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Open Forum: Downtown Brainerd looks fantastic
To everyone and anyone who had a part in "beautifying"downtown Brainerd. I think you did an excellent job. I commend all of you and say "thank you" for a job very well done. Downtown Brainerd looks fantastic.
Thank you,
Marlos Fisher
Verndale
Too much hate in the U.S.
There is a lot of hate in this country - lots of people can't stand that we have a black and intelligent president who is honestly trying to better the lives of people - all this after inheriting the country's worst economic problems that the last administration with the help of many Republicans and a few Democrats helped create. On top of that, he is trying to get us out of the nasty war business as soon as possible.
For instance, there are people who will not accept proof that Obama, born in Hawaii, is as a natural-born U.S. citizen - the birth certificate that has been widely publicized says so as issued from that state. These deniers are referred to as "birthers." Yet McCain was born in Panama, but people don't question that. Furthermore, senators and representatives like him have a "public option" for health care - but we, the people, can't have anything like it.
Health care costs are driven by big insurance companies. Still the congressional leaders mean mouth a "public" option - but it is OK for themselves, for seniors (Medicare) and for the VA. The latter two are governmental programs and cost effective. But would you give up this "socialized" form if you are on it? Of course, people would not - unless they want to. Americans need a choice. Without reform, Americans will end up with the same expensive policies or no coverage. Instead, health insurance companies will reap more record profits and still charge outrageous premiums. Ironically, it is good for their business - not good for average Americans.
You can get fairly balanced reporting on these issues from public television - "The Lehrer Report" - for example.
Stop the hate and let congressional leaders know what you want before the health insurance lobby bribes them more.
M. Fritz Bertelt
Brainerd
Suggestions on health care
Conservatives should endorse a comprehensive national health plan because there are several areas that can conserve natural resources as well as spend less money and still get better service. Here are some suggestions:
1. As a national priority we should invest in more teaching hospitals and more medical teachers so that anyone who is qualified can become a doctor. Competition would then establish salaries.
2. New clinics and hospitals should have a standard design, standard types of construction and the latest in energy efficiency in the same way that new chain stores and eating places are constructed. It would be recognizable as a medical facility and familiar to get around in it. Plans for the buildings could be used repeatedly which would be a big savings.
3. Drugs could be purchased in quantities that would assure the best possible price consistent with allowing enough profit to encourage research.
4. Billing of medical services could be standardized so that there would be no need to bill at inflated prices and then adjust downward.
One down side that would have to be addressed is that doctors could be more relaxed in a federal job and probably take more time with each patient. In this respect we would need a larger medical staff but maybe that's not so bad.
Chuck Hagberg
Crosby
Politicians are out of control
This letter is to the writer of the Open Forum letter, July 26 Sunday paper, "Stop the crazy spending." Thank you for standing up as an American citizen and not some politician's puppet. I agree with you that these politicians are out of control. But we also must look at who is doing all the cramming down our throats, who is pushing this wasteful spending, which special interest group, which lobbyist and who do they support? I will stand and defend with honor, truth, liberty Bill of Rights, Constitution, our military, the wars because I do understand.
And to you Bush-bashers, how many times must a country be attacked before it has a right to defend itself and its people? I thank God everyday that you people were not around on Dec. 7, 1941. If you were we would probably be United States of Japan.
Robert J. Hutchins
Crosslake
Obama sounds like Rev. Wright
The incident in Cambridge, Mass., was a real eye-opener: When the police received a call on 911 that a burglary was in progress at such and such an address (which was the address of the educated Harvard professor - as the story plays, change educated to stupid). The police arrive and they try to find out what is really happening. Instead of saying he was embarrassed for locking himself out of his own house, and showing I.D. and then thanking his neighbor and the police for responding to the 911 call which would have ended the incident right there, the stupid professor goes into a rage and whips out the race card. Things escalate from there with the stupid professor ending up in handcuffs.
Now fast forward to Obama's press conference. An innocent question about the incident drew this response from the president. He basically said he didn't know the details, but he was sure the police had acted stupidly. He then goes on to say that blacks and Hispanics are racially profiled. As Willie Sutton said when asked why he robbed banks, "That's where the money is." If police want to catch terrorists, they had better profile: Check Muslims, young to mid-age males with dark eyes, dark hair and swarthy complexions with names like Mustaffa and Osama, etc. The irony is that the president sounds just like his mentor, Rev. Wright.
Martin Ehrhardt
Merrifield
Tab renewal fees are up
Thanks to our state representatives who voted in favor of the gas tax increase bill, overriding Gov. Pawlenty's veto, for the increase in our tab renewal fees.
The five-cent a gallon increase in our gas tax was touted as a small increase with a cost of, on average, $50 per vehicle annually. The raise in tab renewal fees was not talked about much, and was one of the reasons Gov. Pawlenty vetoed it.
After opening my second license tab renewal, I felt I had to vent. My tab renewal fees for two vehicles are $1,110; under the previous formula these tab fees would have been $398. That is an increase of $712 on top of the gas tax increase! That's nuts! To add insult to injury, the sales tax paid on these vehicles is not tax deductible; so we pay income tax on the sales tax.
Talking to Rep. Ward he said something had to be done to fix our aging roads and bridges. Well, if the state wouldn't have taken these fees out of the dedicated road and bridge fund to help balance former budgets, we wouldn't be so underfunded. Are these new increases going to the road and bridge fund or the general fund?
Our state needs to rethink how these license fees are calculated. Instead of basing these fees on value, how about basing these fees on miles driven annually? A flat fee, with a raise in the gas tax, would be a true user fee. Raising the license fees and renewals on all the hybrid vehicles would be more equitable, they are waving at all the gas stations as they pass by them, not paying their fair share of the gas tax while putting unrestrained miles on Minnesota's roads.
Denny Bollig
Brainerd
Obama is prejudiced
Obama showed us two great flaws of his in his answering of a question on Professor Gates as the White House's ram-it-down-our-throat national health care news conference. Every president would have said, as Obama did, they do not have all the information, then the presidents, except Obama, would have said, "Therefore, I cannot make a comment." Obama not only made a comment, even without all the facts, made a judgment, a biased judgment.
Every president has given the professional peace officer the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Obama, by making that judgment prematurely, shows his immaturity, plus siding as he did in the incident. He showed us his prejudice. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, prejudice: 2. an opinion held in disregard of facts that contradict it, bias.
This is "change we can believe in?"
Stephen L. Heinecke
Baxter
Who's minding the zoo?
Considering President Obama's penchant for naming "czars" to manage various aspects of the government (now over 30 of them), perhaps it's time for him to appoint a "Zoo Czar" whose sole responsibility would be to oversee all personnel in the Obama Administration.
Hap Corbett
Staples
Pawlenty and the centrist groups
Last Thursday, Gov. Pawlenty urged RNC committee members "to build bridges to independents and conservative-leaning Democrats"(Minn. Gov: GOP must welcome others, broaden base, 7/31). I suggest that most of my fellow conservative-leaning Democrats and independents know that the route to future U.S. prosperity is bridged by strong science and technology education programs.
On Sept. 3, 2008, Pawlenty told Tom Brokaw, "Intelligent design is something that, in my view, is plausible and credible and something that I personally believe in." He went on to support the idea of creation based local school programs.
Taking class time from physics, chemistry, and molecular biology for theories which lack a scientific basis will not appeal to the centrist groups which have largely deserted the GOP.
Rolf Westgard
Deerwood
Learn the health care facts
Many myths about single-payer health plans are being spread as the debate about "universal health care" heats up. I urge anyone who really wants to know the facts to check out this blog by a person who has lived both in the U.S. and in Canada: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/mythbusting-canadian-health-care-part-i
To summarize, yes, the Canadian system has its good points and its bad points, just as the U.S. system does. In Canada, private insurers fill in the services not picked up by the basic public plan, so it's not true that having a government option would eliminate private insurance. No, it's not true that doctors work for the government or that people can't pick their own physician. The premiums are usually paid either by employers, for those who are working, or by the government, for those in need, balancing out the higher cost in taxes. And no, it's not true that the average urbanite has to wait any longer for care than U.S. citizens do, except for MRI's. The author notes that the public option is highly scrutinized by the media, so any irregularities are nipped in the bud.
Yes, most of us who have health insurance are happy with it, but what about people who can't find work or who have "pre-existing conditions?"
If you care about your health care, please get the facts.
Patricia W. Scott
Brainerd
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