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Taking the teeth out of shark record | Readers respond

The 926-pound mako might be the largest one caught off the Jersey coast, but the way it was landed might muddy the mark.

Taking teeth out of shark record

Fish submitted for record consideration usually need to have been landed by rules set by the International Game Fish Association ("926-pound mako could set a N.J. record," Tuesday). The rules clearly disallow anglers taking turns on the rod or the use of firearms to kill the fish while on the hook.

Since six guys took turns reeling in the 12-foot shark 100 miles off the Jersey coast and shot it with a 12-gauge shotgun, I think the record claims are a bit premature.

|Rocco J. Saraullo, Southampton, Burlington County

Tax gas industry, not consumers

Pennsylvania is the only gas-producing state that does not levy a severance tax on the value of the gas the industry takes from our state, losing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue ("Not the right gas tax idea," Monday). When it looked as though common sense might prevail and a tax would be approved, greed and ignorance returned. The fear of losing millions in campaign contributions and support for reelection drives legislators' decisions. Our public-service geniuses are now recommending a tax on gas consumers. Hopefully, sanity will prevail.

Where is the outrage from taxpayers? When will we vote these self-serving legislators out?

|Robert Turnbull, Hatboro

Nuclear power cleaner than gas

The commentary, "Pa. should resist entreaties to bail out the nuclear industry" (Monday) needs context. The claim that natural gas is cleaner than nuclear power is false. The Limerick Generating Station generates 2,200 megawatts of power, which eliminates 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide per day compared to natural gas, ignoring the tons of other emissions, such as nitrogen oxide, that natural-gas power generation also produces.

The commentary might be right that nuclear utilities don't deserve a free ride and should be searching for ways to cut costs, but nuclear's ability to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions should be factored in when considering whether that industry should be subsidized.

|John Baxter, member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Downingtown, jmbaxt@aol.com

Market can work for health care

The story about cost-sharing to drive down health-care costs was laudable, but its conclusions were fundamentally wrong (" 'Saving' on health care can backfire," Thursday). Referencing just two studies, it determined that "there's no simple way for consumers to drive down health-care costs by shopping for the best price."

Look at New Hampshire, where a right-to-shop initiative approved by the state employees union is giving employees advanced pricing to make cost-conscious choices. While there is no evidence yet of regional health-care costs declining, there is evidence of employer savings. New Hampshire taxpayers saved a net $11 million in the first year of the program.

Just because these consumer tools are not yet widely available doesn't mean they won't be. There is an industry focused on "self-pay patients" that works to provide health-care pricing information. Websites such as Healthcare Bluebook and MediBid are creating consumer-driven competition.

The consumer-friendly forces of the free market can also prevail in Medicaid to reduce costs and boost quality. The only question is: When will government get out of the way?

|Elizabeth Stelle, director, policy analysis, Commonwealth Foundation, Harrisburg, ebs@commonwealthfoundation.org

Toomey should back consumers

Forced arbitration clauses are large companies' way of silencing consumers and avoiding a fair day in court. By slipping clauses into seldom-read contracts that ban class-action lawsuits, companies can ensure that they maintain their goliath status and stack the deck in their favor. Not surprisingly, individual consumers have a slim chance of success through forced arbitration proceedings.

That's why the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a new rule this month outlawing these clauses and returning to consumers their collective right to a day in court. Wall Street banks are vehemently against this rule.

Unfortunately, GOP leaders in the House and Senate have chosen to oppose consumers and side with Wall Street on this. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey is supporting legislation to reverse this rule. Instead of siding with his constituents' right to a fair civil trial, Toomey is doing the bidding of Wall Street, which gets by on the assumption that consumers will be left disenfranchised enough to never fight back.

|Samantha Washington, Philadelphia, samanthamrw08@gmail.com

License-plate covers beat system

Red-light and speed cameras could help improve driving safety, but only if they catch the license plate number of offenders ("'Speed cameras' ensure safety," July 16). In the last five years, I've noticed a proliferation of license-plate covers designed to thwart red-light cameras. Some of the covers are tinted dark enough that the license plate is unreadable from more than 10 feet. Others reflect the camera flash, rendering the photo of the plate a blur.

A coworker has one of these license-plate covers. He said he installed it after getting several red-light camera fines, boasting that it has saved him "about a thousand dollars" in fines.

I suggest the Philadelphia Parking Authority start issuing fines and putting the boot on cars that have these license-plate covers. It's against the state motor vehicle code to have a license-plate cover; the law just needs to be enforced.

|Joseph E. Galster, Philadelphia