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Opinion Letters Letters to the Editor for April 22, 2011
Letters to the Editor for April 22, 2011
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Support meant much to family To the editor: We wish to thank everyone for your support in the loss of our lovely Cheryl. The hugs, the kisses, the handshakes and the help, flowers, food and cards meant so much. I did not know some of Cheryl’s friends but I hope to in the future. What wonderful people, what a wonderful place to live. The Les Davis family Baker City Single-payer system is best To the editor: Republican politicians like to say that the American people are against the Affordable Care Act (ACA). What they don’t say is that a good percentage of those people counted as saying they don’t like the ACA say that because they believe it doesn’t go far enough. A single payer system was taken off the table before negotiations even began. While I like the healthcare insurance reforms contained in the ACA, I still think a single payer, Medicare for All system (everyone in and no one left uncovered) would be more efficient and cost saving. States can opt out of ACA if they come up with their own plan to cover as many people for the same or less cost. That’s why I’m pleased the Mad As Hell Doctors will be in Baker City on April 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Baker County Library to give their testimonies and answer questions regarding a single payer health care system in Oregon. Come hear from practicing doctors why they favor a single payer healthcare system. Marilyn Dudek Baker City So what’s wrong with socialism? To the editor: What if? Like what if we had real full employment in this country, so that everyone had a living-wage job? What if we had the much reduced crime rate that would result from full employment? What if we had better schools where we now have poorer schools, and subsidized college for every kid who can cut it? And single-payer health insurance? And the people had more say in government and the corporations less? What if the well-being of the people was accorded a higher priority in government than corporate profit? And because of which the big corporations and the very rich had to pay a hell of a lot more taxes than they are paying now, which would make all the above possible, even affordable? Wouldn’t it be great if this was the way things really were? Like if we could have it just because we wanted it? Probably if this proposition were put to the ballot it would win in a landslide. Right? Wrong! Because someone would point out that this was a socialistic program, and then the very people who would most like to have all this would then vote it down in a conditioned reflex to that bugaboo word, Socialist. Socialist? Of course it’s socialist. What’s wrong with socialism? If that’s what it takes to again have a just and civilized society, so be it. If that’s the name of the alternative to the corporate-owned and -operated, endlessly warring, permanently impoverished BushObama government and society, I’m still for it. I just wish we had a major party with that agenda so I could vote for it. Dan Martin Baker City |
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