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Home | Opinion Exchange | Letters

Readers Write for Wednesday, Nov. 11

Last update: November 10, 2009 - 6:35 PM

HEALTH CARE REFORM

Address it now, for the sake of U.S. economy

Opinion polls show that America's top two concerns are jobs and the economy. Congress is addressing these concerns by tackling health care reform. We are currently spending 17 percent of gross domestic product, double what all other Western democracies spend.

Health care reform, the economy and jobs cannot be separated. This problem grew while the Republican Party had majorities in all branches of government -- and did nothing. Today's Democratic majorities are addressing the economy and jobs, by reforming our outdated system of health care. Tea party attendees and town hall naysayers are clinging to a past that has strangled our economy and made us unable to compete. We must change, and the time is now.

DAVID ROGDE, BLOOMINGTON

•••

With all of the home foreclosures going on, one theme is repeated over and over by homeowners. "I didn't know what kind of mortgage I was getting," or "I didn't know what I was signing." New rules being put into place Jan. 1 will make mortgage terms very clear.

I wish new clear terms would be put into place regarding the health care reform bill. Just like mortgages that people didn't understand, I hear people in support of the bill who also don't read it, study it or examine it before enthusiastically giving support. The mortgage crisis should be a valuable lesson to all that you need to examine the health care bill so you know what you are getting. Let's not have buyer's remorse again.

TORI EIDE, SAVAGE

Federal Stimulus funds

What else will Obama folks take credit for?

Someone in the Obama administration should win the Nobel Prize in spin for having come up with the talking point "Saved or Added jobs" when discussing federal stimulus funds.

Those talking points were used in the Star Tribune's Nov. 8 story "Stimulus saved school jobs, state says." But I think they could have gone farther. I think they should have claimed that they saved "every" job in the school district. After all, you never know who's job is at risk so technically they are all at risk, and that means that all the jobs in the respective school districts were "saved." Come on, don't be humble; take credit for all that you can spin that you have done.

DAVE CONKLIN, VICTORIA

Pawlenty's amendment

Its premise has distinct air of inconsistency

My compliments to Gov. Tim Pawlenty for his mathematical sleight of hand (Opinion Exchange, Nov. 9).

Pawlenty first states the rate of the general fund spending as a total amount and not based upon per capita. The reason is that the general fund spending appears less if you base it upon per capita because the population has grown from 1960 to 2003 and this would weaken Pawlenty's argument.

However, Pawlenty uses per capita income for his rate of revenue instead of total population income so that the revenue looks smaller for the same period.

Nice trick using population growth and excluding population growth in the same argument! If you can't beat 'em, deceive 'em!

JEFF MOCK, HOPKINS

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