SHARON ULLMAN

Legacy includes lotsof ranting, tantrums

Throughout Sharon Ullman’s political career I have shaken my head in disbelief at her raving, ranting, disruption of meetings, temper tantrums and pushing personal agendas, but these last antics are over the top. Digging up something that happened over 20 years ago is nothing but “sour grapes.” You have lost, Sharon; build a bridge and get over it!

Sharon’s remark in the July 10 paper — “Case enjoys immunity from Statesman criticism. Statesman readers should be outraged by the paper’s blatant bias.” — was really humorous. I remember during her campaign, the Statesman gave her good press. How short her memory is.

MARCY MYERS, Boise

OBAMACARE

Crisis continuesbeyond ruling

The Supreme Court did not remedy our national health crisis.

Despite the modest benefits of the ACA, universal coverage is not achieved; there remains escalation of premiums, copays, co-insurance and coverage gaps; and no cost control.

This is because the “profits before people” private health insurers were preserved. They generate billions in waste within and beyond their palatial walls.

We deserve an Improved-Medicare-for-all that achieves true universal coverage, health security and cost control. One publicly funded insurer would pay for the care delivered by a mostly private health care sector. No more investors or CEOs to drain the system of the billions we need to care for our families. The estimated savings from eradicating that waste, using purchasing power, and improved care systems would be enough to pay for coverage of all of us.

Polls indicate over two-thirds of the public and a majority of physicians support Medicare-for-all. Although some claim it improbable, we are compelled to prevent the further unconscionable suffering of our families and friends.

Demand the fiscally conservative and socially progressive cure for what ails us.

LOUIS SCHLICKMAN, M.D., Meridian

PLANNED NEGLECT

Letting weeds growis poor planning

Our Mesa Vista neighborhood, the right-of-way off Federal Way, has been “chosen” for Boise Parks & Recreation’s “planned neglect” from April through September as part of a pilot program to determine if reduced maintenance levels in some city parks and public rights-of-way could be a low-impact way of saving taxpayer dollars.

If fully implemented, the program “could save as much as $340,000 annually in temporary wages, water, fertilizer, pesticides and other materials.”

Rights-of-way include Federal Way (Vista to Kootenai) and five others. Since this is a well-used roadway into Boise from the airport, many of our neighbors have submitted comments to the Parks and Rec Department. The sidewalks and planted beds are growing more and more weedy and shabby-looking on a daily basis. Could not this “temporary savings program” be taken care of by Ada County inmates as a way for them to pay back to the city? Our right-of-way maintenance this year is really a poor display of our beautiful city.

TIP AND PAM O’CONNOR, Boise

ROMNEY TAXES

Mitt should followhis dad’s example

When George Romney ran for president he released 12 years of his income tax returns. He said he was releasing so many years because “one year may be a fluke, perhaps done for show.” Why does Mitt refuse to level with the American people about all the millions he has stashed away to avoid U.S. taxes in the tax havens of the Cayman Islands, Swiss bank accounts, Bermuda, Luxembourg and Ireland? It's about time that Mitt is honest with the taxpayers.

JAMES NOLAN, Boise

POLITICAL HYPOCRISY

Otter fails to standby his convictions

Hypocrisy can be defined as “the practice of professing beliefs contrary to one’s actual behavior.” It does not matter if a person or entity has a legal or moral right to commit an act of hypocrisy; it is the act itself that is defined by the word. It could be an act such as Idaho forcing students to have health insurance in order to attend the “free” University of Idaho, while they join in a losing law suit to prevent the federal government from forcing all Americans to have health insurance. The actions are still hypocritical.

Recently, Gov. Otter did the morally right thing by promising Bannock County officials that he would exhaust every opportunity to secure federal aid to help the community rebuild after their devastating wild fire. Even though it was the right thing to do, it is hypocritical for someone who continually paints the federal government as the “Evil Empire” to ask it for financial help whenever he decides he can make a few political points. The real hypocrisy is that Mr. Otter knows that Idaho cannot maintain itself without federal dollars, so why the charade? I guess it’s just the “Right Wing” thing to do.

JAMES PAULS, Eagle

AMERICA IN DECLINE

Nation is failingin critical areas

America is failing. Her marriages are failing (half end in divorce); her families are failing (over half of U.S. children are reared in one- parent homes); her schools are failing (America ranks 25th among the leading industrialized nations); and her economy is failing ($16 trillion debt).

America is failing in the most critical foundational issues of a strong society. Henry Thoreau said, “For every thousand people hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one chopping at the root.” American society is so possessed with the leaves of evil (being politically correctly correct, etc.), that the roots of evil go unaddressed.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum identified the root solution to America’s failing culture when he said, “For those who graduate from high school, get a full-time job and marry before they have their first child, the probability that they will be poor is 2 percent. But if these things are absent, 76 percent will be poor.”

MORRIS BASTIAN, Boise

ANDY GRIFFITH

Richert’s humornot appreciated

I ordinarily am extremely interested in editor Kevin Richert’s opinions as expressed in his column. While I sometimes disagree with his positions, I must concede that they are always carefully thought out and clearly expressed. That said, I was very offended with the “Comment in 140 or Less” of July 5 regarding the passing of Andy Griffith. Trying to make a Sports Pickle-type joke out of this man’s passing was in extremely poor taste and was in effect an offense against all the people who pay a lot of money each day to have their loved ones’ obituaries published in the Statesman.

WALTER VARNES, Nampa