Letters to the Editor for December 22

Making America Great Again one lying, dishonorable cabinet member at a time.

Steve Kaplan

Hood River

President keeps going

How would you like to be president and wake up every morning being trashed by the D.C. deep state media, the Democrats and even many backboneless Republicans? There’s the chance you would the dance of defeat with your sofa: “The Collapse-Oh.” Or perhaps you would stand your ground and continue to love America, defend our Constitution, rein in the government and promote the values that make America great, free and strong. You might even show the world leadership by moving our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Congratulations, David … you’re not afraid of “Go-lie-ith.” Now … where’s your slingshot?

Bill Davis

Hood River

Rest required

Seen and heard this week:

A good conversationalist said this morning (lunch) when asked if he had any news to share for this afternoon, “My friend died.” His partner answered, “I’m sorry (pause), this morning, I got a letter from a best friend that liver cancer has her in hospice.” They said that so many of their old friends had gone and they wished more knew how valuable that rest can be when you’re getting over shocks — “A couple hour naps,” “Meditation, like they do in the East,” “Rest heals the brain,” “People don’t know that.”

It seemed like that was resting those two: They sat at the lunch table a long time, talking about that.

Donna J. Gray-Davis

Hood River

Healthcare thoughts

After dozens of attempts to repeal Obamacare and two trips to the Supreme Court, Republicans finally found a friendly Texas judge to declare the ACA unconstitutional. While that ruling may be overturned, Republicans should worry that they risk being held to their repeated promises to “repeal and replace” the ACA with something “better, cheaper and covers everyone.”

As Republicans found in the last election, voters have come to like many of the provisions of the ACA. Insurance exchanges, premium support, coverage for preexisting conditions and even the individual mandate were ideas that came out of the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Conservatives once endorsed those provisions as an alternative to Hillary’s “public option” and applauded when Gov. Romney pushed through the Massachusetts healthcare law that the ACA was modeled after.

In 2009, Republicans decided to reject the reform ideas they had previously supported in an attempt to undermine the Obama presidency. In the eight years that followed, they successfully campaigned against the ACA, but failed to offer a plan to replace it.

The rushed plan that came out of Walden’s Committee in 2017 would have gutted coverage for preexisting conditions, raised costs for seniors and women and left tens of millions without Medicaid coverage.

There is no magic pill for healthcare reform. Continuing to undermine the ACA without a better alternative is likely to further damage the Republican Party.

It would be ironic if the Texas ruling ended up being what was needed to pass a “public option” or “Medicare for All.”

Richard Davis

The Dalles