Demand employers keep health benefits
May is Older Americans Month and we, the grandparents of America, urge fellow Americans to join with us to protect our earned health-care benefits. Sadly, over 22 million retirees across America have had their earned health-care benefits canceled by former employers, and another 14.3 million are on the verge of losing them.
Millions of us are in the same sinking health-insurance boat. Our generation was told that if we stayed our entire career with the same company, while accepting lower pay and less vacation, we would receive employer-sponsored health benefits throughout our entire retirement in return.
With 2012 a congressional and presidential election year, retirees need to stand up and be counted as many of our former employers have sought ways to rid themselves of health-care contracts with America's retirees.
I'm active with ProtectSeniors.Org, which is leading the fight to protect earned retiree health-care benefits. I encourage all retirees and our neighbors to get involved, join ProtectSeniors.Org and show Congress and the presidential candidates we mean business, and demand a law to protect our families.
JAMES BREWER, Rock Spring, Ga.
Remediate own shortcomings first
Catchy as it may be, "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" is irrevelant in a secular society -- which the United States is. The pronouncements of the Bible, the Quran, the Talmud, the Bhagavad Gita or any other religious writings have no place under law.
The Founding Fathers wisely protected both freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Regardless, homosexuality did ot even make the "top 10" in offensive behavior.
The disproportionate focus by fundamental Christians on homosexuality is puzzling. Emphasizing the Fifth Commandment would provide a much more widespread transgression on which to focus and, most likely, within their own congregation. If they choose to deviate from the "top 10," fornication and divorce provide an even more fertile field to plow.
It seems, however, that Christ intended Christianity to be a personal standard when he said "Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, 'Let me pull out the mote of thine eye,' and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?"
Christians do well to remediate their won shortcomings before legislating religious standards for others.
In fact, Christians and non-Christians alike would be well advised to optimize their own behavior, which, for most people, is a full-time endeavor.
T. WILLIAM ALEXANDER