Dear Harry: Your voice has been one of common sense and reasoned opinions. I would love to see you get more involved in the national debates going on in Washington, particularly the one on health care. I have always thought that insurance was an economic miracle. It allows the costs to be spread among many for the costs incurred by the few. And in life insurance, it provides payment for widows and orphans of those who die young and for other uses when people live long. Car insurance, homeowners, disability insurance, unemployment insurance, etc., are all helpful and necessary for the economic success of our society. I am at a total loss to understand why there is such an outcry against health insurance when other risks are so efficiently mitigated by insurance. I have not seen any discussion of the cost to society of having so many people uninsured for health care. The real cost is the productivity and taxes lost when people do not get needed care and become a substantial burden to society. If they got the needed care, many would be genuine assets to society. I await your observations and opinions.

What Harry says: This column is an attempt to help those who have financial or economic questions of a personal nature. Certainly, questions of government policy and debate do arise, and I respond to them as they affect the individual involved. On occasion, I do write an op-ed column on issues that I feel are overlooked or are very disturbing to me. Although I have some very strong political views, my effectiveness in this space would be compromised by my expressing them. Thanks for your input.

Write Harry Gross c/o the Daily News, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130. Harry urges all his readers to give blood - contact the American Red Cross at 800-GIVE LIFE.