Print edition: 
Tiahrt voted against helping families
Finally, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a health care bill that will provide affordable health care to all Americans, lowering insurance costs for families and businesses and removing the denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Despite endorsement by the American Medical Association and AARP and the hard work of former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, stood with the Republican right, which calls itself pro-family but would deny American families a basic right recognized by virtually all industrialized nations — the right to health care.
Though he gets excellent health care paid for by our tax dollars, Tiahrt and his fellow spoilers are determined to prevent their constituents from having a choice of affordable health care plans in a competitive environment that will bring costs down. Free enterprise and free choice will thrive with this bill's options.
Shame on Tiahrt and his colleagues who shout "socialism" out of ignorance or partisan contrariness. Let's make sure Kansans are represented in the U.S. Senate in 2011 by a moderate thinking Kansan ready to work collaboratively to better our lives, not by an ideologue who ignores the experiences of so much of the rest of the world.
GRETCHEN EICK
Wichita
Saddened by GOP
I stayed up until midnight Saturday to hear how the House voted on the Affordable Health Care for America Act. I am thankful that this was passed but saddened by the fact that our GOP representatives are so against helping get better access and expanded coverage in health care for everyone.
I know firsthand what it is like to be one of the millions of uninsured people in the United States. I struggled for many years paying off thousands of dollars of medical bills because I got sick during that time. I had to choose what care I could afford, not what care I needed to live a better, pain-free life. I would never wish that on another human being.
ERIKA MEADOWS
Wichita
Not selfish
What I hate most is the left's predilection to paint "tea party" participants and people over age 65 who oppose some of President Obama's policies as selfish nitwits consumed with only what benefits themselves. In an attempt to prove that we (the selfish ones) are a contradiction unto ourselves, the author of "Selfish protesters" (Nov. 8 Letters to the Editor) threw in some spin that we enjoy government highways and various government institutions.
My answer: Yes, since our tax dollars support many government projects, we do take advantage of the obvious services everyone needs, but our so-called selfishness (interests) does not end there.
As has been explained many times, we are not interested in strapping our children and grandchildren with trillions of dollars to pay for a health care bill that will not accomplish what it is supposed to do. The health care problem could be fixed with a commonsense bill that takes far less than 2,000 confusing pages. Begin by going after Medicare fraud (a huge savings), allowing consumers to cross state lines to purchase insurance (competition), and reforming tort laws (another huge savings).
With control of the White House and both houses of Congress, Democrats can do exactly what they want. How foolish it is for them to whine and blame tea party protesters for the mess they created themselves.
EDWARD DAMORE
Wichita
