Letters: Readers discuss Sam Graves’s inaction, health insurance and what makes a Christian
What’s the outrage?
In a post on his official Facebook page, Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri denounces Bernie Sanders’ “far left” plan to provide Medicare for all at a cost of $32.6 trillion: “Outrageous!”
I say Graves is outrageous. In his nine terms served, he has never proposed anything significant to help with the cost of health insurance.
Is Graves blind to the national crisis this is? Can he not acknowledge the eventual savings we would realize with a healthy nation?
If the nation can’t afford health care, we sure as heck can’t afford Sam Graves for a 10th term. That would be outrageous.
Sam G. Andersen
Liberty
People, not politics
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley claims he supports health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions, but his actions tell a very different story.
In February, Hawley added his name to the Texas v. Azar lawsuit, which would strike down the Affordable Care Act and end the law’s important consumer protections. If the lawsuit is successful, insurance companies would immediately be able to go back to discriminating against people with conditions such as diabetes, asthma and arthritis. It would be devastating, and millions of people would lose coverage.
Hawley has tried to explain away this attack on health care by saying Congress should pass a law to guarantee protections for pre-existing conditions. This would leave 2.5 million Missourians with pre-existing conditions in the lurch while Congress scrambles to clean up the mess Hawley made.
If Hawley is truly supportive of certain provisions of the ACA, why not pledge to work with Congress to fix what’s broken and keep what’s not — rather than trying to strike down the whole thing?
It’s no surprise that Hawley would rather pander to his base than come up with real solutions that would benefit Missourians, but his politically motivated attacks on health care are putting real people at risk.
Tom Bastian
Protect Our Care
Missouri
Kansas City
Christian attitude
Recent letters have debated a Lee’s Summit City Council meeting that opened with the Lord’s Prayer. One writer opined that this is not acceptable in a diverse community.
The United States was founded on freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. It means that government will not force a religion on the people. As Christians, we are to be hospitable and loving to one another, showing the love of Jesus that others may want to know him.
This country was once known as a Christian nation, but I’m afraid that title is slipping away. Gone are the days when your word was your bond and a handshake sealed the deal (both Christian qualities by the way). Today we are self-centered, with “I” being the center of the universe. How is that working out?
Leaders at all levels seem to be two-faced and self-serving. This is not a Christian attitude. Our citizens are focused on themselves rather than our communities and nation as a whole.
We should not condemn those who seek God’s wisdom and guidance. We should applaud them and look for ways to support them.
Timothy Adams
Gladstone
Small but mighty
Recently, there seems to have been a large movement to cut U.S. foreign aid amid budget cuts, but helping other nations is necessary.
The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, estimates that 2 million to 3 million children’s lives are saved through immunizations each year.
In 1980, only 58 countries had democratic governments. By 1995, that number had risen to 115, thanks in part to USAID. In the last 25 years, literacy rates rose 33 percent worldwide, while primary school enrollment tripled.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average American believes the U.S. spends 26 percent of the federal budget on foreign aid. In reality, the U.S. spends only about 1 percent of the budget on foreign aid.
Rather than decrease the amount of the federal budget allotted for foreign aid, it is beneficial for everyone to increase it.
I urge Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill to support an increase in the International Affairs Budget to keep U.S. foreign aid a global force for good.
Savannah Hawley
Independence
Fighting words
You know how some people say wisdom comes with age? Today my mom called me with a question. She asked, “With all the violence in our country today, how come politicians always say they’re fighting for us? Shouldn’t they say they’re working for us?”
Pretty smart, isn’t she?
Annette Bright
Overland Park