South metro letters

The latest report that our unemployment rate is 6.7 percent is bad news, but I believe it would be beneficial to move it up just a tad more by adding those senators and congress members to the unemployed list that keep giving away taxpayer money in the form of bailouts to incompetent business leaders. Add another three unemployed by including the three auto company CEOs.

LEON ORR, FARMINGTON

Taxes didn't cause meltdown For several decades, conservatives have preached that high taxes rob us of our personal wealth and destroy jobs. Few politicians have run for office on the promise of higher taxes. Yet, there is no evidence that the worst economy since the early 1970s is due in any way to taxation.

The mortgage meltdown has resulted in steep declines in home values. The economic ripple effect from the meltdown has caused equally steep declines in the value of mutual funds contained in 401(k) retirement plans. Tight credit and an overall worsening of the economy has resulted in huge layoffs in both the private and public sector.

In other words, the great loss of personal wealth experienced by the average person during the past two years has apparently been due to a housing bubble that burst, deregulation of the financial sector, the squandering of resources in an unnecessary war in Iraq and personal greed at many levels, but not tax policy.

MIKE KLUZNIK, MENDOTA HEIGHTS

Plan now for 'end of life' care After working as a registered nurse for the past 42 years (retired in July of this year) I have found "end of life" care to be the most challenging issue in the health care arena.

Most people fail to discuss this issue with their loved ones. Along with this comes the failure to complete their health care directive or living will.

The unfortunate result is health care dollars squandered on suffering for both the patient and their family. Doctors look to a person's loved ones or the living will.

Decisions on such issues as artificial feeding and ventilator support need to be discussed when a person has the faculties to so do.

This is only the first step toward becoming accountable for our own health care. We need to know our medications (purpose/side effects) as well as any medical conditions we have.

These are steps we can take now to ease our dependence on the health care system to "save us."

MARY JANE MCCONNELL, NEW PRAGUE