Many of the topics discussed in "What Can the Democrats Do for Nursing?" (February) are irrelevant. For example, the first issue raised, universal health care, has no chance of becoming a reality in this country-nor should it. In "How Not to Handle Health Care" (the Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2003), physician David Gratzer highlights the flaws of such systems in France, Germany, and most other countries that attempt to tax their way to health care.

And I've never known a nurse who was forced to work overtime against her will or suffered consequences for declining a request to work extra hours. I decline such requests all the time.

Because most nurses work for private institutions, the government has no mandate to establish or interfere with nurses' salaries or working conditions, contrary to the candidates' assertions; nor can it offer nurses "flexible scheduling and part-time work," as Howard Dean suggested. A nurse who seeks a particular schedule should negotiate accordingly or look for employment at an institution that offers such scheduling options.

Roxana Matson, RN