Letters to the editor: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017
Letters to the editor: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017
Nationalism not offensive
Why are many Americans upset with “Make America Great Again”?
Why does nationalism offend? It’s defined in Webster’s New World College Dictionary as “devotion to one’s nation; patriotism.”
Why is the concept of America as a nation rejected by some? The definition of nation is “a stable, historically developed community of people with a territory, economic life, distinctive culture, and language in common.”
Perhaps our history as a nation and the sacrifices made to create, build and preserve America has not been taught or experienced by this group.
Why do many people believe that America is being led on the wrong path? Education is failing. Infrastructure is deteriorating. Military equipment is obsolete. Racial tensions are mounting. Sexual and bathroom identities are on the government’s front burner.
Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, a bad bill, never read or understood. The design was incomplete, meant to fail and totally unaffordable. If Congress passes a bad law, should Congress repeal the bad law?
Globally, the United Nations, NATO and countries receive monetary/military aid to protect their interests. Why is it wrong to ask these organizations and countries to reimburse the American taxpayers?
President Donald Trump is criticized for his lack of political and establishment politics. As a builder, Trump does not possess the detail skills of the architect, excavator, erector, roofer, glazier, etc., but he knows how to gather the right people in the right area. A beautiful structure is the result.
I believe that Trump will create such a qualified team in government. He has the ego and love of America to succeed.
On Jan. 20, Trump began his most difficult project, to “Make America Great Again.”
Frank W. Pliml, Naples
Get wisdom
The Jan. 22 lament by columnist Garrison Keillor deserves a comment as he appears to be misinformed and lost.
I say this because Keillor claims to be seeking gentle faith and “the sacredness of leisure” while forsaking Christianity. Perhaps his statement was in jest, but if he is a true Christian the origins of his faith and the source of eternal forgiveness and comfort is not that hard to find. Maybe he never made a serious attempt to understand and embrace his own religion?
Keillor, with all thy knowledge, get thee wisdom.
Robert McCreight, Naples
Send a “Singing Valentine”
Once again, quartets from the Paradise Coastmen Barbershop Chorus will deliver “Singing Valentines” to homes and offices on Feb. 12, 13 and 14.
This marks the 12th year the group has undertaken this project whose revenues underwrite the expenses of the organization and its local service projects, including the Salvation Army and youth outreach.
A tuxedoed quartet will deliver two love songs together with a long-stemmed red rose and card from you to a wife, mother or special someone.
To place an order, call 239-352-6366 or email: Paradisecoastmenchorus@comcast.net
Gray Poehler, Naples
Vice president, Paradise Coastmen Chorus
Consumers pay
Did it occur to President Donald Trump that the proposed tax on Mexican imports will be paid by the American consumer who purchases those goods?
Thanks, Mr. President, for explaining that when you said Mexico would pay for this wall, that in fact you meant that Americans would be taxed to pay for it.
William Dooley, Naples
Inauguration boycott a real scandal
What’s the definition of a scandal?
A 2008 election scandal involved Barrack Obama’s campaign connection to community activist group ACORN, Project Vote, etc., with fraudulent voter ID registration nationwide.
A 2012 election scandal involved a unit of the Internal Revenue Service run by Lois Lerner, who allegedly targeted and delayed hundreds of conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status to block fundraising for Republicans’ seats and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
A 2016 election scandal involving the Democratic National Committee and former Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta’s gmail, which was hacked and published.
Since the Nov. 8 election, the response from the Democrats has revealed they can’t handle or accept defeat. I know how hard it is to accept the election results when you lose, because that’s how I felt in 2008 and 2012.
But in 2008 and 2012, I don’t recall any protests in the streets, crying forums, vandalism, violent acts against each other or the police, or fake news stories.
An election took place, the results were accepted, and elected officials from both sides of the aisle attended the inaugurations.
The group of elected officials who chose to boycott the inauguration of President Donald Trump was disgraceful. They thought they were making a statement, but in reality their actions publicly demonstrated to all of us they are part of the problem of why the government isn’t working anymore. That's a scandal.
Liz Murray, Naples
Get back to the task at hand
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” -- Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was born into a privileged family. His family and their descendants were and are the bedrock upon which this nation was formed. His tenure as president occurred in an era where protests were virtually unheard-of.
Yet, from the above quote, we see that he held a very liberal interpretation of the rights of citizens to gather and express their disapproval regarding their government and its policies.
There are hard feelings now brought on by one of the more divisive elections in modern times. But, like hotly contested sporting events, when the game is over, it is over. Time and events will soon cool the rancor. Most folks will get back to the more important tasks of raising, educating and providing for their families. Few have the time or the energy to engage in protracted and esoteric philosophical debates about how the relative merits of governing is approached in Washington, D.C. Few, outside of the Beltway, really care.
Washington is indeed viewed as an ungovernable swamp by most of the electorate. The grand irony is that the people, voting in the recent election, sent most of the selfsame creators of the swamp back to Washington to continue their practices. Go figure.
We need to take a national breath and get on with the complicated task of confronting the many difficult issues that face us as a nation.
Joseph Xavier Martin, Estero
Give Trump a chance
Before our presidential election, I said, “If Donald Trump is elected, there will be rioting in the streets. If he loses, his supporters will probably just swallow hard and accept the results.”
Ladies and gentleman, our great republic has duly elected a new president. Let’s step back and give the man a chance.
Nancy Beights, Naples
Save, don’t abort
We all read about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus closing down. One of the main problems is that attendance was low, cost of keeping up the animals was high and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was on the owners a lot about treatment of animals.
If people don’t go or won’t go, then that does hurt attendance, and all costs are rising. The last problem is what I am writing about.
Animal activists have said the treatment of animals is horrible. I see the ads on TV that show a poor little dog with a mournful look with soft music in the background. Those poor animals need to be treated better and they are right, but the people sponsoring the ads are probably the same ones who are for abortion.
So they want to save all the poor dogs and cats, but kill unborn babies. I know that some women need to have an abortion, but not if it is requested because they don’t want the baby, or it is out of wedlock. There are places where the babies can be placed, so go there or don’t do what it takes to have babies.
Bill Janes, Bonita Springs
Rooney should research facts
The Republican Party’s newest efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- enthusiastically endorsed by my newly elected U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney in his Naples Daily News op-ed -- are irresponsible and dangerous.
According to Andy Slavitt, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a repeal of the Affordable Care Act -- in the absence of an immediate replacement plan -- will result in many negative and possibly life-threatening consequences for millions of Americans.
The CMS is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the health insurance marketplace.
Here is a sample of the impact that “repeal and replace” (at some future date with no details provided) would have:
• 127 million American with pre-existing conditions will lose coverage.
• Health care bills will again lead as the cause of personal bankruptcy.
• Women will again pay more than men for health insurance premiums.
• 31 million young adults between 18 and 26 will be dropped from their parents’ plans.
• Americans 55 to 64 will see rates increase dramatically.
• Medicare recipients will no longer see the average savings of $2,000 a year on prescription drugs resulting from the ACA.
• 1.25 million Americans with mental health disorders will lose coverage.
• The 42 percent drop in the uninsured rate for veterans will reverse.
With all due respect, Congressman Rooney, you just got to Washington. Don’t just blindly accept the party line. Be a true leader. Do your research. Once you have the facts about the ACA, work across the aisle to keep the provisions that work and fix the ones that don’t.
Lisa Freund, Naples
Many want to keep benefits
Under your Editorial/Opinion banner, U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney wrote, “Recovery begins with repealing Obamacare.”
He banters, “The recent election proves that America wants change. The American people have spoken loud and clear that Obamacare must go.” The only thing that the election results show is how divided our country is on many issues, including health care.
It has also become very clear since the election that many people who have benefited from Obamacare didn’t even realize it and now are asking Congress not to eliminate their benefits.
Instead of listening to constituents, the representative goes on to make several slams at President Barack Obama -- “there is no escaping the fact that Obama left our health care system in shambles.”
Then he says, “It is going to take focused leadership to fix this broken system.” When?
For the last seven years the Republicans in Congress have done nothing but try to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), some 90 times in the House and 40 times in the Senate. And here we are with repeal, repeal, repeal and with no replacement. Vouchers maybe? What have they been doing besides saying "no"?
For all who are interested in the facts, the Department of Health & Human Services can tell you what the ACA has done for Florida, despite the negative synergy of our governor and his failure to bring more federal dollars in through Medicaid expansion.
The facts are the facts -- if the ACA, or Obamacare, is repealed, 2.2 million Floridians will stand to lose their health coverage in 2019, according to the independent Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (http://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/12-7-16health-factsheets-fl.pdf)
I hope you will take up the challenge of looking up the information suggested and maybe write Rep. Rooney.
Bob Klatt, Marco Island
Efficient?
I really don’t want to drag out the argument about private versus government control of health care, but Ed Feldman’s reply to my previous letter on the subject left me no choice. Feldman claims that Medicare is “possibly the most efficiently run health care coverage available.”
Don’t forget that Medicare was brought to you by the same type of thinking that brought us Obamacare. You know, that program that would save families money, bring premiums down, keeping your plan and doctor, etc. Oh, wait, that didn’t happen.
To top it off, a Government Accountability Office study estimates that for every dollar spent on Medicare about 14 percent is wasted due to fraud or abuse. The latest dollar estimate on the low side is $60 billion per year, and rising. I’d hate to see what inefficient looked like.
Chuck Bainbridge, Naples
Who cares?
Ever since Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, our Hollywood elite have continued to weigh in on their dissatisfaction with the result of the election. Who do these people think they are? Prior to the election, many entertainers threatened to leave the country if Trump won.
Well, they are still here.
Meryl Streep is a great actress. All she has to do is memorize other people’s words. Madonna, once a good entertainer, has, over the years, become irrelevant. Chelsea Handler is a has-been that never was. I guess she needs the free publicity to prop up her failing TV show.
You can always count on Shia LaBeouf to act like, well, an idiot. And Ashley Judd just proved that even an unhinged rant can draw a crowd.
These people and others are nothing more than entertainers. However, they do seem to think their words are important. They are so used to being treated like a class above the rest of us that they really believe it.
Look, Hollywood elites, just go back to being entertainers. We do enjoy your performances. But please don’t think that because you have a platform what you are saying makes any sense -- that is unless you’re addressing other Hollywood elites.
Frank Iraggi, Bonita Springs
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