Letters: Focus on fixing health care launch
Newsday has published a number of letters opposed to Obamacare. In response, readers have begun writing in to defend the reform. Here's a sample of their views.
In defense of President Barack Obama, I believe his apology for the problems of the Affordable Care Act website to be sincere ["Obamacare and presidential lies," Letters, Nov. 17].
His further attempt to resolve the problem of those whose policies did not qualify for the program showed his willingness to help people enter the program. He did this knowing the political hits he would take from those whose only goal is to oppose him.
Did our former president, George W. Bush, ever apologize for rushing us into an unjustified war in Iraq, or the financial disaster that began under his watch?
Thomas Fisher, North Merrick
Since the failures of the launch of Obamacare, all I hear is the bashing of President Barack Obama and the Democrats who supported him. Even without this law, we couldn't go back to the way insurance was obtained before. That way was also a complete failure!
It's time for both parties together to reform this policy for the American people and do what they were elected to do. About 46 million people didn't have insurance, and many who do couldn't pay increasingly high premiums.
Our economy can't survive if things remain as is.
Jim Maloney, Hauppauge
President Barack Obama has done something about health care, all without any help from the other side.
An estimated 40 million people may receive coverage, kids can stay on their parents' plans longer, and you can't be denied because of pre-existing conditions and more. Thousands die each year because they're not covered. As many as 16 million may lose the inferior coverage they had -- did they know this? -- because higher standards have been put in place.
Whether Obama knew people were going to lose poor coverage is not the point. Whether he apologized quickly enough or in depth enough isn't the point, either. This is a long overdue step forward, one Bill Clinton tried and failed to make, and one broached by Teddy Roosevelt a century ago.
Instead of magnifying fault, as if the circumstances surrounding this were ideal, how about the two sides coming together and fixing the thing?
Steve Silverman, Massapequa
Participation of LI minority voters
Coalitions, voter registration and turnout are critical factors to ensure that Long Island's minority residents will have fair representation in Albany, on county legislatures and on town boards after the 2020 census ["Coalitions, voter turnout key," News Column, Nov. 26].
Efforts to create new minority State Senate, county and town board districts failed recently because of low minority voting numbers and partisan gerrymandering.
Our legislative chambers will change to reflect Long Island's new demographics when minority registration and voter turnout is greatest.
Jeffrey M. Wice, Long Beach
Editor's note: The writer served as redistricting counsel to the State Senate and the Nassau County Legislature's Democrats. He brought a challenge earlier this year in federal court against the Town of Hempstead's redistricting.
New drivers must take extra care now
At Thanksgiving, teens and young adults come home from college, and families travel to celebrate the holiday ["LI to step up DWI patrol during holiday week," News, Nov. 26]. The time between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day is one of the busiest for travel, and newly licensed teens do not have the experience they need to navigate heavy traffic and winter weather conditions.
Drivers can protect themselves and their passengers by following these travel rules: No alcohol or other drug use. Always buckle up. Don't use cellphones or text. Avoid other distractions, such as eating. Limit the number of passengers. Restrict night driving. Obey the speed limit.
A car crash could ruin the holidays for you and your family forever.
Wendy Tepfer, North Merrick
Editor's note: The writer is the director of the Community Parent Center, a resource center for education programs.
Study takeover of property assessment
Nassau is only one of two counties in the state of New York to administer property assessments, and it has an unusual number of overlapping jurisdictions compared with other geographic areas ["Assessment shift good, but unlikely," Letters, Nov. 26].
Nassau is composed of three towns, two cities and 64 villages. Then there are all of the special districts, school districts, sanitation districts, water districts and more.
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's proposal to fob off the assessment system to the towns is simplistic and naive. Perhaps he should appoint a task force of knowledgeable individuals to study other paradigms and solutions. Handing off a disagreeable and unmanageable situation to other entities cannot possibly be the only option.
Gabriele K. Libbey, Harbor Isle
