Reform can't wait
A new federal study estimates that health care spending rose $2.5 trillion in 2009, or $8,047 per person. This cost is now projected to nearly double in 2019.
Just how can we even think of allowing such a burden to continue for another decade? Do we really want more lost jobs, more families forced into bankruptcy and more crushing debt to our nation?
Congress needs to stop posturing and infighting. They need to get to the business of doing the job they were sent to do to for us.
Each of us as citizens need to become responsible, informed constituents. We must take it upon ourselves to understand the problems we face instead of following the rhetoric that spouts falsehood, innuendo, and character assassination and give us the facts.
Health care needs reform now. It can't wait another decade or another year.
Wilma Eschleman
Ramona
Don't lay blame, fix things
I was trying to decide what change, if any, does it do to express our personal views in this media format. Deep beliefs will never be changed one way or the other by just a column or letter written in this wonderful paper. I thought about some solutions to a few of our problems in our society. ...
1. Earmarks: ... Why not have each state representative present his or her earmark and what it will do for the state. If the project is believed to be beneficial, then make them a loan. Pay an interest-only payment until the project is completed and then start a principal and interest payment back to the central government. ...
2. I would like to ask any candidate for elected office: Would you vote for the will of the people or what your part dictated? ... Would you cast the vote for your constituents even if they opposed your personal beliefs?
3. If it became so apparent that the election promises were totally a pack of lies, then the contract/election of that official should be made null and void.
4. Remember, never vote for an incumbent, never vote for a tax increase, and clean your own closet, financially, morally and physically.
John Gilley
Oceanside
Organized crime in Sacramento
I wrote months ago about Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point) voting to give tax breaks to the City of Industry at the behest of a rich developer to build a stadium that would lure the Chargers away from San Diego (Letters, Nov. 5, 2009).
Now I read Harkey disparaging a bill that would close loopholes for corporations hiding profits offshore in foreign banks, avoiding California taxes ("State seeks to end loophole on foreign tax havens," Jan. 29).
Harkey says, "You're killing companies, you're discouraging everybody from coming to California, you're hurting the future of our children that we're trying to educate."
So paying their fair share of taxes hurts our children? Maybe those taxes would go to education. Organized crime is alive and well in Sacramento.
Joseph Worth
Oceanside
What he wants from NASA
I'll tell you what I want from NASA (they didn't ask me). A taxi spacecraft to the International Space Station, sample return from Mars, a probe and orbiter to Neptune/Titan, a new space telescope, a radio telescope on the back side of the moon and maybe a man landing on an asteroid. Learn how to stop a comet or asteroid from hitting Earth, find all Earth-crossing comets or asteroids. Land a rover on Venus.
Kenneth Rolling
Oceanside
Decision evens playing field
The recent Supreme Court decision has helped level the playing field for elections. For years, labor unions have financed candidates, mostly Democrats, running for office. By using forced member dues, they have frequently supported any number of causes and candidates that their members at large did not support. These funds were supposed to be used to support the collective bargaining process.
With the court's decision, other groups can now contribute to candidates and causes which they support. Should any special interest group sway elections because they had, and spent, the most money, regardless of how they obtained the funds? The answer is a resounding no! With the court's decision, we will now get different views to help influence our vote.
James Hackenberger
San Marcos
Turning to government leads to slavery
At a church somewhere in the south, the preacher began by reading Gen. 47: 13-27. There were economic hard times in Egypt and the people turned to the government of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest and put the grain in the storehouse he had built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh for the grain. This process continued until the people ran out of money. People then brought their cattle, livestock, horses, sheep and donkeys to barter for grain. Sound familiar?
The famine continued into the next year. The people came before the Pharaoh with nothing left to barter for grain except their homes and land, and their own lives. Buy us and our land for food; we with our land will be servants to the Pharaoh. So they did surrender their homes and their land and sold themselves into slavery in return for grain. ...
The lesson is that during hard times, turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider only leads to slavery. We see the same things happening today. ...
What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's government did, and it will end the same. ...
Jim Lowery
Vista
Stop the onslaught on business
Our free market system usually recuperates much faster than the present one, because of the innovative ways that business was always able to operate freely. It's doubtful that it will recuperate quickly anymore with President Obama's progressive methods of attacking business. He seems to regard corporations, industrial and financial institutions as enemies of the government, and keeps hurting business by more regulations and restrictions.
Now investors are afraid to start new ventures that cannot operate without government interference. When you hurt business, you also hurt jobs! Corporations especially seem to be this president's target and they use much of their profits to do the research to produce new consumer products — especially in the industrial, pharmaceutical, scientific and technological fields — that provide jobs for Americans.
Republicans are business people who understand that business is the lifeblood of our economy —not the government! The socialistic/progressive methods of putting pressure on financial institutions to grant unaffordable loans and mortgages is what caused this recession; now the Obama administration is adding to our economic problems.
We need conservative Republicans back in Congress to stop this onslaught on business if we are ever going to be a prosperous nation again.
Marcy Young
Oceanside
Sounds like North Korea's dictator
The President was introduced, then faced left, nose up in the air, then another lecture on why we the people are wrong and he the president and dozens of Communist czars know what we need, even if we do not want it. We are just children, slap our hands.
We did tell him with three solid defeats, one heard around the world. I thought it would be boring. It was, so I counted head right, head center and head left. The score was head right 373, head left 373 and head center 0. We are not worth the time to look at.
Ms. What's-her-name says they, the top elected politicians in the free world, will pass this. It does not matter what the people want.
Think? Does this sound like North Korea's dictator? Well, it sure does to me and from rulers of we the people, not we the politicians.
What a sad day for America.
Buddie Gran
Escondido
U.S. will lose national identity
A plan currently exists to expand the I-5 from eight to 14 lanes from Oceanside to La Jolla because of an increase in vehicular traffic. This increase is also because of a seemingly never-ending growing population.
Our government's liberal legal immigration program allows almost any person who has a problem with a government or the condition of their native country to come to the U.S., and their lack of strict enforcement to prevent illegal immigration adds to this congestion.
Fox Headline News reports there are 42 million refugees worldwide. Should they resettle here, as 4,500 African tribe members have under a government-sponsored resettlement program as of last June? Why is this legal and illegal invasion ongoing? Because politicians who approve are continually building a vote block for upcoming elections.
A recent TV documentary was about the remote Easter Island, which once had a thriving population with abundant resources to sustain them. As the population increased, the resources dwindled and virtually disappeared, causing many to practice cannibalism.
I'm not suggesting such a drastic step for survival could happen here, only that legal and illegal immigration must stop before the U.S. is overpopulated and loses its national identity as nations in Europe are undergoing due to unrestricted immigration.
Leon Smith
Oceanside
We don't need a playboy in office
As Fidel Jiron states in a letter on Jan. 22, this guy Barack is not anything good with his change. I agree with what Mr. Jiron has to say. We don't need a playboy with a slick attitude as president. I agree that the 2010 elections can't get here soon enough.
Junious Montgomery hit the nail on the head also with his letter of Jan. 22. Obama's change will destroy America. He is a so-called progressive. There are still a few around, most are on the administration staff of the President. And a few in Congress we need to put out to pasture.
There were so many great letters on Jan. 22. In fact, the letters page made my day for truth, for sure. By the way, this is not a democracy and never was. It's a republic and thank God for that.
Charles Bagwell
Vista
A welcome to the national cemetery
Thank you to the North County Times and Theodore Roosvall for the recent progress reports regarding the Miramar National Cemetery (Letters, Jan. 11 and Feb. 6).
Although we have plots reserved in Orange County, we desire to be interred in a national cemetery in beautiful south San Diego County. Having spent 31 1/2 years flying in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and support missions, at age 89 (and wife 86), we welcome the start of the national cemetery at MCAS Miramar.
Semper fi.
William and Anita Beach
Oceanside
The decade debate rages on
Dan Ryan (Letters, Jan. 31) completes the trifecta, along with Bill Lane (Jan. 27) and Michael Santino (Jan. 29) ... They base their opinion on the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was put in place Feb. 24, 1582 because of the fact the previously accepted Julian calendar based a year on 365.25 days, when, in fact, the Earth circles the sun in 365.2425 days, about 10 minutes a year shorter.
In order to correct our calendar, 10 days were dropped. The years in the calendar continue the numbering of the Julian calendar, which is numbered from the traditional birth of Jesus. Jesus, as in any child, starts at zero, not one. When a child reaches 10 years old (zero), on that very day, his second decade begins. These three may have heard of the Gregorian calendar, but do not understand it.
At 12:01 Jan. 1, 2010, a new decade began and that's just the way it is, like it or not.
Robert DeRieux
Fallbrook
Educational alternatives
Donna Gordon Blankinship laments in the North County Times business section on Feb. 2 about soaring university tuitions ("Parents, students on edge over soaring tuition"). May I add my outrage about the high cost of study materials? The expense of travel and parking fees is equally burdensome.
College is becoming unaffordable for most Americans. Nevertheless, we must educate our citizenry. Here are worthwhile alternatives:
- Distance learning via the Internet (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance_learning).
- Expanded educational programming via TV (diversify PBS programming).
- Library modernization.
All of these merit generous government support and funding. We are losing our competitive edge. America is falling behind nations like India and China in educating its citizens. Our media have contributed mightily in keeping us dumb. TV broadcasting is especially dull.
Alexander Von Storch
Escondido
