Costco Connection - December 2006

DIALOGUEletters

YES. It’s unfortunate that it has come down to this, but people of certain ethnic and religious backgrounds have a much higher probability to commit terrorist acts against the U.S. at this time. Anyone acting suspiciously also has to be checked. Bruce Shimizu, Kaneohe, Hawaii

GE T T Y IMAGES

NO. Did everyone suddenly forget that the second most heinous terrorist act in the country, the Oklahoma City bombing, was committed by two white males?

Lance McDowell, Tacoma, Washington

might have been free in the past. Our overhead costs rise annually while insurance companies and Medicare have cut what we get paid by not raising fees over the last five years. Medical insurance generally pays for office/hospital visits, and that’s it. You can’t get free service by phone or e-mail from a lawyer or accountant, so why does he think you should get free services from a doctor? If patients want non-visit care, they can either pay each time or, in some practices, enter a retainer agreement where these services are provided for a monthly fee.

Dr. Roy L. Bishop, Durham, California
Debate goes on
In response to the November
Debate, “Should airport security
procedures include ethnic and
religious profiling?”

NO. I don’t think airport security personnel should target only young Arab men.

Diane Yankelevitz, Bozeman, Montana

Y ES. It is just common sense. I am not advocating the suspension of civil rights, but I think the increased safety of the majority, even at the possible inconvenience and embarrassment of a few, is necessary.

Arthur Bernstein
Massapequa Park, New York

Debater challenged

I was shocked to see Daniel Pipes’ picture and to read his venom-filled comments in The Costco Connection magazine. Pipes’ mission in life is to speak and write against Muslims. His comments do not belong in a corporate magazine such as The Costco Connection.

B. Bhombal, Monrovia, California

Have something to say? Readers are encouraged to submit letters to our editors on any topic or issue covered in The Connection. Please include your full name and phone number or address. Send all letters to: Dialogue, The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088; fax to (425) 313-6718; or e-mail to dialogue@costco.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for publication.

Country wisdom

I love Costco and I love seeing Costco expand, but when I read the cover story of the October 2006 issue of The Connection, I found Taiwan listed as a country along with profiles of countries in which Costco operates. That’s really confusing, because only a few countries in the world officially consider Taiwan an independent country, even though it has its own government, army and passport.

I would refer to it as Taiwan, China, or perhaps list Taiwan under a territory category. As of today, neither the United States nor the United Nations considers Taiwan a country. These Web sites offer more information: http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html; www.un.org/Overview/unmember.html.

Frank Lew, Williamsburg, Virginia

All mompreneurs Are you a working mom who is run- ning a home-based business so you can spend more time with your family? Perhaps your business idea came to you from an experience or revelation you had raising your chil-

dren. If you started your own business after you became a mom, we’d love to hear from you.

Please write to us with information about your business at: Mompreneurs, The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124- 1088; by fax to (425) 313-6718; or by e-mail to sponder@costco.com.

In selecting contributors for the “Yes” and “No” arguments of our monthly Debate section, we seek responsible commentators we believe can clearly express each side of the debate. These commentators have included sitting and former presidents of the United States, think-tank experts, heads of major non-governmental organizations, journalists and others who have track records in taking part in public discourse. We feel that Daniel Pipes, although clearly controversial, has the credentials to be included in this group. In no way does our selection of a Debate contributor indicate an endorsement of that contributor’s opinion, something that simply would not make sense since we select bot h a

“Yes” and a “No” on each Debate topic.—Ed.

Odds and ends
More than integrity

I totally agree with the article “Following a Moral Compass” [October 2006 issue]. As a small-business owner I am always researching ways to support the people who work with me. The article talks about treating employees with integrity. I would love to see a follow-up article that covers how a small company can move from independent contractors to employees and then to providing health insurance and paid parental leave. I want to do right, but it is all overwhelming!

Erica Matteson, Portland, Oregon

Charitable giving revisited

In the November issue of The Costco
Connection (which I love to read), on
page 23, an article titled “Charitable
choices,” says, “The IRS allows tax
deductions on charitable contribu-
tions of up to 5 percent of pretax
income.” I believe this is a typo.
Did you mean 50 percent? I
know that the IRS allows way
more than 5 percent.
Georganne Copas,
Salinas, California