Letters on health care bill, racism, exorcism, Kansas Sampler
Health care bill benefits wealthy
Ron Estes, our new Kansas congressman, is proud of his vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He thinks it will “put people, not politics” at the center of health care (May 5 Eagle). It depends on which people he’s referring to.
With the savings from the ACA – savings coming from subsidies for those who need help paying for health care coverage and for those who have pre-existing conditions – the wealthy among us will get a tax break.
Hip, hip, hooray.
Of course, that tax break will stimulate the economy, just as similar plans did under President Ronald Reagan and Gov. Sam Brownback – which is to say, giving tax breaks to the wealthy will not stimulate the economy. In fact, according to reliable sources, the economy will suffer a setback because there will be a slowdown in the hiring of health care professionals under the American Health Care Act, otherwise known as Trumpcare.
In the meantime, from 25 to 50 pre-existing conditions could no longer be covered under the AHCA. So thank you, Rep. Estes, for protecting us from politics. I hope you enjoy your taxpayer-subsidized health insurance. I also hope you enjoyed the Rose Garden celebration.
Diane Wahto, Wichita
Death sentence
House Republicans and President Trump have just sentenced me to death. Due to pre-existing conditions, I can’t even buy health care if their bill passes the Senate.
J. Elliott, Wichita
Stand up to racism
Wichita State University is a diverse and inclusive university. I am proud that two of my sons (one a graduate and one currently attending) are a part of the fine university. You can see that each day the faculty, staff and students are working to create a legacy of making education available to everyone.
It, therefore, is appalling that a parent of a student allegedly used racially disparaging language toward another student in a public meeting on campus (May 6 Eagle). Even more discouraging is that the parent is part of our public education system.
There is no room for prejudice at WSU or any college or university. There are certain hateful words that should never be used or directed at another person.
If the incident occurred as alleged, I find the actions totally unacceptable and not representative of the vast majority of the good people living in Wichita and Kansas. We are better than this.
Floyd Saunders, Newton
Tabloid trash
While The Eagle is settling in at its new location, it needs to make sure it doesn’t toss out its journalistic credibility along with its former building.
The front-page article about Pastor Terry Fox assessing Rachael Hilyard for demons was nothing short of dumbfounding and inexcusable – tabloid trash at its worst (May 4 Eagle). Hilyard is accused of beheading Micki Davis.
The Eagle is supposed to be a major city newspaper in the 21st century, yet it quoted this minister questioning whether Hilyard was “demon possessed” or just mentally ill, as though it was some sort of serious ongoing legitimate intellectual academic debate.
This is like tossing American culture back to the days before germ theory of disease took root in modern medical science.
Does The Eagle also support flat Earth belief, or that evolution is merely a theory? If not, then why would it give this minister a platform to pretend that demon possession is worthy of modern scientific consideration?
John Williamson, Wichita
Winfield wonders
People who visited Winfield this past weekend saw wonders of the state of Kansas. They also saw the wonders of the city of Winfield, acting as host of the Kansas Sampler (May 8 Eagle).
The natural venue at Island Park was beyond belief, but the wonder was in the way the city came together to make it all work so smoothly. My wife and I had our doubts, given our limited mobility, about the wisdom of even trying to attend, but those marvelous volunteers took our breath away with their cheerful and willing way of getting us to the Sampler and back to our car.
Our hats are off to the designers, organizers and the volunteers. Winfield just put another feather in its hat. The Winfield City Band was just the frosting on the cake.
Clyde Vasey Jr., Winfield
Letters to the Editor
Include your full name, home address and phone number for verification purposes. All letters are edited for clarity and length; 200 words or fewer are best. Letters may be published in any format and become the property of The Eagle.
Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Wichita Eagle, 330 N. Mead, Wichita, KS 67202
E-mail: letters@wichitaeagle.com
Fax: 316-269-6799
For more information, contact
Phillip Brownlee at 316-268-6262, pbrownlee@wichitaeagle.com.
This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Letters on health care bill, racism, exorcism, Kansas Sampler."