Letters: Democrats refuse to work with Republicans

I was fortunate to be able to participate in the Trump Victory Leadership Retreat in Chicago last month. Retreat leaders Speaker Paul Ryan, Vice President Mike Pence, RNC Chairman Ronna Romney McDaniel and others pointed out the many victories that have been won since the election, most of which have been ignored by the media. Perhaps the most important to date is the “crown jewel” of regulatory reform: the Financial Choice Act. It passed the House in June, effectively repealing the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which has been devastating to the financial sector. Without these financial reforms, economic revitalization will not be possible.

The major topic was Obamacare. The costs are untenable, and it has had eight years to become embedded in all facets of the health care system and will take a herculean effort to unwind.

Republicans have heard the call from Americans of all walks of life for relief from this onerous program and are responding by working overtime to find a solution.

But what have Democrats done while Republicans spent long nights hashing out a health care plan? As McDaniel pointed out, they sit on their hands, hold “talk-a-thons” and refuse to participate in the process. All the while, the people they claim to be fighting for are losing insurance because they can no longer afford to pay the astronomical premiums.

Not only have Democrats refused to work with Republicans, but they’ve even bragged about their obstruction and resistance of any progress in a Republican-led congress that is responding to the needs of the American people.

We don’t need obstruction, and the American people neither want nor can afford it. We need to work together to develop a new system that will provide better care for the millions of Americans who cannot afford to suffer under Obamacare’s crippling costs for one more day.

Perry Hooper Jr.

Alabama Trump Victory Chair

Former State Representative

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Bless his heart 

Bless his little, very little, heart, Dana Milbank makes fun of Ivanka Trump's comment that she did not expect such ferocity when her dad won the presidency.

In a recent column, headlined “Ivanka Trump sees new ‘level of viciousness,’” he points out the words of Trump family members as proof that they are the problem.

Obviously he forgot the destructive demonstrations pushed by the Left. And, he didn't see, it seems, the beheading “fun” of Kathy Griffith. He also missed Madonna thinking about bombing the White House now that Trump is president. And I just know he has not seen the murder of President Trump by the Senate, which replaced the Julius Cesar murder in another century.

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I know he could not be listening to the constant drumbeat of Waters, Pelosi, Schumer wanting President Trump impeached before he even got into office. Not to mention the ridiculous investigations of Trump's team colluding with Russia ... when all other fingers on any hand point to President Obama and Hillary Clinton doing the colluding. (Remember President Obama promising more flexibility to the Russian leader when Obama was elected again.) (Oh, don't forget Hillary giving 20 percent of our uranium, used in nuclear weapons, to Russia.)

Odd, I did not hear anything from Mr. Milbank when the promise of Obama and the gift from Hillary to Russia were made.

Ivanka Trump, as usual, is absolutely correct, because she thinks before she speaks. Perhaps you should try it before you write.

Maggie DiGiovanni

Eclectic

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Ruling will significantly impact churches 

On Monday, SCOTUS handed down a long awaited decision in The Trinity Lutheran Church vs. Missouri case in favor of the church. Obviously, this decision will have a significant impact on all church and religious organizations. The High Court held that the state of Missouri erred when it denied the church a grant based solely on the fact they were a religious organization.  

Sadly, this has not been mentioned by the major media.  

James Anderson

Talladega

More letters to editor, please 

I agree with a recent letter writer, complaining about the Opinion page of the Montgomery Advertiser.

It has gone down significantly in recent years from what it once was.

The paper use to contain more letters to the editor, now it just runs a few letters on Sunday.

The Opinion page has always been my favorite part of the paper. I enjoy the conservative and liberal columns, the editors' opinions and especially the letters from readers. A letter to the editor is a way a regular person can be heard. It's a way that we can speak out, and maybe a politician might hear us.

These days it's full of religious columns, and other such pieces that don't even belong on an Opinion page.

I hope the editors will consider these letters and restore the Opinion page back to a real opinion page.

Glenn Dean

Eufaula 

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How many shootings will it take?

Once again, a shooting in Montgomery by a juvenile is in the news. One dead, one injured and the shooter charged with reckless murder and second-degree assault, his life forever changed. Why? Because there was unsupervised access to a firearm. How many more tragic shootings by juveniles will it take for this state to join the majority of states in enacting a Child Access Protection law?

CAP laws hold parents or guardians responsible for unsupervised access to firearms. Alabama ranks fifth highest nationally in accidental shootings by minors. Firearm ownership carries responsibilities which include safe storage measures, i.e. trigger locks and keeping guns stored in a secure place. In the event a child accesses a firearm and uses it unlawfully, the parent should also be held liable for any charges. The "Alabama Open House Party Law" punishes adults who provide drugs or alcohol to minors. There should also be a similar law in place regarding firearms. Gun buyback and reward programs are two approaches recently created to address the growing problem. A  CAP law combined with gun safety/public education and awareness campaigns similar to ALEAS, "Drive buzzed and Click it or Ticket" would also be beneficial. A good trigger lock is $10. For every $300 spent per gun in the buyback program, 30 trigger locks could be purchased and given away. Trigger locks may also deter gun thefts. It's past time to legislate a tough CAP law. Leaders, are you listening? 

Keith Smith

Wetumpka

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Hinging on socialism 

If some people are taking more out of the pot than they put into it, others have to put more in the pot than they take out of it, or the pot will go empty. That is a basic axiom of insurance, including health insurance. 

In previous generations, people provided for each other's health care voluntarily, through family, friends, churches, charities and voluntary health insurance. Have we reached the point at which people must be forced to provide for each other's health care, instead of doing that voluntarily? If the answer is yes, what about food, housing, clothing? Must people be forced to provide for each other's food, housing and clothing, too? Isn't that socialism? People should provide for each other's needs voluntarily. They should not be forced by government to do so, or our freedom is gone.  

Daniel Haulman

Montgomery

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