Copyright 1999 The National Journal, Inc.
The National Journal
January 23, 1999
SECTION: LETTERS; Pg. 163; Vol. 31, No. 4
LENGTH: 920 words
HEADLINE:
Letters for Jan. 23, 1999
BODY:
GOP
Policies Are Working
In his Dec. 19 article (''A
Towering Mayor Who's
Stumbling,'' 12/19&26/98, p. 3030) commenting upon
my prospects
for Governor, Mark Cohen accurately pointed out that Jersey
City's teachers and police unions have opposed me in my last two
mayoral
elections. (I won anyway, by 58 and 69 percent.) He then
noted that some
state Republican leaders resent the pressure I
have put upon them to
implement legislation which, though good
policy, is opposed by powerful
organized interests: for instance,
school voucher legislation. But Cohen
erred when he suggested
that these factors will be a stumbling block if I
run for
Governor in 2001.
As a Republican, I
would never have been elected mayor in
overwhelmingly Democratic Jersey City
if I were not willing to
fight for the positive agenda I believe in. As it
is, I have been
elected three times, so that I am now Jersey City's longest-
serving mayor in 50 years. In my last re-election campaign, I
garnered
46 percent of Jersey City's African-American vote and 76
percent of its
Hispanic vote. The Republican policies I have implemented
are working.
They have moved Jersey City from the brink of bankruptcy to
financial stability without increasing its property tax levy.
They have
lowered crime almost 40 percent. A Rutgers study has
revealed that 91
percent of the job growth in New Jersey's six
largest cities has occurred in
Jersey City alone.
Correspondingly, unemployment has plummeted.
I may or may not run to succeed Christie Whitman
when her
term ends. But if I run, I will not back off from the Republican
policies that I believe can expand freedom and opportunity for
all New
Jerseyans. I have proved that when properly presented,
our agenda can garner
Democratic support. I certainly believe
that it can win votes in a
Republican primary--even if the
teachers union endorses a more establishment
opponent.
- Bret Schundler, Mayor, Jersey City
Internet Industry Wasn't a Loser
In a recent
article about Internet lobbying, it was
stated that ''Internet lobbyists
lost a round on this issue
(privacy) in October . . .'' with the passage of
the Children's
Online Privacy Protection Act (''washingtonclout.com,''
12/19&26/98, p. 3012).
I strongly disagree
that the passage of this act was a
loss. Indeed, it was strongly supported
by major Internet
companies and trade associations. The Federal Trade
Commission,
in its June testimony to Congress, and the Vice President, in
his
July speech at the White House on privacy online, called for
legislation on kids' online privacy. Several industry leaders,
the
primary kids' groups, the FTC, and the Congress, led by Sens.
John McCain
and Richard Bryan, developed this legislation in
about six weeks.
It was a victory because it set a standard for all
to
follow to protect kids under 13 in limiting what information
could be
collected online from them. The legislation follows the
self-regulatory
guidelines of the Direct Marketing Association,
the Children's Advertising
Review Unit, and the Online Privacy
Alliance.
The legislation clearly identifies what sites are
covered: those
specifically targeted to children and where the
age of the child is actually
known. This eliminates the
responsibility of general sites that are not
aimed at children.
Moreover, the legislation has a provision that allows for
compliance by following industry self-regulation codes. It also
provides
some level of pre-emption of state laws. The FTC had
much of this authority
anyway, and this balanced legislation
gives the industry a clear target to
aim at in compliance.
Most importantly, the industry
responded with the support
of legislation that will make the Net a safer
and, therefore, a
more popular place. It surely should not be labeled a
loss.
- Ronald L. Plesser, Partner, Piper &
Marbury
Patient Protections Still Needed
I
read with great interest the comments by our friends in
the business and
managed care community on health care reform
(''An Overture, Again, on
Health Reform,'' 12/12/98, p. 2933).
It seems that
some on the business and managed care side
of the equation are simply trying
to change the subject to avoid
congressional action on managed care
reform. While many of those
of us in the Patient Access to
Responsible Care Alliance would be
happy to discuss methods by which access
to health care can be
increased, that's a different issue, and avoiding the
deep
problems inherent in managed care's ''just say no'' policy won't
wash.
Managed care plans are busy jacking up
premiums and then
arguing that it will get worse if patient protections are
enacted. That is somewhat akin to saying: ''The building has just
collapsed on top of you, but the sky may fall as well.''
Health care plans can try to save managed care as a cost-
saving device by working with Congress, health care
professionals, and
consumers to pass reasonable reforms that will
save the integrity of managed
care and restore the confidence in
the system. Or they can spend millions of
dollars on a public
relations campaign to try to change the subject in hopes
of
avoiding reform.
- David E. Hebert, Chairman
Patient Access to Responsible Care Alliance
Steering Committee
LOAD-DATE: January 25, 1999 
