US healthcare lags 10 other high-income nations. What the GOP is doing won’t fix that.

US healthcare

Quoting from an Aug. 4 report from The Commonwealth Fund on health care in the U.S. compared to other high-income countries, “The top-performing countries overall are Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia. The United States ranks last overall, despite spending far more of its gross domestic product on health care. The U.S. ranks last on access to care, administrative efficiency, equity, and health care outcomes...”

Both Democrats and Republicans are trying to address this problem. Democrats are trying to expand health care coverage and support other social programs, thereby improving the health of our population. Republicans are trying to allow unrestrained capitalism, increase income disparity, and concentrate wealth in the top few people, thereby removing the U.S. from the list of high income countries.

I prefer the Democrats’ approach.

Charlie Muehl, Asheville

Work together

A Republican senator was recently criticized on a national conservative TV show for his position to work on a bipartisan bill that would create much needed jobs. This stifles any progress toward moving our country ahead.

Those of us who were awake during the previous administration saw no move to repair infrastructure. We saw no reform to the current medical insurance plan and no push to create jobs. There was, however, a huge tax credit given to the top 1% — monies that will have to be made up by the dwindling middle class.

We must demand that Congress work together to keep our economy the greatest in the world and that jobs are available to all Americans, regardless of our many differences. This country belongs to all the people.

Let’s move forward.

Mary Ann Evanoff, Midland

Florida

Regarding the Florida governor’s executive order allowing him to invalidate mask and vaccine mandates...

Patriot Patrick Henry exclaimed, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Similarly, New Hampshire’s state motto is:“Live free or die.” Now in Florida, you can have it both ways. There, freedom to not vaccinate or mask up can kill you.

Dave Molinaro, Charlotte

On July 29, the Lincoln County school board ruled that masks will be optional when school starts. It is crystal clear that the decision reveals a disregard for science, and, more importantly, the safety of students and staff.

Those who protest mask mandates and cite personal freedom are ignoring the rights of others not to be infected by their callous disregard for science. I would suggest that if I you ask any child (separate from parent influence) if he or she would prefer a mask to seeing a classmate and on a ventilator or in an ICU, the answer every time would be wear a mask.

The Lincoln County Board of Education has ignored its responsibilities to protect the children and staff.

Rick Foster, Denver

Repercussions

In his column in the Aug. 5 Opinion Extra section, Marc Thiessen wrote that “the unvaccinated minority do not pose a serious threat to the rest of us” and “free people are free to be wrong.”

When a person makes decisions that can so greatly affect others, he/she should not be free to make those decisions without repercussions.

When an unvaccinated person goes into the hospital for COVID, he/she may be taking a bed that could be used for a severely ill person who doesn’t have the virus. He/she also might incur a huge bill that may have to be absorbed by the hospital or paid for by vaccinated taxpayers.

Also, physicians and other health care workers are stressed to levels which may cause them to deal with PTSD for many years to come.

Vaccination is a huge social issue that impacts us all.

Traci Kearns, Lansing

CO2 savings

The July 29 article, “UN climate chief: CO2 savings plans submitted for global summit fall short,” made me wonder what was — or more accurately, wasn’t — included in those plans. Had a price on carbon been part of the package, there wouldn’t have been such a shortfall.

Some people are reluctant to accept this idea, which has been vilified incorrectly as a tax. But when 100% of the fee gets sent back to consumers to help offset rising energy costs, and experts predict a 40% reduction in carbon emissions within 12 years, this is an important step in the fight against climate change.

Jeanine Noblett, Charlotte

Protect ratepayers

Regarding “N.C. should join with other states to cut utility emissions,” (Aug. 1 Opinion):

I desperately want my grandchildren (and yours) to survive this rapidly changing climate. So I applaud Gov. Roy Cooper’s call for 70% decarbonization of the power sector by 2030.

I’m frustrated that profit-motivated Duke Energy is getting in the way of that. Duke has met in secret with legislators to draft House Bill 951, which would allow Duke to build more climate destroying gas plants — a lucrative pursuit for Duke.

Duke is going around the Utilities Commission, which exists to protect ratepayers — us. The Carolina Utility Customers Association says HB 951 could raise rates for industrial and possibly other customers. We need the Utilities Commission to protect us.

Sally Kneidel, Charlotte