LETTERS: Democrats deserve plenty of blame
To the editor:
Thank you to the Review-Journal for printing two contrasting letters from readers critiquing Steve Sebelius’ Nov. 3 column (“We demand the truth!”). In the first letter (“Can R-J columnist handle the truth?”, Friday Review-Journal), Gary Conder took Mr. Sebelius to task for demanding an investigation into the Iraq war when it had already been done, published years ago and available to anyone with a computer. Mr. Conder also included portions of this report with dates and details, clearly showing that, along with the White House, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress were in general agreement with the intelligence available at the time.
The second letter, from Randall Buie (“Republican hypocrisy,” Friday Review-Journal) gives Mr. Sebelius kudos for exposing the “hypocrisy and lunacy that is the current Republican Party.” Apparently, Mr. Buie believes it is the heartless Republicans alone who are responsible for “sending more than 4,000 Americans to their grave.” The truth is that the War Powers Resolution against Iraq was approved by wide margins with bipartisan support. Among those who voted for it were Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel and John Kerry (before he was against it). This can also be verified through a quick Google search.
Mr. Buie then turns his attention to the government shutdown, which he believes is also the fault of the evil Republicans, who held the whole world hostage “because they wanted to revoke a law that they themselves voted for four years ago.”
Wow! The Republicans wish they had that much power. But since we are talking about truth here, let me remind Mr. Buie that Obamacare passed without a single Republican vote. Not one vote. I realize that it might be hard to admit, and this may be an inconvenient truth, but Obamacare is now, and will forever be, owned by the Democrats alone.
LINDA CATERINE
HENDERSON
“Beating Obamacare”
To the editor:
I have been reading an eye-opening book, “Beating Obamacare,” by Betsy McCaughey. She clearly and correctly described the entire scenario that has unfolded before us the past few weeks (except, of course, for the enrollment website failure).
Considering the blatant repeated misstatements by President Barack Obama and his cadre of Obamacare incompetents in Washington, D.C., I would say that short of slavery, this personal and gross health care tragedy and personal financial debacle is among the greatest human rights violations in America’s history. The intrusion into Americans’ medical privacy is bad enough, never mind the depleted health care coverage.
This law is a despicable, unforgivable and ugly act committed by both the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress, which passed this egregious legislation without ever reading it.
The bleeding must be stopped now. It is up to the president to bring this insanity to a screeching end, using emergency legislation. Enough is enough.
BOB JACK
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Happy birthday, Marines
To the editor:
On Sunday, I read the Las Vegas Review-Journal, then the Las Vegas Sun. Not believing my eyes — I’m getting a little older — I read both papers a second time. To my amazement, there was not one mention about the United States Marine Corps and the celebration of its 238th birthday. So to my fellow Marines past and present, I would like to acknowledge with a resounding “Happy Birthday.”
It’s rather strange that one of the most noteworthy fighting forces in modern history was not given even a footnote in either of the local papers. Perhaps the editors of these papers should review their priorities. I wonder if they will soon be forgetting Veterans Day.
RON KIRBY
LAS VEGAS
Obama didn’t lie
To the editor:
President Barack Obama’s phrase, “If you like your health insurance plan, you can keep it” is not a lie. Calling it a lie would mean he knew that the insurance companies would cancel existing policies in droves, disqualifying his statement. The man is not stupid. I believe he did not anticipate the insurance companies’ actions, although he should have. He made a mistake, but he did not lie.
LESLIE KEYS
LAS VEGAS
Period of transformation
To the editor:
Once in a while, I will take the time to glimpse at the letters to the editor shown on the Opinion page of the Review-Journal. I scan dubiously because it is always quite apparent that most of the correspondences are from one side of the fence: the right side. And I don’t mean right from wrong. These opinions are, to say the least, cringeworthy, with everyone fixated on their prejudices, certain that reason is on their side.
Fortunately, we are living in a period of transformation, with the old fading out — although too slowly it seems by these letters — and the new trying to find ways to survive in a world that has changed dramatically from a scant 60 years ago. The old won’t be here when the new are. Do you get that? Certain changes have taken place. We don’t have a world of 4 billion people anymore; we have a world of 7 billion, with 12 billion coming in our children’s lifetimes.
For those who are writing these grossly misinformed opinions, please wake up and smell the coffee. The mind-sets you display are a blight on yourselves, your generation and society. Your stuckness has a rippling effect detrimental to your very own existence and that of the entire world.
My only advice, as a fellow human being, is quit cutting off your noses to spite your faces. You know who you are. Let me thank you now.
DAVID RAMEY
LAS VEGAS
