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Wednesday's letters: After health care improvements, more to do

 
Published Feb. 24, 2015

Affordable Care Act

After improvements, more to do

The House of Representatives recently voted to repeal Obamacare for the 56th time. All bay area Republicans voted for repeal. By so voting, they voted to endanger Floridians and their families.

Obamacare bans exclusions for pre-existing conditions. These exclusions, which were commonly found in insurance contracts, bar people who are sick from getting insurance.

Obamacare bans annual and lifetime limits on coverage. These limits create danger because if one is seriously ill, medical expenses can exceed the amount of insurance coverage. This forces people to use their own savings to pay medical bills and sometimes forces them into bankruptcy.

There is much room for improvement in our health care system. Our health care costs are about twice as high as those for other developed countries. The quality of our health care by many measures is mediocre. Instead of voting for Obamacare repeal, Congress could address those problems. It could, for example, vote to permit Medicare to bargain for lower prescription drug prices and to eliminate incentives for physicians to prescribe branded prescription drugs instead of less expensive generic drugs.

Bill Mitchell, Tampa

Campus is no place for concealed weapons Feb. 22, Daniel Ruth column

Focus on facts, not emotion

Daniel Ruth employs the old debate tactic of people who don't have the facts on their side: Personally attack your opponent.

At the Florida Senate Criminal Justice Committee meeting on Feb. 16, college and university professors lobbied the committee without facts, reason and decorum. An Eckerd College professor screamed at the committee chairman. One cannot help being appalled that those who refuse to engage in civil discourse are teaching impressionable students.

The primary message was that university administrators and faculty are against campus carry. Opposition from state universities doesn't make them right; it reveals their willingness to march in unison. These are the same universities that use their failure to stop illegal, underage drinking on campuses as an excuse to prohibit self-defense by law-abiding gun owners who are licensed to carry. College campuses in Florida are gun-free zones where murderers, rapists and other violent criminals can commit their crimes without fear of being harmed by their victims.

States that allow firearms to be carried on campus have not seen a rise in crimes committed with firearms. Claiming that police won't be able to tell a good guy with a gun from a bad guy with a gun is just nonsense. They do that every day, in every jurisdiction and state.

There is no legitimate reason to deny adults, 21 years of age or older, who are licensed by the state to carry firearms for protection, to continue to carry when they step on a college campus. These license holders have no criminal record, no record of mental illness, no record of alcohol or drug abuse, and have had training in the safe use of a firearm.

Simply not liking guns, not trusting students and not respecting the constitutional rights of others is not a legitimate reason to prohibit fundamental freedoms.

Marion P. Hammer, NRA past president, executive director, Unified Sportsmen of Florida, Tallahassee

Study looks at lying in the U.S. military Feb. 21

Ethical downfall

"A study by Army War College professors found that not only is lying common in the military, the armed forces themselves may be inadvertently encouraging it." It's not fair to blame just the military, because "in the face of overwhelming demands and the need to put their reputations on the line to verify that standards and requirements are met," this practice has been the standard in many fields, including education, the medical industry and government programs.

Outsourcing, statistical accountability and privatization have contributed to the degradation of ethical standards. Quantity over quality in order to bolster investment for profit in these and other fields of service has been the goal for too long. I wonder if leaders remember that old adage that money is the root of all evil.

Bernadette Menz, Safety Harbor

Tampa police

Serving, protecting politely

As visiting snowbirds from Wisconsin, we decided to visit downtown Tampa on Saturday for the first time. Imagine our surprise when we got near the harbor only to find roads closed because of the Gasparilla race. All we wanted to do was walk on the riverfront for a while, then head to Ybor City. Our GPS "hollered" at me to go through the blockades. I noticed the police calmly directing many others, so I asked for directions.

Two different police officers took the time to direct me. One said, "Make a U-turn right in front of me, then go right, then go right, then turn left on Old River Road." We did so, parked and enjoyed a great walk and shared the revelry of the just-finished runners.

We are accustomed to "Midwest nice," but found it in your people in blue. Thank you, Tampa, and especially your police force.

Gerry Schwaller, Fish Creek, Wis.

When advocacy, investment intertwine Feb. 22

What patriotism looks like

What is a patriotic energy policy? To Jeb Bush, it seems to mean intensive fracking to free us from reliance on international oil and gas suppliers.

If instead we invested in clean energy development, we could sell clean energy technology overseas and free all nations from reliance on international fossil fuel suppliers.

Then the Saudis would have fewer petrodollars to spend on worldwide terrorism that endangers our citizens. Then our military would be less concerned about the national security implications of global warming. Then our own citizens would have cleaner air and water, and better health.

Judy Weiss, Brookline, Mass.