Biden’s budget is a pipe dream the US cannot afford

Biden budget

According to various governmental estimates Medicare could run out of money as early as 2026, yet the Biden administration is proposing that we add dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare and lower the Medicare eligibility age.

Their $3.5 trillion plan also includes universal pre-K and expanded childcare, tuition free community college, paid family and medical leave, and health coverage for individuals in states that haven’t accepted Medicaid expansion.

The administration’s proposed mechanism for paying for this largesse won’t raise nearly enough money to pay for these new programs.

Craig Reutlinger, Charlotte

Teach the truth

Bishops Samuel Rodman and Anne Hodges-Copple (Aug. 16 Opinion) missed the text they should have started with: John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

We don’t need to teach our children Critical Race Theory. We need to tell them the unvarnished truth about what happened in the past.

Native Americans were murdered, rounded-up and marched off from their homes on a “trail of tears” where many died, all to clear the land white settlers wanted. Black Africans were enslaved and many of the women raped by their white owners, leaving clear evidence in the form of mixed-race children. After being freed, many were lynched for having the temerity to try to vote and avail themselves of the rights guaranteed them by the U.S. Constitution.

This is part of the truth of our history. It’s not theory. Jesus said we can handle it, and knowing it will set us free. If I were an Episcopal bishop, I would start there.

Ed Hinson, Charlotte

Biden must explain

After considerable prodding by the press, pro and con, regarding his decision to pull out of Afghanistan, President Biden finally played the “buck stops here card.” I’m confident it was not intended as a noble gesture, nor is there any reason to suspect he was trying to cover for the Intelligence community, military, or his own advisers.

Still, I think he still owes the American people an explanation for who had his ear when he pulled the lever. Although it is entirely possible that the U.S. troops and the Afghan allies who aided them will come home without another shot being fired, it’s also possible that might not be the case.

Somebody did not get it right, and we should know who.

Robert Shaw, Indian Trail

US withdrawal

I hate seeing the siege of Afghanistan’s capital and the fear in the eyes of its citizens. But once I learned that a quarter million Afghan soldiers deserted, that left the U.S. with little incentive to stay and lose more American lives.

The former Afghan president. Ashraf Ghani, assured the U.S. that Afghan troops would defend the capital and the palace — and they didn’t. Former Ghani fled the country, leaving the citizens of Afghanistan to fend for themselves.

It’s a tragic story of a country whose own leadership failed to protect its citizens.

Lucy Grasty, Charlotte

Afghanistan

The United States has withdrawn from Afghanistan. We might abandon many Americans along with most of the Afghans who worked with us. I hold President Biden responsible for the institution of a new Afghan government. God forgive us and help the folks we’ve abandoned.

Spencer Rackley IV, Charlotte

Faux outrage

I have great sympathy for the Afghan people at this time, particularly those who assisted us. However, are we really supposed to believe the false outrage suddenly ginned up by some on the right concerning their alleged concern for those Afghan people?

The right ran an “American first” campaign for the last four years where the entire premise was caring for ourselves and not others. Now, they want us to believe they are outraged at what has occurred in Afghanistan, when they never even cared at all about the many attempts to overthrow our democracy, including voter suppression laws and the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Call me cynical but the recent whining about the plight of the Afghan people smacks of hypocrisy and is a bit rich.

Mark Sumwalt, Charlotte

A hopeless cause

Afghanistan was a tribal country in 1000 AD, long before the U.S. was formed. The U.S. cannot rid Afghans of that tribal mentality. The place fell apart a lot quicker than anticipated. We were there 20 years, wasting trillions of dollars just like the Russians during their 11-year struggle. Over thousands of years other countries have tried to control Afghanistan and failed, just as the U.S. and Russia did.

Bill Lane, Polkville

Culture wars

Columnist Jennifer Rubin is dead right on turning the breathtaking GOP atrocities into campaign fodder. (Aug. 13 Opinion) Don’t fear culture war. Don’t hesitate to call out the GOP on its anti-Americanism. It was Newt Gingrich who distributed lists of coarse vulgarities and ugliness to start Republicans on “rebranding” Democrats. We won’t go as low, we’ll just hold up a mirror, and ask Americans to choose.

Steve Craig, Charlotte