To the editor,

Our national security could be in jeopardy if the $500 billion in sequestration defense cuts are implemented. Our military had to absorb $80 billion in prior cuts and is now cutting $487 billion over 10 years to comply with the Budget Control Act.

 

The $487 billion in cuts translates into the Army reducing its forces by 80,000 soldiers over the next five years. The Marines will cut 20,000. Other cuts include early retirement of ships with the possibility of having 11 carrier battle groups instead of the 12 needed; the retirement of the Air Force A-10 Warthog aircraft; and the possible closure of our only tank production facility in Ohio.

 

These cuts are occurring while leaving the Pentagon’s civilian workforce of 750,000 unscathed. The Dept. of Defense added 62,000 civilians in the past four years.

 

If the additional $500 billion in sequestration cuts are implemented, over 1 million civilian full-time jobs with contractors, sub-contractors and ancillary businesses will be lost. The unemployment rate could increase 0.5 percent to 1 percent, and the U.S. Gross Domestic Product could decrease by $85 billion.

 

The Obama Administration and Congress have to find other ways to reduce the deficit without adversely impacting our national defense.

 

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Chemical weapons point to Russia

To the Editor,

At 10 this morning, on Sun., Aug. 25, breaking news reported that President Assad in Syria is responsible for the release of chemical weapons, which were exposed to thousands. Many died according to Doctors Without Borders, in Damascus.

 

The fleet of U.N. chemical investigators, as of this writing, have not set foot in Syria at the invitation of President Assad. I, and I am sure others, question if Assad and ally President Putin, with a Russian military base in Syria, want to buy time to hide the chemical reserves 

just before the U.N. does its search.

 

We watched this same scenario in Iraq by being tricked into believing there were “weapons of mass destruction” to start a 10-year war with devastating casualties, which left the country in shambles and in civil unrest.

 

What isn’t mentioned in the news is where these chemical weapons came from. In the beginning of this century, National Geographic had illustrated maps of the United States and Russia with specific spots where tons of weapons of mass destruction, including the chemicals used in Syria today, are stored.

 

A well-respected veteran newsman, Ted Koppel, gave a rare investigative report on where Sadam Husein bought his chemical weapons against the Kurds in the 1980s.  The “sales receipt” came from the United States.

 

You don’t have to be Sherlock to figure out where Syria’s chemical stash came from. Out of disgust, I won’t be watching the Winter Olympics.

 

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Let the river speak for itself

To the editor,

In the discussions of Oxbow put-in, or any other put in for that matter, has anyone bothered to ask the River what the River would like to happen?

 

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Horses

I slowly approached two horses

facing each other in the grey rain.

They snorted at my intrusion

and turned to stare at the sputtering truck.

Were they planning some grand escape

or were they merely drawn out

of a stupor within their confined acreage?

Had they found some weakness

in the post and wire or were they

just waiting as horses sometimes

wait in the wet with one leg raised?

They somehow sensed my

embarrassment for invading

their privacy and reluctantly

moved away.

As I drove off my thoughts

drifted back, decades ago

when I happened to surprise

two mustangs while approaching

a rise in the badlands

east of Crownpoint.

There is a sobering

loneliness that is conceded

when one enters the high desert.

It ultimately draws living things

to one another and

we cautiously became acquainted

as I slowed to a stop.

As the truck began its descent,

they were compelled to gambol

alongside for a mile or two

before eventually disappearing

in the dusty wake

of a free and fenceless land.

 

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Lift HCA’s deductible cap

To the editor,

The Obama Administration recently announced it would delay until 2015 the health reform law's "employer mandate," which will require companies with at least 50 full-time employees to offer health insurance or pay a fine.

 

The delay represents a big help to large firms. Now it's time for the administration to throw a similar lifeline to small businesses by lifting the law's cap on annual deductibles. Doing so would make insurance more affordable for smaller firms and thereby help the White House meet its goal of expanding access to coverage.

 

As it stands, small companies will not be allowed to offer health plans with annual deductibles higher than $2,000 for an individual and $4,000 for a family starting next year. The intent is to ensure patients get more comprehensive coverage and to limit out-of pocket expenses.

But the lower the deductible, the higher the premium, and vice versa. So these new rules capping deductibles will force up premiums for many policies.

 

Only one-third of small firms currently provide coverage that meets the new standard. Consequently, two-thirds of small businesses will have to switch to policies with higher premiums, bigger co-pays or fewer benefits. If the premiums continue to go up, small employers may drop coverage altogether. Worse, this cap on deductibles applies just to small businesses, not individuals or large employers.

 

So, it's no surprise that 41 percent of small businesses say the Affordable Care Act has caused them to freeze hiring. A quarter are considering eliminating coverage for their employees. And one-fifth have let workers go.

 

High-deductible policies can help reverse those trends. They've proven effective at reducing healthcare costs while protecting people from financial ruin.

 

In a study of more than 800,000 Americans families, the RAND Corporation found that health spending declined 14 percent when a family shifted from a traditional plan to a high-deductible plan.

 

And even though patients with high-deductible policies shoulder more financial responsibility, they're actually more likely to seek preventive care.

Congress should scrap the cap on deductibles permanently. Doing so would ensure that health reform meets its stated goal of making health care more affordable and more accessible for average Americans.