Readers write: Letters to the editor, November 24, 2017

TRUMP LOWERS THE BAR YET AGAIN

Dear Trump supporter:

This time, your guy fully defended and all but endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, who is an accused sex offender and accused pedophile during a recent interview. In the very next breath, Trump then said that "it's good for our society" and "very good for women" that "a lot of things are coming out" and that he's "very happy it's being exposed." All the while, he is condemning other high profile people accused of sexual misconduct.

Do you see the blatant disconnect here? How much more does the bar need to lower before you terminate your unconditional support? Are you still on board with this president and where is YOUR accountability?

— Dan Lung

DON'T REPEAL INDIVIDUAL MANDATE

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is wrong to support eliminating the individual mandate.

I believe in the concept of freedom of individual choice — but only as long as the exercise of that freedom doesn't have a negative impact on me. Choosing to go without health insurance will force health providers and facilities to provide uncompensated care to seriously ill or injured uninsured individuals — by law and ethics, hospital emergency rooms cannot turn away seriously ill individuals who cannot pay for their care. Facilities forced to provide uncompensated care must find a way to recoup those costs — which ultimately causes increased charges for care given to those who responsibly purchase insurance to cover their health care costs. Ultimately, those increased charges will result in health insurance costs to rise.

Repealing the individual mandate is likely to result in young healthy people to decide to forego health insurance. In fact, those young healthy citizens are one accident away from serious injury that will require health care — and when that injury or illness occurs, it will be too late to purchase the health insurance they need.

Repealing the individual mandate is a really bad idea.

— Tina DeLapp, EdD, RN, FAAN, Anchorage

HEALTH POLICY NEEDS MORE WORK

Sen. Lisa Murkowski's recent comments regarding the insurance mandate may be not telling the whole story. How does the mandate affect small businesses? How does this mandate reduce insurance costs for the individual? How do the uninsured receive medical services except through more expensive emergency room visits which are passed on to the insured? Most importantly, how does a mandate tacked onto a large reduction in federal government revenue through this bill help the small guy?

Many Alaskans are going to be paying a higher rate on their federal tax returns than the corporations! Also this bill needs to be openly discussed because it is legislation that will affect the entire country in the following decade with a larger deficit, a permanent tax reduction for corporations versus limited duration for the individual taxpayer and major provisions benefiting the super rich. Let us discuss this flawed bill in open debate.

— Richard Onorato, Anchorage

ANOTHER BAD LEGAL DECISION

If you are satisfied by the Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court that gave corporations the same free speech rights as flesh and blood citizens you will be thrilled by the prospect of repeal of net neutrality rules that prevent internet service providers from adjusting their data rates and fees based on content or who is sending or receiving it.

— John Beebee, Anchorage

TRUMP MUST BE DOING A GOOD JOB

I have to say that I have really enjoyed this newspaper lately. I love all the letters to the editor that complain about and insult President Donald Trump. The fact that President Donald Trump, a Republican, ticks off so many liberals and Dems that they feel the need to write letters to the editor in this paper crying about President Donald Trump means he is doing a wonderful job.

— Eric Olenick, Anchorage

The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@adn.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@adn.com.