Health bill will be a disaster
To the editor:
I am writing in response to the health care reform bill passed by the House of Representatives last weekend.
I have never been motivated to get involved with politics until this year. This bill it is said has the backing of the AARP and the American Medical Association.
As a registered nurse at a Boston hospital, I can tell you that this will not be good for the American citizens. You can go to any hospital now and receive health care. If you show up and need heart surgery you are going to get that surgery.
America has an immigration problem causing a backup in our emergency rooms, not a health care problem. Address this issue first.
When this bill takes effect a senior citizen might be told that it is better that they live with a painful hip than have America waste money on a simple surgery of a hip replacement.
Most working families' cost of insurance will multiply greatly under this plan. How is this affordable? Most employers will eventually drop their current insurance because the government will force them to down the road (yes, it's in the bill). The bill also states that all literature should be in easy to understand terms yet this bill is nearly unreadable the way it is.
Senior citizens and all people of America I urge you to contact your senator's office and your representative's offices. Insist they debate each line and state what it really means. Do not sit by and let your health care go down the river. There is a reason people with socialized medicine come to the United States for health care. In addition, if this bill passes many physicians will be forced to stop practicing.
You can still do something — 80 percent of Americans are happy with their health care and the fact is that AARP is backing this bill because they are going to make a lot of money off the supplemental insurance they sell and the AMA is backing it (which only represents 17 percent of doctors) because if they don't then President Obama is going to enforce severe cuts to Medicaid.
Do not be silent. Let your voices be heard. If the people we elect choose not to listen I urge you to remember that when you go to the polls. It is not too late. This bill has to go to the Senate and back to the representatives again so call, e-mail but just don't do nothing.
Marianne Sullivan
Methuen
Dobbs' reasoned voice will be missed
To the editor:
Last week, Lou Dobbs resigned from CNN. Dobbs was one of the inaugural members of cable news, so his departure is significant from a symbolic and nostalgic view, at the least. Dobbs' style had evolved over the years from a business and economic commentator to more of what he called "advocacy journalism," addressing the issues of the day not only from a factual standpoint but also from a position of opinion about how those issues might best be addressed.
He always asked straight, substantive questions, whether confronting a corporate entity on business practices or addressing policy and social issues in our society. While impassioned about certain issues, I never recall a time when Dobbs was rude or dropped his decorum toward another whose policies he questioned.
Dobbs' stock in trade wasn't to expound his views so much as to call for "rigorous empirical thought and forthright analysis and discussion" of issues confronting the nation. He eschewed politics, recognizing that political motivations rarely produce debate or policy that's in the public's best interest. His calls for open, factual debate on issues like illegal immigration and global warming earned him the hatred and harassment of special interest groups, even to the point of having his house shot at in recent weeks. These are two such issues that demand "rigorous empirical thought and analysis," and are not political footballs to be kicked around by thugs who care only about their own agenda.
Dobbs' will be missed. His was one of the few nonpartisan voices still shaping public opinion.
Nathan Clark
Derry, N.H.
Thanks for supporting 'shoe-labration'
To the editor:
The Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce and the Soles of Haverhill Shoe-labration" Committee would like to extend a sincere thank you for the public's gala event attendance and the immense show of support we received during our Soles of Haverhill "Shoe-labration" public art celebration and fundraising event.
The event was exceptionally great fun, with fabulous Tennessee auctioneer Tim Milks, delicious food, and a wonderful collection of silent auction items. Together with community support we raised more than $54,000, which will go to supporting the art, education, and cultural programs of the Friends of the Haverhill Public Library, Winnekenni Foundation, Girls Inc., Animal Rescue League of the Merrimack Valley, Discovery Club, Access Arts Club, Emmaus House, Esperanza Academy, the Sacred Heart Endowment Fund, Haverhill Fire Fighting Museum, the Haverhill Boys and Girls Club, and the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce Community, Arts, and Education Foundation.
A special thanks goes out to all of our generous sponsors. Special recognition to an anonymous community foundation and the Haverhill Cultural Council for their strong support and seed money that helped get this project off and running.
A warm and gracious thank you to our event sponsors and to the many local businesses, groups, and individuals who donated items and services towards the silent auction. We sincerely appreciate your generosity.
Thank you Soles of Haverhill "Shoe-labration" artists Elizabeth Persing, Rob Sardella, Jeff Grassie, Emily Boulger, Mimi Johnson, Alan Pearsall, Nordstrom Design Team, the Stuart Weitzman Family, Maria Fontaine, Elissa Dawson, Sharon Welch, and Susan Blim whose artistic talents elevated our entire community.
This event could not have been a success without the efforts of our tireless volunteers and hardworking event organizers who helped keep things running smoothly. Thank you!
We would like to extend a very personal thank you to the people of Haverhill and surrounding communities for embracing this community art celebration and sharing your personal thoughts, ideas, and shoe history. Your heart felt expressions and involvement demonstrated how art, culture, and history are essential ingredients in the quality of people's lives and how the Soles of Haverhill "Shoe-labration" acted as a symbol of Haverhill's community pride and remarkable history.
Leota Sarrette
Eric Karlstad
Soles of Haverhill Committee Co-Chairs
Haverhill
