Re a Nov. 4 article Jackson, UM leaders square off in which I am quoted as saying, ``I would not send my family to many of them,'' referring to Jackson Memorial Hospital's new doctors. At a recent meeting between the leadership of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Health System, I spoke in frustration about the complex and often difficult circumstances in which both institutions operate their shared public mission. As chairman of the UM Board of Trustees, I made a statement that was indeed ill-advised. For this I apologize.

Jackson Memorial's partnership has helped the Miller School of Medicine achieve excellence, and UM remains wholly committed to Jackson, its patients, and the residents of Miami-Dade County. We are at a unique point in the history of both institutions, where working together can result in extraordinary scientific advances, dramatic improvements in patient care and possibly an overall reduction in healthcare costs.

Having spent my medical school and internship training at Jackson, I have a special affinity for this institution. We will work harder than ever to make sure we move forward as partners for the benefit of South Floridians.

PHILLIP T. GEORGE, M.D., Miami

Protect the climate

We should call our senators and tell them to speak up against Sen. James Inhofe, R- Okla., who is leading GOP efforts to boycott the climate bill in the Senate.

``Scientists'' who question that burning of fossil fuels is not causing climate change have the ears of many leaders and are funded by Big Coal and Big Oil, and they produce reports that are not peer reviewed.

According to scientist Naomi Oreskes, all peer-reviewed papers on climate change between 1997 and 2007 establish that growth of greenhouse gases that trap heat in our atmosphere is a result of burning fossil fuels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a worldwide body of scientists, urges us to cut greenhouse gases 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 percent by 2050.

ANDREA CUCCARO, Coral Gables

Goodbye, Medicare

I applaud the Nov. 3 Other Views column by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., about healthcare. However, I am afraid there is no hope of saving the Medicare program. With the amount of Medicare fraud here in Miami, most of the monies allotted for Medicare are or will soon be in the hands of criminals.

I have six more years until I reach 65. I'm not expecting to see Medicare when I get there.

SUE PINSLEY, Miami

Numbers not funny

Re Glen Garvin's Nov. 3 column The funny numbers game: By mischievously passing on to Herald readers a question asked by ABC News reporter Jake Tapper (``Does that mean the stimulus costs taxpayers $160,000 per job?''), Garvin leads us to believe that he either doesn't know anything about mathematics or knows better and hopes we don't understand business math.

Congress passed and the president signed a stimulus bill into law at a time when serious economists were warning of the consequences of another depression.

While Tapper and Garvin sidestep the factor of stimulus dollars spent on materials purchased (asphalt and concrete, for example) in their derision, let's work with their numbers. If, through the stimulus package, the government wrote a contract for one job at $160,000 for one year, the contractor would hire that one person, and from that money would come back to the government $13,240 in Social Security taxes and $4,135 in Medicare taxes. State and federal income taxes would also come directly back to our government. All before that one lucky employee ever spent a dime.