LETTERS: Horsford picks wrong immigration fight

To the editor:

So Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford chooses to badmouth Republican Rep. Joe Heck for not signing on to a Democratic immigration reform bill (“Horsford, Heck clash on immigration reform,” Thursday Review-Journal). The bill is like the Democrats’ Obamacare: support it before you read it.

For Rep. Horsford’s information, Rep. Heck is not opposed to immigration reform — he is actually pushing members in his own party to act on immigration reform. However, he is not willing to simply sign off on or support some “anything goes” bill. He will use common sense and support specifics which are beneficial to all, and he will not support specifics which are detrimental to either immigrants or existing citizens.

I am not opposed to health care and immigration reforms. Both are sincerely needed. However, both have to be handled thoughtfully, and all parts must be in the best interest of all. The immigration bill Rep. Horsford is pushing is not. Rep. Heck wants to handle this thoughtfully, and Rep. Horsford should considering doing likewise if he wants support from the other side of the aisle.

By the way, the comprehensive reform legislation, for which Rep. Horsford credited himself as one of the drafters, was a hybrid of measures already approved in Congress and was almost identical to the immigration bill already passed by the Senate. Nice drafting job, Rep. Horsford.

WAYNE COLLA

BOULDER CITY

Not exactly affordable

To the editor:

Remember, the Affordable Care Act was passed without the support of the American people. President Barack Obama has lied about the law from the start. He now says that you might be able to get an individual plan for less than what you pay now, because of the subsidies. My understanding of that is that it’s based on what you project for your income this year.

If you’re wrong about the projection, you lose the subsidy, and the “affordable” plan comes entirely out of your pocket, thus removing food from your table. If you get a pay raise that takes you over the magic subsidy number, you lose it. And don’t try to get a better job with a better wage, because you may lose your subsidy.

In effect, the Affordable Care Act locks people into lower-income jobs just to be able to get health insurance, not actual health care. How is that supporting the middle class?

WARREN PAWLIUK

PAHRUMP

Credit where it’s due

To the editor:

In his Thursday letter to the editor (“Fantasyland”), Robert Bencivenga seemed to want to give credit to President Barack Obama for the present level of the stock market, record oil production and increased domestic manufacturing. But Mr. Bencivenga does not list the policies or regulations enacted by the president that helped bring about these successes. The reason is simply: there are none.

The latest increase in U.S. manufacturing has been brought about by several factors. The increased cost of oil has added significantly to the cost of imports. Labor costs have risen in less-developed countries at an ever-increasing rate, while domestic labor costs have remained somewhat stable. Technology advances require less labor but a more skilled labor force. And the risks as they relate to geography, currency and intellectual properties are ever increasing.

The increase in oil production to record levels has been brought about by increasing technology to extract oil from shale.

The record level of the stock market has far more to do with low interest rates and alternative investments than any policies coming from our government. Did Mr. Bencivenga miss the news about the government shutdown and sequester? Our lawmakers have been unable to provide a budget under the president’s leadership, but Obama worshipers want to give him credit for the stock market? Really?

However, there are two sides of the coin. If you wish to give the president credit for the aforementioned gains, he must also take credit for their cost: $7 trillion and rising.

MICHAEL A. DONNELLY

LAS VEGAS