LETTERS: Keystone or not, oil will be pumped
To the editor:
Joe Andrade’s letter (“Keystone: Pipe dream?” Feb. 17 Review-Journal) leaves out the flaw in the tree-hugger theory: The oil sands in Canada will be drilled and pumped. If the Keystone pipeline is approved, it will mean both temporary jobs and profits for Americans during construction, and permanent American jobs and profits for operation and maintenance.
If we don’t approve it, the Canadians will pump the oil to British Columbia, load it on ships and send it to China. The ships will pollute more than any pipeline, and we know China will use the oil with no regard for the environment. Either way, the oil will be used.
ROBERT RAIDER
HENDERSON
Single-payer system
To the editor:
Charles Krauthammer’s column stresses that the Affordable Care Act will result in job loss (“Obamacare takes kill shot at jobs,” Feb. 16 Review-Journal). I am sure that is correct, but to me, the column highlights what I see as the root of the problem, which is that we rely on our employers for health care. This should not be their responsibility, and it’s a system that results in poor outcomes.
The Great Recession resulted in General Motors and Chrysler requiring government assistance in order to stay afloat. A major cause of their troubles was the high cost of health insurance for their retirees and current employees. Small businesses in general cannot afford the cost of health insurance for their employees. Many profitable large businesses such as Wal-Mart have fought for years against providing health care.
We really need a single-payer system. Flaws in the systems used in all other Western countries can be pointed out, but the end result is that we have, by far, the most expensive system, and it statistically has inferior results. We should determine the superior parts of other systems and build on them while also defining their problem areas and avoiding them. A logical approach to health care can result in a system which better serves the citizens and the job providers.
ROGER CHRISTENSEN
LAS VEGAS
Politicians and power
To the editor:
Laura Myers really outdid herself in her latest progressive rant on immigration (“Policy lets son rejoin immigrant mom in LV,” Tuesday Review-Journal.) The story highlighted how Sen. Harry Reid, one of the biggest liars in Congress, rewarded an individual who lied to immigration authorities years before. Now the individual can stay here, thanks to an Obama administration policy that no longer penalizes illegal minors who lie to authorities.
Mind you, this policy comes from a president whose statement, “If you like your health insurance you can keep it; if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor. Period!” was voted lie of the year. In progressive circles and the Democratic Party, telling lies is no longer a moral failing. It appears the old saying, “The end justifies the means” will continue to be at the forefront of party policy for liberals.
The photo with the story was even able to show crusty old Sen. Reid salivating over another Democratic vote, even while he puts the screws of increased health care premiums, deductibles and IRS penalties into each and every citizen. America will continue to decline in its moral stature as long as we, the voting public, allow individuals such as President Barack Obama and Sen. Reid to lie through their teeth to stay in power.
John F. Kennedy’s famous statement, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” is dead and buried by the progressives who control the Democratic Party. That marks the death of America as we know it.
DENNIS LEFFNER
LAS VEGAS
