Reform process is ‘dictatorship’
The president says the health care bill will save us money. So, how is spending $900 million-plus of our money going to do that?
Oh, he says it will save us over $180 million in fraud and waste.
Tell me, why is that saving money when it was a crime to have not taken responsibility for it being wasted?
The polls say overwhelmingly that the American people do not want this to pass. Why can’t the Democrats understand this?
This country is heading for far worse than “socialism.” We are headed for “Communism.”
When a president and a body of politicians ignore the people and let bills become law without our consent, and “deemed to have passed” bills do not require our elected officials to physically vote on them and be a part of the record, that is “dictatorship,” period!
Our elected officials forgot that we voted for them to be our voice, not theirs.
I say, take a vote by all elected officials and let the chips fall where they may.
And if our president truly wanted to save us money, he would quit flying all over the country and do video-conferencing instead.
TOM HAWKS
Soddy-Daisy
Courage needed to vote for remorm
If I were designing a health care system for the U.S. (or any country), I would want it to (1) deliver quality health care (2) at an affordable price (3) to all Americans.
Our current health care system fails to meet these goals. Eliminating the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions will ensure access to medical insurance, and the requirement that everyone carry insurance will drive down the costs of insurance.
Insurance companies and others who have a stake in the current system, and their supporters in Congress, are arguing in favor of tweaking the system around the edges or for a “do-over” of the entire process in order to preserve the status quo. Ronald Reagan used to say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” The corollary to that must be that “If it is broke, then let’s fix it!”
Many other countries have been able to meet the three goals listed above, all while spending far less on health care than we do. We can fix our health care system if members of Congress have the courage to vote to support President Obama’s health care reform package.
CATHERINE LONG
Signal Mountain
School vote unfair for pre-K students
The school board vote on March 18 was not fair to my child. My 4-year-old daughter is currently enrolled in the Normal Park pre-K program for the 2010-2011 school year. We went through the process starting a year ago to get her into this program, something we would not have done had we known that admittance to kindergarten at Normal Park was not guaranteed. We would not have decided to make sacrifices to pay the tuition if we had known that admittance to kindergarten was not guaranteed.
I do not disagree that a paid pre-K program with guaranteed slots into kindergarten is unfair to the Hill City Community and others who cannot find a way to pay $5,000 for pre-school. But I also think it is unfair to do this to us now when the window has passed for other options. I can’t even send my daughter to the church program where she currently attends because we gave up her spot a year ago.
Please consider a separate vote for this issue A grandfathering provision is only reasonable for students who have been pre-registered since May 1, 2009. We did not have a plan B because we thought a promise was a promise.
BRENT GOLDBERG
Health reform is needed now
As a retired teacher and a cancer survivor in Tennessee’s Third District, I find it hard to believe that any conscious American would oppose reform for a fair health insurance system. To delay this any longer costs lives.
After 35 years voting in this district, after the privilege of knowing many young students here, and after watching many cancer patients struggle with their pre-existing status, I am well aware that reform is needed now.
All of the many people I know will benefit. Most of them know it and will no longer stand by while their representatives vote against their wishes.
I have faith that Tennesseans are not blind to the need of some to make the country wait while individual partisan needs are met. Nor are they impressed by scare tactics of the ads opposing reform.
Voters have a powerful voice and are learning to step up and use it.
Please call your representative today.
CONNIE BOROUGHS
Health plans sound good on paper
While in Australia recently, my husband and I met an educated, well-traveled British couple. I asked them how they liked their government-sponsored medical care system. They said, “Oh, we love our health care system.” Then they went on to say that they also had private insurance in case the wait was too long with the regular system as it often was.
As we talked, they mentioned that the government was hard-pressed to pay for it, however.
Then they asked how many foreign doctors we had in the states as they had few British doctors; most were foreign. This was borne out later by a comedian who, when portraying a British doctor, used an Indian accent. Yes, they loved their system … it sounds so good on paper.
While in Canada, we asked the same question to the driver of our horse-drawn carriage. His answer was nearly identical. But it looks so good on a politician’s record to say he/she is caring for the needy in our society.
No doubt, we need reform, but beware of what “sounds” good on paper. Politicians want it because it looks good on their record. Apparently, we, the people, must be the parent to the child/politician.
SHARON GUY
Charleston, Tenn.
Stop abuse, raise funds at same time
After learning of an incident that happened at a local high school cafeteria, where a student verbally assaulted a cafeteria worker whose only offense was to politely ask the student to move so she could get some food from the kitchen to the serving line, this idea on how the schools could raise extra funds came to me. Enact a law that will force parents to take such misbehaviors seriously rather than treat it like a joke.
If a student verbally abuses or berates a member of the school faculty or staff in front of witnesses, the parent(s) of said student should be required by law to pay a $50 fine. This will not only cut down on disruptive displays of disrespect, but will provide schools with a new source of income. It will not violate the student’s right to free speech, since judges have the same authority in the courtroom, and inflict much sharper penalties for contempt.
TAMARA LOWERY
Soddy-Daisy
Increases mean you just can’t win
Well, here we go again! TVA raises their rates (really big surprise?). Tennessee-American Water rates going up for homeowners. (I am not a homeowner, I live in an apartment complex), but I will probably be charged anyway, because you just can’t win for losing! No cost-of-living increase, everything else increases, even all the Congress in Washington still gave themselves a raise. But no matter what you do, you can’t fight city hall, and once again, you just can’t win for losing!
BOB STYTZER
East Ridge