Liberal columnist Blow fails to persuade and more letters to the editors

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor

Liberal columnist Blow fails to persuade

The Tuesday commentary by Charles Blow ("Constitional Crisis in Slow Motion," page B6) was nothing but ad hominem attacks on President Trump and others.

Trump will destroy the entire country? Such a ridiculous, tarnished, vile person? A memo by near-treasonous water boy Devin Nunes? Trump will never put the country above himself?

These are not statements that could prompt a reasoned person to consider the arguments set forth. Please try to actually read the text of the articles you publish and avoid hysterical ad hominem vitriol. There are plenty of available columnists on the left and right you could choose from.

Jim Tahler, Ringgold, Ga.

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ACA problems don't reduce care need

At a time we had some 47 million uninsured Americans, the plan of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was to extend health insurance to 32 million more people by 2019.

But the law had other problems such as multiple programs and payers and lack of simplicity.

It did not include undocumented immigrants, and in 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that states could choose not to expand Medicare. Twenty-four states chose that option, leaving 4.8 million people in the coverage gap. Add dysfunction and confusion with the federal website.

Inadequate coverage was seen under both private and public plans offering fewer benefits and additional costs. There also was inadequate accountability of private insurers with plans that offered fewer benefits while charging more to enrollees.

So:

1. Health care reform through the ACA was hijacked by corporate stakeholders.

2. The delivery system cannot be reformed without reforming the financial system.

3. In order to achieve efficient health insurance, we need the largest "risk pool" to spread this all out.

Hopefully, we can grow the movement for improved Medicare for all, which would finally cover everyone in America.

We are our brother's keeper.

Patricia Combs

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City doesn't want unchecked growth

Thank you for the very informative article about unchecked growth in Chattanooga and how it is impacting neighborhoods. If it continues unchecked, developers and city government will kill the goose that laid the golden egg. People will leave, and Chattanooga won't be so appealing any longer.

I have talked with many people from all over the country who made a conscious choice to move here when they could have lived anywhere else. That trend could very well be reversed.

What I found interesting was the article on the same day in the Business section about growth in single-family housing sales in Chattanooga, which seems to go against the trend being forced upon neighborhoods by developers and the Regional Planning Commission, who want high-density housing.

John Bridger of the planning commission was quoted as saying residents need to accept that the nature of traditional neighborhoods is changing and that detached single-family houses which were once the norm are no longer the case. "We want to teach people about how the housing market has changed," he said.

Thank you, but I think neighborhoods have learned that lesson, much to their detriment and decline.

Rebecca Rochat

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