Letters to the editor

I have read several letters supporting the discounts received under the Affordable Care Act. Does anyone believe we can add 30 million people to our health care system and have it cost less?

For every person getting a good deal, there are 25 people paying for it. Next year large companies that are self-insured will start paying a tax to support the Affordable Care Act.

These companies will pay a tax for each insured employee and an additional tax for each dependent. The cost will be passed on to the employee.

This money will be paid to the insurance companies to offset the expected losses they will incur. The only winners are the insurance companies.

Obamacare is not here to stay. It was designed to fail.

We will end up with a single-payer system, which is basically socialized medicine. Then we will really feel the effect of what we have done.

News about stray dogs being killed at the Olympic site was so disgusting. How could lawmakers in Russia do this?

It comes to no surprise to me, however. They had plenty of time to tranquilize these dogs and put them in a safe place.

Do they not have shelters? Do they not offer free spaying or neutering?

Why would the Olympic committee allow it to be there in the future? Are they so backward?

I guess the Russian government finds it easier to just kill something than to find a solution. No surprise there either.

If I had my way, the United States would never allow any future events to be held there. Who knows, there may be some stray people hanging out.

Conservative Republicans view the liberality of thought as dangerous to society because it threatens to challenge their particular beliefs of a moral order and its ordained social and political order.

This is reflective of 17th century Puritan theology that eventually led to the famous witch trials. Ideas can be argued and discussed; beliefs, as they cannot be changed, can turn deadly.

You've been hearing the latest buzz phrase from Republicans since the State of the Union address last month and that is “lawless president.” According to Republicans, the president is out of control with the signing of executive orders.

I guess they are unable to do research as President Barack Obama has signed the fewest executive orders coming in at 168. Funny how not one Republican said a word or brought up the fact that Ronald Reagan signed 381 executive orders or George W. Bush signed 291.

Even George H.W. Bush signed fewer than 200 in the four years he was president. Considering the fact that Republicans have said no to everything Obama has put forth, refused to even bring up bills for a vote and have had more filibusters in history during his presidency, including presidential nominees, what other choice have they given him?

Yes, Republicans have made it clear from day one they do not like the president. They wring their hands and say “if only the president would work with us,” which actually means do what we want or nothing will get done or last fall, shutting down the government for 16 days. Lawless should apply to Republicans not passing any laws.

I was just looking at the pictures of Atlanta and the snow day they had last month. Isn't it grand when the government doesn't interfere?

I hope Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran will oppose economic sanctions on Iran. National security experts and a recent U.S. Intelligence Community assessment stated “new sanctions would undermine the prospects for a successful comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran.”

Nine former U.S. ambassadors and other national security experts have warned, “the bill would threaten the prospects for success in the current negotiations and thus present us and our friends with a stark choice — military action or living with a nuclear Iran.”

The Friends Committee on National Legislation has more on how Congress can support, not sabotage, diplomacy with Iran: fcnl.org/iran.

Gov. Sam Brownback finally has a good idea with the all-day kindergarten even though this idea is not his own and his office helped cause many educational problems. He is now campaigning out of it.

Good for our governor. The estimated $80 million that it will take is also something that needs to be addressed because Kansas is spending about $100 million more than it’s taking in each year draining the reserves.

Raise taxes on millionaires, and use the proceeds to fund public education at all levels. It’s a good idea.

This would be a good start with the funding, and it comes at the right time. California has a pending initiative to do this currently.

Note that Kansas City, Kan., School District currently has all-day kindergarten, paying for this out of its current budget. Also, we must make public universities and schools more efficient.

Public and higher education has been the gateway to the middle class. We must stop that gate from shutting.

This story was originally published February 11, 2014 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor."