LETTERS

A big-picture review

The Republican hysteria over the Affordable Care Act continues unabated. I don’t think they can be reasoned with. To the rest of the population, maybe a big-picture review is in order.

We have big problems with our health-care system. We rank about 26th in the world in our general state of health. We pay about twice as much as any other country.

One of the major reasons for the above is a large uninsured population. They get their health care in the emergency room,the most expensive mode, instead of preventative-care visits paid for by insurance. We the insured end up paying for this inefficiency with higher rates in our premiums.

One solution is universal healthcare insurance. Everyone has preventative care available, so total costs go down. Our health-care system has other problems, but this is a fix for one big one.

It seems the Republicans are not offering any solutions, only obstruction. (Except for Romneycare; that’s working in Massachusetts.)

Personally I think we should all go with Medicare. It costs about 3 percent overhead versus about 12 percent for the big insurance companies.

TONY POTOCHNIK Rogers

A eulogy for a friend

A friend of mine died recently and I did not receive a notice, so I don’t know just when my friend passed away. There was no notice of any kind, and I don’t know who conducted the service or even if there was a service. I never heard of any pallbearers being named, and no burial site was mentioned.

I am speaking of my good friend Common Sense. It may have been a long illness, for I don’t think it was a sudden death. I am saddened at the passing of such a dear friend to all of us in America. I know that Common Sense has died for there is none in our government leaders and it apparently isn’t mentioned in schools any more. In fact, many churches have not honored Common Sense, and many states are supporting same-sex marriage and apparently also think it is right to kill unborn babies. Our military gets no respect although many gave their lives for this nation.

God’s word, the Bible, is ridiculed, belittled, and not even read or paid attention to in many homes today, much less believed and practiced. Just because one chooses to be an atheist does not give him the right to attack Christians, for this nation was founded on the principle that man could worship according to the dictate of his heart and conscience.

Can Common Sense be resurrected? Yes, it can, but I believe it will require the Christian community to return to the basic principles of the Bible, which include using Common Sense. Yes, Common Sense is also found in our Constitution, which needs to be upheld, declared and defended.

FREDDY BOEN Fordyce

Call for housecleaning

What’s going on in Fayetteville? I think the University of Arkansas needs to look at UCA. They cleaned house.

I think Mr. Goodson should have let Brad Choate and Joy Sharp tell their side of the story.

If Sharp was so overwhelmed, why didn’t she go to the higher-ups?

If an ordinary person had done these acts without authorization, I’m sure they would be in front of a real judge.

BETTY L. HYDE Little Rock

Tired retirement spiel

In Professor Bradley Gitz’s recent rant concerning retirement, he seems to suggest that all pensions are a form of welfare, and that for the long-term well-being of society, those retiring should have the good grace to leave work on Friday, enjoy a nice weekend, and then die on Monday.

However, he conveniently ignores that, during their working years, many people reduce their consumption in order to fund a pension, 401(k) or IRA, investments for their golden years, and yes, Social Security. That’s not welfare, Bradley. That’s prudent financial planning.

It’s true that Social Security and many other public pensions are currently over-promised and underfunded. It’s also true that current birth rates and extended childhoods run counter to trends in early retirement and lengthening life expectancies. That means there may come a day when the assets accumulated by those no longer working won’t carry the purchasing power they assumed they would, thus pushing standards of living for the elderly downward.

Even if that happens, it will have nothing to do with any form of welfare for the elderly, but rather with how much of their production the current work force is willing to cede to the retired in exchange for their retirement assets.

But proving once again the blind-squirrel theory, Professor Gitz does make a good point regarding the long-term viability issues for Medicare and Medicaid. There is a simple solution for Medicare-means-test the benefits rather than the premium. Medicaid remains without obvious cure.

DENNIS BARRY Little Rock

Waiting for the truth

I have never seen as much finger-pointing as with the $4.2 million deficit in the fundraising arm at the University of Arkansas.

What a joke. It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to know you can’t spend more than you take in. The big question is what really happened. Will we ever really know since everyone didn’t testify?

People who donate to this fund will want the absolute truth, and everything smells fishy at this point. It seems nearly everyone involved in this situation makes six-figure incomes or better. In situations involving this amount of income, I think the people of Arkansas deserve to know the truth.

The truth will come out, I promise you. Who will step up and disclose the cold, hard facts? What happened to the $4.2 million?

JOHN LANDERS Benton

Give Bielema a break

I am both amused and ashamed of Arkansas sports fans. No matter who the coach is, he must be able to walk on water and turn water into beer (we are in Arkansas).

I know of no coach who waltzes in and runs a perfect season. Give Bret Bielema a chance. Look at the records of the last 15 years. Give him time to build a program and you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Till then, ease up.

BOBBY JOHNSON Conway