The majority of the country would have a difficult time understanding most of the nuances of medical care. It therefore makes little sense to look at 'empowerment' of these people. When doctors can't even agree on the best treatments for most things, how on earth is a patient to sort through the chaff and make any kind of informed decision? Want-to-be reformers have to start to look at medical care from the perspective of, dare I say it, red America. I suspect this was part of the reason for Hillary's reform effort failure.

Doctors understand their field better than anyone else. Let them make up best practices. Then you can rate doctors on how often they meet best practices.

Thanks for your efforts. Like one of your readers who wrote in several issues ago, of all the magazines I get, California remains one of my favorites. I also did some time at Stanford University and, when people ask me which I liked better, I invariably tell them that the difference between the schools is reflected in their alumni magazines. Stanford's is about past triumphs, fluff, and pablum. It hits the round file very quickly. California is about grit, thought, challenge, and progress.

Dr. Robert D. Ley '70

I belong to a vanishing breed of solo practitioner, private practice physicians. We're on a very human, personable scale, unlike "Costcostyle" Kaiser. Kaiser is fine for some, but I pride myself on being the "anti-Kaiser" practice. Kaiser can definitely let some things slip through the cracks, possibly in part due to cost savings or lack of continuity of care with the same provider sometimes. This can happen anywhere, but many of the stories I hear are about Kaiser. One patient's back pain was dismissed and ended up being metastatic breast cancer; another compliant patient wasn't more aggressively treated for cardiac risk factors and ended up with bypass surgery. I know Kaiser has a big preventive care campaign going on; hopefully patients will take advantage of it.

Kaiser does have the Emergency Medical Response that you're talking about and which cost over a billion dollars. And it's far from perfect. My neighbor is one of the Kaiser physicians on the EMR committee. He has plenty of complaints about the system. My husband and I are installing an EMR for approximately four thousand dollars that will interface with the labs and pharmacies.

The biggest waste I see, especially with the HMO networks, is the huge administrative bureaucracy they employ. If we ever went to single payer, or consolidated into a big Kaiser, my individual identity, independence, and way of practicing neighborhood-based medicine would be gone.

Frances Dalton '85, MD

FIAT FLUX

As a Cal alum I have said many times that "My University disappeared in the 1960s. It was known as Cal and was replaced by something called Berzerkely." California Monthly for years was a left wing blog usually dumped in the trash the same day it arrived. The new California magazine is a breath of fresh air—an interesting, diverse, and balanced publication.

Bill Warren '50

BEAR OAKS

My wife and I have been following the campus tree controversy, especially as it garners more and more media attention. We met at Cal, and some of our fondest memories are our pleasant strolls under the boughs of the oaks. We hope they stay, and grow tall and strong, and serve as anchors for Bears past, present, and future.

Vincent Jorgensen, BS EECS '99
Tammy Qualls, BA PS '99

YOO'S WAR

Thank you for the interview with John Yoo ("John Yoo's War," November/ December 2006). Mr. Yoo's responses are revealing in their complete absence of examining the historical nature of U.S. foreign policy, and how it has contributed to our country becoming increasingly isolated as a rogue military nation. Mr. Yoo's beliefs are consistent with the U.S. as an empire versus a democratic republic. The use of our country's military to attack countries unilaterally (and without provocation) to secure natural resources for U.S. corporations to exploit, torturing individuals for information, and subverting the Constitution moves our nation ever closer to fascism. Mr. Yoo seems all too comfortable with this reality. Many of us will do everything in our power to oppose such a narrow interpretation of world events.

Jim Mullins '79 and Joan Beylie MS '78

CORRECTIONS: In the November/December 2006 "In Memoriam," we regrettably misspelled the name of former chemistry professor Chester O'Konski. Professor O'Konski was an integral member of both the chemistry department and the Cal community. His years of service and dedication to this institution are greatly appreciated by all. We apologize for the error.

Marilyn Rhodes '49 correctly pointed out that when California became a state in 1850, it was the 33rd state to gain admission, not the 31st, as we incorrectly reported.

Send letters to californiamag@alumni.berkeley.edu or California, Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720.

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