We are afraid to enter these cities with troops on the ground, as many causalities are expected and could affect the president's re-election chances. Isn't it about time to rid Iraq of these Sunni strongholds once and for all instead of dabbling around the edges?

Elections will never be held in January with the current environment. I believe we should turn these cities to rubble to eliminate the troublemakers entirely and move on with rebuilding Iraq.

Eric Stein
Batavia

Kentucky teachers must be paid more

Regarding "Teachers' protests may shut schools" (Sept. 21): It is interesting how Gov. Ernie Fletcher stated that a proposed teachers' strike - for unfair health insurance costs being forced on all Kentucky teachers - would be illegal. Is it not also illegal for our legislative assembly to adjourn without a passed budget? Look in the mirror, Mr. Fletcher. Our teachers make on average $15,000 less than Ohio's teachers. Instead of easy answers like cutting costs, why don't you think of creative ideas to pay our teachers more so we don't lose our good ones to Ohio? God forbid we may have to raise a tax for the good of our children and our future.

Bob Nields
Florence

Kerry has realistic approach on Iraq

What I liked about John Kerry's speech last week, and the Enquirer's editorial too ("Kerry/Edwards offer plans for healing Iraq," Sept. 21), was the What's-done-is-done, now-let's-get-on-with-it approach. Even if you feel, as I do, that our entrance into the war was hasty and ill-advised, we are there now; we need to salvage some good from the situation. We don't have the resources to rebuild Iraq by ourselves, nor should we.

By all means, let's encourage other nations to help with the rebuilding. Let the Iraqi people see that our presence is beneficial to them. Let other nations see that we are willing to share the good-will gained (as well as any profits to be had) with the rest of the world. We need to demonstrate to the world's peoples that we respect all nations, all faiths, and that our promises are not empty ones.

Sally Miller
Finneytown

Census numbers tell story on income

The gap between the richest Americans and those at the middle and bottom of the pay scale has steadily increased in this country in recent years. In 2002, the wealthiest 20 percent of households accounted for about 50 percent of total income - a record high for this segment of wage earners in our economy.

The president's tax cuts have dramatically shifted the overall tax burden to the middle class from the wealthiest Americans, further exacerbating this disparity. Is this the conclusion of a liberal democratic think tank or a proponent of a socialist agenda? No. It's the conclusion of the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan fact-finding group. We should think long and hard about whether the Bush economic agenda is really the right course for America come Nov. 2.

Mark Schleiss
Anderson Township

Congress must fix health-care mess

I would like to offer a solution for the millions of employed Americans who work for small businesses, but don't have health care insurance because they and their employers can't afford it. The solution is predicated on Congress passing the necessary legislation to accomplish these goals.

1. Allow all small businesses across the country to combine their buying power to buy health insurance from the lowest desirable bidder.

2. Allow only medical doctors to determine what treatment is necessary subject to review by a board composed of only physicians.

3. Cap malpractice insurance premiums at a realistic and affordable level.

4. Cap jury awards at a realistic level.

5. Encourage defendants to challenge malpractice suits in court by making the loser pay the legal costs of both sides. The current system favors extortion since 90 percent of all tort lawsuits are settled out of court because defendants compare the out-of-court settlements to the cost of defending themselves in court.

Don Parcell
Cleves