I recently returned from a Florida vacation and am happy to be home and away from all those gated communities. I find the words "gated" and "community" to be contradictory. Are they trying to keep themselves in or the rest of us out?

After reading Timothy Egan's article on gated communities (Nation/World, Sept. 3), I too am filled with shock and incredulity at this phenomenon…Of course, as Egan aptly points out, surely this trend will cause our nation to become more Balkanized. These "gaters" are fleeing areas where being an American is only a hyphenated experience — used only when applying for social handouts while usually maintaining allegiance to a country and culture few of them have ever seen.