Health care should be accessible

According to a recent AARP survey, gathered from more than 400 companies in Washington state, the cost of employee health benefits in the past three years increased 32 percent for businesses of all sizes and nearly doubled for small businesses. As a result, many business owners are shifting more of the health care cost burden to employees.

The huge rise in health care costs is directly attributable to the insurance premium increases, which are driven by corporate profits. Free-market forces have clearly failed us because there is no collective bargaining for the cost of medical treatment, prescription drugs or even health care premiums.

If we expanded the size of the pool of health care recipients to all the citizens in the state, the cost per recipient would drop significantly because the risk would be spread over the entire population. If we centralized the administration of the health care program (think Medicare), we would derive the benefits of collective bargaining that is so necessary to keeping costs fair and reasonable.

We should not be misled by insurance industry apologists who claim that mandates, such as prostate screenings, are the problem. Such mandates add very little cost to the bottom line of insurance companies. We should also not be led astray by the mantra that “universal health care deprives you of choice.” What choices do employers and employees who cannot afford health care really have? The vast majority of citizens who cannot afford health care insurance need help.

The insurance industry has had its day and reaped its extraordinary profits for too long. Now is the time to unite behind the promise of affordable health care for everyone and tell our elected officials that universal access to medical care is long overdue.

Marshall F. Goldberg, M.D.
Oak Harbor


Let’s reform Congress, elections

The U.S. Congress and the election system need to be overhauled!

In Congress:

• Term limits: For senators, two six-year terms maximum; for representatives, three four-year terms maximum.

It works for the presidency and should work well for Congress.

• The pay schedule should be equal to (but not a part of) Civil Service GS-15 and temporary housing should be provided in D.C. during each term in office.

• No retirement benefits should be offered. This is temporary employment! Instead, continued salary for one year following term in office should be provided.

In political campaigns:

• Shorten the campaign season to six months.

• Campaign contributions to candidates should only be allowed from two sources: Citizens legally eligible and registered to vote in the candidate’s district and legally collected funds from candidate’s political party.

All illegally collected funds should be confiscated by the government; plus the candidate and party should each be fined twice the amount of the illegal funds.

• Any legal campaign funds not used in campaigning go to the candidate’s party, not the candidate’s pocket.

• To re-establish and maintain accuracy in the voting process nationwide, the federal government must require proof of citizenship, residency and eligibility for voter registration, and also total re-registration should be held within 10-year intervals.

• Since entities such as businesses, unions, PACs, etc., are not “eligible voters” (as above), they should not be able to contribute to or campaign for any individual candidate; however, they could contribute to a candidate’s party but only with funds voluntarily donated by employees specifically for that purpose.

• Balloting should maintain a paper trail for verification. If any ballot count exceeds the number of registered voters, it must be recounted. If subsequent counts also exceed registration, it should automatically trigger a federal investigation for fraud.

Anita W. Johnston
Oak Harbor


English should be official language

Recently, I got an e-mail with the names of some congressmen who voted against making English our official language.

I used to believe that with our strict rules for citizenship, it was not a problem. It is not strange that the vote in the House was not reported in any paper I’ve read. This I do know: There is a lot of mindless opposition and a drive to pass legislation H. Con. Res. #11 titled, “English Plus Resolution.”

I have supported U.S. English for many years, founded by Sen. Hiyakawa, years ago, followed by a Spanish assistant whose parents emigrated from Mexico. Since 1995, by Mauro Mujica, a Latino immigrant citizen since 1985.

I find this ironic that  immigrants would have more love and appreciation of America than all too many natives. In fact I’ve noted this for years. Yesterday, I received this news about U.S. English, and I am livid because I know that nothing is more important to our survival than our language.

No thing unites a nation more than a common language and nothing will be more costly, not just in monetary expense, with costs in the billions now. Federal law requires ballots in states and counties to print ballots in other languages in more than 1,000 places. Are you  aware of lawsuits by the EOC for requiring employees to speak English? Driver’s license exams in foreign languages are available in almost 90 percent of states.

This kind of blatant anti-American legislation — as found in H. Con. Res. 11 — would destroy us, and the costs would turn us into a third-rate nation, precisely what our founders left behind. I note this is being submitted by one Mr. Serrano, by any other name it would stink as well. Read it and pray.

John Hammons
Anacortes


U.S. not clean in Georgia conflict

There are no Snow Whites in this world, and for the U.S. media to characterize Georgia and the United States as blameless in the recent Russian invasion of Georgia is rubbish. This is a power struggle pure and simple!

Mikheil Saakashvilli, Georgian president, implicated in corruption scandals, staged a U.S.-backed surprise invasion of separatist South Ossetia (99 percent ethnically Russian). South Ossetia has voted to reunite with North Ossetia and Russia, hence the invasion by Georgia.

Georgia, under Saakashvilli, a U.S. client state, wants to become part of NATO, hosts U.S. and Israeli advisers, and wants to participate in the U.S. missile defense shield, designed to protect us from non-existent Iranian long-range nuclear missiles. The attack by Saakashvilli was perceived by Russia, correctly, to be another U.S.-sponsored encroachment on Russian homeland.

So Russia counterattacked, and the talking heads railed against Russian imperialism, and Vice President Cheney declared that Russian aggression must not go unanswered, and Bush denounced Russia for having invaded a sovereign neighboring state, neatly overlooking the atrocities committed by Georgian troops during the invasion of South Ossetia.

U.S. expansionist policies, not Russian aggression, are at the root of the U.S./Russian power struggle, and Russia’s invasion of Georgia is just the start.

The neocons abrogated the Anti-Missile Defense Treaty, have disregarded the Nuclear Non-Proliferation framework, sponsored the expansion of NATO alliance countries in the former Soviet sphere of influence, are building a missile defense system in Czechoslovakia and Poland to defend the world from non-existent Iranian long-range nuclear missiles, and instigated the immoral and illegal invasion of Iraq.

To expect that Russia would continue to accept U.S. expansionist policies is to live in the same fantasy land as the corporate media and the neocons.

Howard Pellett
Anacortes