Letters to the editor: Migrants, Vicky McIntyre, Trump, diversity, Medicare for all

Migrants

I think that Vice President Pence should be required to spend one week in the cage with the migrants before he is allowed to tell the press about the conditions at the border. The administration is getting away with caging migrants in inhumane conditions by blaming the conditions on the Democrats. The conditions at the border are totally the result of how the administration has chosen to treat people who are trying to save their own lives and the lives of their children. Ask yourself honestly what you would do to protect yourself and your children. We all know that the conditions at the border are shameful. Trying to pretend that the migrants have chosen to be in that situation is ridiculous. They were fleeing for their lives. They did not have any choice but to try to run to safety.

Mr. Pence, after you have spent a week in one of those cages, then it will be interesting to hear what you have to say.

Vicky McIntyre

Apparently tax dollars were spent bringing bogus charges against an honorable elected official, former Ada Treasurer Vicky McIntyre. She was charged with seven felonies but ended up with one $108 misdemeanor. An expert witness testified the expense was legitimate because government officials conduct business 24/7 in various settings. Ironically, the AG rendered the same opinion for state Treasurer Ron Crane’s auto expenses.

Why was there was no restitution ordered? Because McIntyre and Deputy Elizabeth Mahn immediately repaid Ada County when the disagreement occurred. But the media would have you believe she walked off with thousands of your tax dollars. Yet, former Commissioner Dave Case filed a complaint with the attorney general, which appears to be a personal vendetta for opposing Case’s spending proposals. The charges were filed just before her election bid for state Treasurer, which she predictably lost. Luckily, Case lost his re-election bid as well.

Rather than face trial for felony charges and tens of thousands more in legal fees, McIntyre chose a plea bargain to cut her losses. Her reputation took a hit but those who know her staunchly defend her. Shame on the (in)justice system for seemingly abusing power to silence dissent and influence politics.

Trump

Donald Trump’s racism and misogyny becomes more blatant as every week goes by. I have become used to the fact that Idaho’s own representatives – Risch, Crapo, Fulcher, and Simpson – will not stand up to Trump’s obstruction of justice, his love of dictators, his abuse of our longtime allies, and his sexual predation. But you’d think that they would speak out against overt racism. The fact that they do not leads me to believe that they share his racist views. Risch, Crapo, Fulcher and Simpson are on the wrong side of history. The record will show that when our country needed courageous people to stand up to the dangerous fraud in the White House, they were not among them.

Diversity

I don’t care if one is a Republican, Democrat, Independent or Libertarian or anything else. I am tired of the attacks on people because of their ethnicity, faith or lack of faith. We are a nation of diverse people and I fully believe that makes us a stronger nation. We have allowed politics to color our world into divisions where divisions are not necessary. We are stronger together than separate. I believe folks have decided to conquer our consciences by dividing us and making us weaker.

It could not be clearer that Russia, Saudi Arabia, China and other countries have an interest in perpetuating our divisions. Our government owes it to all of us to make sure that our elections are fair and protected. Our Idaho congressmen have taken no action to push the security of our elections. This should not be a partisan issue. My question to our congressmen, “Whom did you take a pledge of allegiance to, this country or our adversaries?”

The Republican legislators who have made it their mission to divide Idaho on a diversity issue, shame on you. The Idaho Way is to be compassionate and accepting, not to follow blindly behind ignorance and bigotry.

Medicare for all

Lets investigate Medicare for all. Now, I would rather see a public option dealing with Medicare. But I keep hearing how it’s too expensive. Let’s break it down. If Social Security was set at 6% and Medicare at 4% split employer and employee paying half, but apply this to 100% of income. Now, probably 95% of Americans are paying this tax on 100% of their income now, all I am saying is make it fair and apply to all.

Now, what if every federal, state, county and city employee, since their health insurance is paid by the taxpayers, had to go on this plan. How much would we save in health care? Now factor in how much it cost for Medicaid? How much does it cost for veterans’ health benefits? Now, what if we went on world-pricing for prescription drugs? Elizabeth Warren submitted a bill but Mitch McConnell wouldn’t allow it to come up for a vote. That bill alone was set to save over a billion a year.

Now, allow medical people that have student loans to work for this health care system at the pay of lieutenant to captain pay.

This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 6:52 PM.