Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, May 7, 2017

Next election, remember Young voted for Trumpcare

Your Alaska congressman, Don Young, has voted to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as "Obamacare." Some of you are for him doing so, perhaps thinking this will reduce your taxes or there will be at least a new, better, cheaper replacement implemented by the Republicans. When the time comes to vote for or against Don Young, look back and see if these suppositions were correct before you vote.

Many others have already seen what President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have proposed for changes in tax policies and what the far right will accept for health care legislation. Based on those, who really thinks taxes will be reduced except for corporations and the very wealthy? Who really thinks health care will be improved while Republicans rule in Washington D.C.? Who really thinks voting for Don Young will actually help make Alaskans' lives better?

— Alex Koponen
Fairbanks

Who really stole election? The voter ID laws in swing states

I have refrained so far from entering the controversy over whether to scrap the Electoral College. But a recent letter arguing Donald Trump would have won the popular vote if only we had disallowed votes from California and New York prompted this response.

Californians and New Yorkers have the same number of votes as Alaskans — one to a customer. If anything, my vote counts more than those of my friends, George in California and Rich in New York, because there are fewer Alaskans to offset my vote. But that is only theoretical. My friends and I know Alaska will vote for Republican presidential candidates and California and New York for Democrats. Our votes really don't count because the Electoral College, not the voters, elect the president.

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In presidential elections the only voters with real clout live in "battleground" states like North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida. That's where elections officials concentrate on gimmicks to keep college students, the elderly and people of color from voting.

Last year at this time, Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., correctly predicted his state's picture ID requirements would give that state's electoral votes to the Republican party. About the same time, investigative reporter Greg Palast estimated state governments would deprive over 2 million Americans of their right to vote. He now estimates Michigan alone kept over 100,000 residents from exercising their voting rights in 2016.

I'm inclined to believe Palast. Polls showed Michigan and Wisconsin likely to vote for the Democrat. I suspect the polls weren't wrong; they just didn't account for the dirty tricks election officials use to keep people from voting.

Scrapping the Electoral College would make it harder for the fraudulent politicians to steal our presidential elections from us.

— Geoff Kennedy
Anchorage

Religions demonize oppressed

This is in response to the Anchorage initiative attempting to restrict transgender restroom availability. Religious freedom has two parts — freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Freedom of religion ends where freedom from religion begins. Persecution of religion results from defending the oppressed.

Persecution by religion results from demonizing the oppressed. Lies are not persecuted. Truth alone is persecuted.

I am opposed to the initiative. A religion that uses government to persecute others is a religion of weakness and fear. There is nothing wrong with gays or transgenders — they are human beings who deserve the same equality and respect given to all human beings. The goal of true religion is for gays, transgenders and straights to all live openly and in harmony.

— Thomas Harrison Morse
Anchorage

Fly what friendly skies?

The airline slogan "We beat the competition" should now be amended with these words, "as well as our passengers."

— Rolf L. Bilet
Anchorage

Young is now an 'orange minion'

Don Young just voted with president No. 45 to slash health care for hundreds of thousands of Alaskans, cut Medicare, not cover pre-existing conditions and more. Of course, he doesn't have to live with this insurance, he has the "golden plan," everything completely covered from a hangnail to brain surgery — all at our expense — the taxpayer. But we have no recourse to do anything about it, because there is no better plan.

I will remember this in the 2018 elections, Mr. Young. I only wish you could suffer the way you have condemned thousands to. You and all your party of little orange minions are the real traitors to the people you're supposed to be serving.
Oh, did i mention the millions of dollars Mr. Young and all the other Republicans are going to get for passing this bill? Tax breaks and money — what makes America go 'round.

— Patti Lisenbee
Anchorage

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Young vote against doctor orders

Don Young voted yes to cutting the health benefits of millions of Americans today. Associations representing hospitals, doctors, nurses and older Americans, all said no to the cuts. It most affects our most vulnerable populations — the old, the sick and those with pre-existing illnesses. I do not support this action and cannot support elected representatives at the local, state or national level who think this is OK.

— Jim Bailey
Anchorage

Come on, legislators, have some guts and reinstate income tax

How would you like to live in a country where health care and old age pensions were free, where public education was free from kindergarten through senility, where robust family support and a shorter work-week were part of the government's full-employment policy and where the wealth gap was greatly reduced between richest and poorest? Where poverty has almost been eliminated? Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland (a country with half the population of Alaska but no oil wealth) are just such nations. And, they all are ranked annually in the top 10 (usually the top 5) countries in the world for places to raise a child, be a woman, workplace productivity and general happiness.

This "Nordic model" of economics, sometimes called "Viking Economics," is based on the idea of the well-being of the whole, advancing the values of freedom and equality, solidarity and teamwork. Some critics call them "nanny states" as if these were welfare programs like what we know in the good, ol' USA; "socialist" countries that provide services for nothing and must eventually spiral into anarchy or debt. But, that is not the case. All these countries have thriving economies, but the difference is the social programs they have in place are universal programs, which benefit everyone, not just the poor. In fact, there is hardly any poverty at all because they have invested heavily into reducing the barriers to financial freedom, to whit; college education, health care and saving for retirement.

The way they pay for these services is through taxation. Residents of these countries know they pay a lot in taxes (income, sales, property, etc.) but they also know they get what they pay for!

What do we have here in Alaska? A situation where we not only do not pay any state income or sales tax, but we are given a dividend every year. The Nordics are very trusting of their governments and voter turnout is high there. Here there seems to be a basic distrust of government and voter turnout is alarmingly low. This has allowed the oil companies to essentially buy many of our legislators and exert their influence over us to their benefit. We have lost our agency, our ownership of this state by abolishing our income tax. And, guess what, we get what we pay for. Essentially, nothing.

Here, we are celebrating the 100th year of UAF at the same time our Republican-led Senate is defunding education from kindergarten through grad school. Why aren't we investing in our people, educating them to be good productive citizens, providing them with good services. The intransigence of the Legislature to pass an income tax for whatever reason (especially fear of not getting re-elected) only weakens our individual say in how our government works. If we paid an income tax, I believe our legislators would be much more attentive to our wishes, knowing we have some skin in the game.

Come on, you guys, have some guts and reinstate a state income tax.

— Karl Monetti
North Pole

Congress keeps its 'Obamacare'

So the proposed health care law promoted and passed by the House Republicans last week has an exception for members of Congress and their staff so they remain with ACA protections. I think perhaps they are seriously misjudging the mood of Americans, regardless of which side of this issue they are on. I do not need to know anything else about this legislation.

Congressman Young: Are you going to throw your constituents under the bus? What a bunch of arrogant, entitled elected officials. If it is not good enough for you, or your (our) employees, it certainly isn't good enough for me. This is what I work hard and pay lots of taxes for?

— Colleen Hickey
Anchorage

Eastman is despicable, absurd

Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, I listened to your words on the radio recently about women using abortion as a means to enjoy travel to Anchorage or Seattle, and I was appalled and dismayed. Your statement is despicable and so absurd, my only response is to laugh (while I cry) at your ignorance. You have absolutely no idea what it is like to have a dilatation and curettage. You should try to focus your energy and time on things that you know something about and clearly women's medical care and women's health are completely outside your area of expertise.

Do not ever, ever, ever say that again. Your comments only make you appear a fool.

— Sharon W. Smith MD, MPH
Anchorage

Health care bill just plain mean

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How could Republican lawmakers in good conscience pretend health care legislation they propose help anyone other than the wealthiest among us? Kicking millions off health care, and allowing each state to decide if they will pay to cover pre-existing conditions by setting aside $8 billion to cover states that do apply, is madness. These funds will last a short time and where will we be then?
Although I am a Democrat, this is not about party but core values that make up the fabric of America. I agree there needs to be changes to ACA to make it better for everyone, but to throw the neediest among us off health care is just plain mean. You may not have to answer for that decision here on Earth, but I promise you that you will answer. To the voters of America — get a clue.

— Clarence Thompson
Anchorage

GOP 'win' beyond irresponsible

The latest Republican health care bill, the third poorly planned attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, appears to be more about a victory for Donald Trump, Paul Ryan and the Republican party than for the American people. Rushing the bill through the House — without waiting for nonpartisan studies on its effects — is beyond irresponsible. Fred Upton's addition of $8 billion to help with preexisting conditions is a Band-Aid approach to addressing the myriad problems with the bill. Just like the first two deficient proposals, cutting $880 billion, or 25 percent, of Medicaid over 10 years will not only hit the elderly and the poor worst, but special education as well.

It's hard not to ask the question, who do our representatives represent? We are at the height of irony, with a president who was voted into office on his promise to "drain the swamp," and has since surrounded himself with the extremely wealthy and well connected. Providing $40 million for Trump's travel for the next three months — astonishingly, less than taxpayers have already paid for him to frequent his business franchises — is apparently a priority. Yet funding the health and vitality of the over 20 million people who could lose health care is, apparently, too much to ask.

What will Don Young, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan do? Will they represent Alaskans, and preserve Medicaid, family planning, and other important programs, while working to lower premiums? Or will they go for an ill-conceived "win" that is more about Washington politics than about their constituents?

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— Amy Purevsuren
Dutch Harbor

Religion kept safe from politics

Criticisms raised by Mr. Rudy Wittshirk in his letter (ADN, May 5) were answered by me May 4; readers can judge for themselves. As to my comment about government needing more Christian values, I refer to the increasing lack of honesty and personal ethics by many politicians on both sides of the aisle, not that a theocracy should be instituted (humans are too flawed, and power corrupts). However, Wittshirk needs to realize the First Amendment protects freedom of religion from government, as much if not more than it protects government from any particular religion. Read it carefully.

Jesus told Christians to share the message of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God through repentance, his lordship and acceptance of his payment for our sins, but he didn't want it physically or legislatively forced on people. (Luke 9:5 "If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."). He did not want moral behavior (not involving types of assault, i.e. murder, rape, theft, etc.) enforced through civil or criminal penalties. An example is his effort to gain mercy for a woman caught in the act of adultery — from out of a death sentence, she was freed.

— Phillip Elrod
Anchorage

Health care for all, Don Young?

The recent vote in the House of Representatives in favor of Trumpcare again emphasizes the absolute necessity for all Americans, including Rep. Don Young, to use precisely the same heath care system. I suspect if these lawmakers were making a decision on health care that directly impacted them and their families you might have seen a different vote.

— Tom Mader MD
Cooper Landing

The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.

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