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Dear Larry, The threat of the neuro-degenerative diseases is real and is a threat to our national security. We need a healthy nation in order to be strong. As the baby boomers age, we will see more and more Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Our government has got to become and remain concerned about Parkinson's and the other neuro-degenerative diseases. In just 6 years, the boomers will reach age 57, the average age of diagnosis. We'll have to deal with the situation then. We don't want a repeat of "And the Band Played On." Right now we, the people, have the opportunity to do something proactive. There really is hope for a cure and we need to be working on it from every direction. There is room for both private and public enterprise in the war against Parkinson's. And a war IS what we are fighting here! If we can send a man to the moon, explore the heavens, end the Gulf War before millions of television viewers, put a zoo in the sky, and create an atom bomb, surely we can accomplish the goal of creating a healthier America. With adequate funding, human suffering and the drain on our entitlement programs can be reduced. With funding, we can create a better future for our children so that they are not forced to toil endlessly in trying to pay for our lack of foresight and, at the same time, take care of their parents afflicted by diseases such as Parkinson's. It is obvious that we share different points of view, Larry, but this list is big enough for both of them. Let's hear it for freedom of speech. Barb Brock