 electoral votes on Election Day.
And although I consider myself an independent voter, others tend to think of me as a liberal who hates Republicans. But a recent Carter action has resulted in my joining the Republican side of an issue. I've been a recent recommendation of cutting funds for the Hillsdale Darn project.
Many of the dams that Carter has recommended for cutting are wasteful.
Carter fan hurt by funding cut
These are the ones that are nothing but big recreational projects that are proposed to be done in the millions of federal dollars have been spent on them. Many Lawrence officials probably are relieved that the Clinton project is finally going to avoid the recent Carter actions.
BUT THE White House explanation for recommending cuts on the Hilldale project clearly shows that someone in the Carter administration and the dam's projected purposes of providing a water supply for surrounding communities.
That White House explanation had only this to say about Hillsdale's projected water supply:
"Cost of the water storage is for projected future growth, which is doubtful rather than established need."
Someone from the White House needs to visit Spring Hill, Kan., where an "established landscape hill" slide project clearly exists.
Letters
SPRING HILL is a small
Having read the letters (April 13) from David Ravodich and Rob Green concerning the poor quality of the Kansan's "Focus on Western Europe" (April 7), I shall clarify some issues.
Focus page worthwhile
The Kansan's "Focus" despite some of the shortcomings outlined by the above gentlemen, was, in my opinion, particularly Andy Warren's article on Finland. As a series that tends to express opinions as briefly and clearly as possible and at the same time, that tends to be as informative to the engage person as it can, "Focus" on the whole achieves its goal.
To the editor:
Letters to the editor are welcomed but should be typewritten, double-spaced and no longer than 400 words. All letters are edited and may be condensed according to space limitations and the editor's judgment. Letters must be provided their academic standing and homecom; faculty must provide their position; others must provide their address.
Who can expect a full political narrative on the "rights" and "wrongs" of the first situation as we move through history? However, as one who has a
member of my family in the British Army, currently trying to keep the peace in Northern Ireland, and also as one who has helped assist victims of bombings in London, where terrorists in London, I can certainly say there is a "right" and "wrong" Ireland. The only thing Paul Jefferson did wrong was try to define them by his own language, speaking to Irish people of several creeds and political factions, one begins to realize that the "right" and "wrong" can be easily separated into two groups - power-hungry zealots who will stop at nothing to gain their objective, and those who want to live harmonious, peaceful lives without suffering for their religious or political differences with their neighbors.
"I'm afraid I did take issue with Diane Wolkow's "Economics, politics shake Europe." Here I have to agree with what some extent, in that social and political context between the United States and European countries have always existed, and what appears OK for the United States does not necessarily apply in Europe. Differences in cultural heritage and economic history show the same political atmosphere in Europe as one finds here
with a summary of the rather complex political, economic and social issues existing and being decided on now in Europe. I don't think by any means that the Kansan editorial writers "should confine themselves to campus issues" as suggested by questioner Sue O'Brien, the series is an admirable attempt to give us a fragment of information about what is happening in the rest of the world—something which few local newspapers can claim.
On balance, I must say that the Kansan's "Focus on Western Europe" was a good attempt to provide the reader
Aylesbury, England graduate student
Lack of oil doubted To the editor:
In 1972, Thomas Medders Jr., president of the Independent Petroleum Association of North Carolina, committee that the Geological Survey now estimated 450 billion barrels of oil and 2,100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to be recoverable from U.S. soil. This would have been enough for 100 years at the 1972 usage rate.
At that same time we had 400-600 years of coal supplies from S. u.S. oil. Although petroleum was abundant from that time, coal has not.
President Carter speaks with a forked tongue as his CIA officer, who works in the world, not U.S., reserve estimates. The recent selling of 383,000 tons of oil to the Russian Federation is abundance somewhere. 1
wonder where all that oil was this winter. Remember the distraught eastern Americans on television?
community hidden in the outskirts of the ever-increasing suburban area of Johnson County. a suburban area that is characterized by concentrated steadily toward the south and the Spring Hill area.
Jerry Storrer
Berry Storer
Tonganoxie
Some may laugh at Spring
Jay Bemis
Editorial Writer
Hill's population of 2,000, but they'll be the last to laugh when they know that the city's population has doubled from the mere 1,000 it had a few years ago.
The major source of water for residents of Spring Hill comes from the city lake—but that source has gone almost dry.
LANG IS AN older-looking man not merely because of his age, but because of several
city of Spring Hill will have only two or three day's water supply left.
The water superintendent of Spring Hill is Bill Lang. His job
for the project has been acquired and it would take at least six or seven years to complete.
Lang says that the lake's standpipe, through which the water is pumped, is now about 18 inches below the surface of the lake. Once the water level gets below the standpipe, the
Other communities designed to benefit from the Hillsdale are having similar-but some different problems. Many of these communities also are increasing in population because of new housing.
YOUNG HAS raised many eyebrows with his candor about the situation, afraid to put the blame where it is due, in no uncertain terms.
ABOUT ALL that Spring Hill can do is pray for heavy rains. It has passed an emergency ordinance under which anyone who uses more than 1,000 gallons of water a month is subject to substantially higher water bills.
That voice, it should be noted,
has often been the source of
embassurance to the Carter
army. It is a testament to
completion of its first 100 days.
His most recent gaffe was the denunciation of Great Britain as
Two, maybe three years of work could have been finished by now if planners hadn't tried to make appropriations games that are played in Congress. Many such barriers seemed to be out of the way about a year ago. But now, with a backing back much-needed water.
This ordinance might enhance more conservation of water, but it will be of little importance to the city lake continues to drop.
Carter's reinstating the Hillsdale project now would do little to help the current population of Apple HP between 38 per cent of the land needed
BUT $10.6 million of the $25 million projected cost has been funneled toward the dam already. And the reason the dam isn't near completion and saving communities now is due to a series of kinks in the rubber hose known as bureaucracy.
James Pearson, Robert Dole and Larry Winn may be Republicans, but they're fighting to get the Hillsdale one "iberal" who's behind them all the way.
MENELP ERCONNECTAARDADJVLARE. 087172694000 TRANSMITTEN
Now, U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young is being watched and listened to more closely than ever in his role of voice of the free world at the United Nations.
Young's style wreaking havoc
The headlines read: YOUNG
LEARNING THE HARD WAY,
SOLID GROOVING IN BRITAIN
RACISM AND EVERY
YOUng CALLS SOUTH
AFRICA "ILLEGITATE."
Mother of Mercy, will this be
Our man at the United Nations is probably wondering where he went wrong. Things had no doubt been a lot more peaceful for the former before he left the pulpit.
Mother of Mercy, will this be the end of Andrew Young?
'racist. Young said that that country had perpetuated the injustices against nonwhites in South Africa by its noninference and timidity in dealing with Prime Minister
sticks to point out the misdeeds of some of the nations in the world community, including the United States.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, now in the Senate, and Young
Paul Jefferson
Editorial Writer
John Vorster and his white minority government.
He later apologized for his bumness, but left untouched the fact that he insisted this statement. If Britain has exercised its pervasive as a colonial power, however, diminished over the years,) the situation in South Africa was far worse and disorientated to its low point today.
RECENTLY, THE POST of Lyon ambassador has been filled unnecessarily two men who dismembered a woman and made plentiful use of verbal
have both been accused of speaking out of turn, and saying the wrong things. Their candor adds to the reality of the situation and makes it more easily understood by the public, but wreaks havoc on the refined art of diplomacy.
TO THOSE USED to the secret and far-flung deliberations of Henry Kissinger, Young's openness and free-wheeling style in foreign dealings must come as a shock.
Young's acceptance of the "open administration" emphasized by President Carter
takes away the mystique of foreign policy that was once dealt with as a subject discussed only between career presidents but neither the war nor the know-how to handle it.
Political observers are laying odds on Young's imminent demise at the United Nations, that he will "misspeak" himself once too often and be asked politely to resign.
Hardly, President Jimmy Carter and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance have—if not embraced—backed up Young in his oppression as he tells it he is not how we all wish it could be.
THE CRITICISM of Young's conducting "foreign affairs in a goldfish bowl" and having a weekly foreign policy statement has run the gamut, but shows no signs of improving on conduct of conducting world politics.
In commenting on Young's recent statements describing Cuban troops in Angola as stabilizers in that war-torn
country, Carter has said that he agrees with the U.N. ambassador. Although surely neither like the idea of communists in Africa, it doesn't permit them to ignore that reality, or its seemingly palliative effect.
The appointment of Vice-President Mondale to begin formulating an American policy toward Africa, seen at first as a restraint on Ambassador serves as a reinforcement.
YOUNG'S TREATMENT of Africa as an independent factionalized entity is a far cry from Kissinger's more secretive haunt monde brand of diplomacy, using the continuum for a bargaining ground between capitalists and communists.
The freshness of Andrew Young's approach to age-old problems continues to stumble many. It mirrors the attitude of their openness, as they pick up and do things their way.
Energy plan superficial
© 1972 NYT Special Features
Our natural tendency to personalize public issues tends to obscure the larger purpose. The talk in Washington last week was mostly about Carter—would his popularity make senators sententors into line? Would his leadership succeed in marshaling public support for his legislative measures?
WASHINGTON—The big question involved in the formulation of an energy policy is not the survival of Jimmy Carter. It is the survival of our country.
Carter's fortunes don't really matter—or at least they ought not to matter. If a national energy policy is approached in terms of a "Carter policy" or a "state policy," it will lose in the resulting partisanship. Wars are too serious to be left to generals, so an energy policy is too vital to entrust to presidents. If this critical problem is to be solved, the statesmanship seldom seen around our town, and it will demand a maturity not yet
CARTER, IN my own view, is plainly right in his general perception. In terms of our
demonstrated by our freewheeling people.
James J. Kilpatrick
(c) 1977 Washington Star Syndicate, Inc
energy requirements, we are indeed on a collision course with the enemy. It is no novel perception. Spanish utilities and the petroleum companies have been sounding Catanian warnings for 10 years.
It is an oversimplification to say that the world is swiftly running out of oil. Enough oil could be recovered from western shale, or from deep offshore wells, or from other processes, to last for centuries; that we are running out of oil at a pace that can be absorbed without worldwide economic upheaval and without grave risk of environmental catastrophe.
BUT IF Carter is clearly right in his general perception, he is woefully wrong in his specific
The program is a mishmash, compounded of wise concern on the one hand and political palver on the other. Conservation is essential—of course less essent—but our conservation Carter is talking about can't be achieved cheaply.
twice or three times that figure. it is misleading to suggest that these things can be done without adverse environmental impact. Carter is guilting the people with "the easy and extravagant 'way of life' and 'standard of living' can be maintained.
proposals. At bottom, he is proposing to use the taxing power in order to tinker, tinker with the marketplace. He proposes a plan of tax credits and tax rebates that would produce an administrative nightmare.
The power of government ought to be used, it seems to me, incisively and boldly, in a few realistic determents against waste inefficiency in the use of fuel. And we need realistic incentives for the rapid development of energy sources. If Congress will provide this much, the free marketplace can do the rest.