The GOP program on Capitol Hill:
Repeal Obamacare. Shrink the federal budget by cutting or abolishing entitlement programs. This will avoid raising taxes on the rich and regulating the health care industry.
Push programs to the state level (Medicaid). Let other entities deal with it and take the blame.
Provide tax credits or vouchers to individuals. Let them decide where to spend the money. Tell them it’s their freedom and responsibility.
If the little man spends his money on a smartphone or steak rather than buying health insurance at exorbitant prices, that’s his or her lack of discipline.
End result: The rich get richer, the poor poorer, but they do so of their own free choice. Do you understand why they would vote for the GOP or Donald Trump?
Heinz Trebitz
Thetford Center
A Day Without Falsehoods
Here’s a fun fact you may have missed: According to The Washington Post, on March 1 President Donald Trump made no false or misleading statements in his public comments — the first falsehood-free day of his administration.
Trump made no public comments of any kind that day, except to tweet “Thank you.”
Charlie Buttrey
Thetford
Choose Life
When does human life begin? If you or a loved one is contemplating an abortion, wouldn’t you like to know?
Here are the facts:
Eighteen days — a baby’s heart begins to beat; 43 days — brain coordinates movements; 8 weeks — all organs are functioning; 8 weeks — has permanent, individual fingerprints; 10 weeks — sense of touch (feels comfort and pain); 12 weeks — a baby can smile, suck his or her thumb and make a fist.
Still not convinced? Why not have a sonogram just to see what an unborn baby looks like? Then look at the options: adoption — over 2 million couples wait to adopt and that includes all races and those with special needs.
Find a way you can keep your baby. There are a number of agencies in the area that can help. Why not try Good Beginnings of the Upper Valley or the Pregnancy Center of the Upper Valley or both?
Any textbook will confirm what every doctor knows: Life begins at conception. Choose life!
Marilyn White
White River Junction
Take Steps to Help End Violence
As in many other families, there is a history of domestic violence in mine. I had worked in human services for some years, but it was still a new concept to me that someone in that situation could actually get support and not feel blamed for being responsible in some way. In the ’70s, it was a life-changer and life-saver for many women and their families. That’s why I joined the Turning Points Network board years later.
The Steppin’ Up to End Violence 5K and Fun Run replaced another agency fundraiser — selling carnations on Mother’s Day weekend around Sullivan County. We couldn’t have imagined, 11 years ago, what a great decision that was. Steppin’ Up has grown every year, and there has been great enthusiasm and energy from everyone involved. I think people love the community spirit they feel — support for a respected agency and for a needed service in our county and beyond. People can get involved, however it makes the most sense for them, either by creating a team with family, friends or coworkers or by volunteering at the event.
It’s a way for people — families, women, men and kids — to become active and united in expressing their belief in and hopes for a community of peace and justice. This fundraiser is so important for Turning Points Network, as all the money goes back into helping survivors in our community.
I would encourage you to join us on May 6 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Claremont Middle School to help our community raise awareness and money during this inspiring event. For more information about Steppin’ Up, visit turningpointsnetwork.org or find us on Facebook.
Peace on Earth really does begin at home.
Nora Kells Gordon
Cornish
The Gift of Glasses
What a beautiful day it was out there today. I got to enjoy it even more because I have a great pair of glasses to help me see the world around me. Others are given this gift by obtaining glasses the Lions Clubs collect and recycle.
The Hanover Lions Club wishes to thank all of you who generously drop off your used glasses in our eyeglass collection boxes. We have boxes in the lobby of both the Hanover and Lebanon Co-Op food stores as well as the entry to the Howe Library in Hanover. Residents of Kendal will find our collection bucket in their front hallway.
We collected 984 pairs of glasses in 2016 and are off to a good start in 2017, with close to 300 pairs to date.
Kathy Geraghty
Hanover
I am writing this letter in the hope that the president of Dartmouth College might read it. If he does, would he please consider giving the following lecture to his students — all of his students? It could be titled “How to Cross a Road in Hanover — Especially Around the Campus Area.”
An added idea might be to illustrate this lecture with pictures of what a crossing looks like, since so many of the college’s students do not seem to know what a crossing is for. Also, perhaps Mr. Hanlon, could you persuade your students not to step out into a roadway when their eyes are glued on their cellphones, and not to ride a skateboard at top speed while texting on a cellphone?
Lastly, could you please persuade them to wear something colorful, or flashing shoes, or use a flashlight at night? It is particularly difficult to see a person in the dark who is dressed entirely in black and decides to step out in front of your car.
I think my plea for this small bit of further education will be echoed by Upper Valley drivers who — sometimes daily — face the very hazardous experience of nearly flattening one of your students.
With deeply felt thanks from many traumatized drivers for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.
Rosalind Finn
South Strafford
The House Intelligence Committee on Monday heard mounting evidence that members of the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia to influence the election in Trump’s favor. One might expect Republicans to rush to prove to the American people that there was no collusion. But no, in the hearing GOP committee members sought instead to deflect attention by condemning government insiders who leaked that evidence to the media — in other words, to shoot the messenger bearing unwelcome news.
Could it be that they want to avoid a public accounting for possible acts of treason, defined in the Constitution as “adhering to [our] Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort”?
Regarding testimony by FBI Director Jim Comey suggesting that leaks of classified information are always criminal, that is the position of every presidential administration, but it is not the law. Since the Espionage Act was passed in 1917, Congress has rejected all efforts to make it the law, and no court has ruled otherwise.
The extreme partisanship on display in the hearing underscores the need for an independent commission to investigate these charges that, if proved, threaten our very democracy.
Stephen Dycus
Strafford