Letters to the Editor (July 29): Moran, eggs, Canada

Moran’s votes don’t represent Kansas

Can we now, once and forever, put to rest the ridiculous myth that Sen. Jerry Moran represents the people of Kansas? After he voted to destroy the health care of most Kansans by supporting the disastrous Republican “skinny repeal” bill, it should be clear, even to his most ardent supporters, that Moran is nothing more than a corporate shill and partisan extremist who has as much disdain for Kansas voters as his loathsome fellow Kansas senator and Virginia resident Pat Roberts.

Moran’s support of that bill, along with his final support for Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary and his eventual collapse on supporting a vote on President Obama’s last Supreme Court nominee after first saying he was in favor of voting on the nominee, show that when it comes to important matters, Moran will always fall in line with the far right-wing faction of his party. His vote in favor of the “skinny repeal” bill came after he assuaged Kansas voters’ fears by saying wouldn’t support the only slightly less-odious health care bill the Republican-controlled Senate first attempted to foist on the American people.

Surely the people of Kansas deserve much better representation than we are currently receiving from our senators.

The low cost of eggs

Regarding the article to buy eggs because they are so cheap right now, I would implore of people to take a few things into consideration. These “cheap” eggs come from battery hens that truly live in deplorable conditions. They are confined in a space no bigger than a letter-sized piece of paper, have part of their beaks burned off, have lost most of their feathers and are subjected to constant light. They will never see the outdoors, be able to spread their wings, dust bathe or roost at night. All natural behaviors that they have been denied.

Yes, buying cheap is always tempting, but cheap is usually never better. And in this case cheap is hugely inhumane. I urge you to only buy your eggs from humane sources. Take the time to read labels. Cage free doesn’t mean a whole lot on a label other than the chicken has maybe a two-foot pen area to walk around in rather than a small cage. Buy pasture-raised organic eggs. These chickens are raised the most humanely. The Humane Society’s website is a good place to gather more information on where your eggs come from.

Look to the maple leaf

If the Republican leaders can’t agree on any reasonable health care bill, perhaps they should look to our friend to the north, Canada. Up there, they don’t worry about pre-existing conditions or exclusions, deductibles, or co-pays. When they get sick, they go to the doctor.

We have a system that doesn’t cover all citizens, costs way more than the Canadian system, pays a lot more for the same drugs, and lets people die because they can’t afford to go to the doctor. Big Pharma and the big insurance companies are getting what they pay for in Washington. Can you imagine a federal law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating for lower drug prices for its patients? How much did that one cost the taxpayers?

Our system is broken for sure, but it’s not because of the Affordable Care Act. Its because our system of health care delivery is controlled by profit-driven insurance and pharmaceutical giants with little or no regard for actual care for the patient.

This story was originally published July 29, 2017 at 4:44 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor (July 29): Moran, eggs, Canada."