This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017

Ignorance abounds

Some people speak of the South as being “in the dark,” ignorant or red neck. Yet, I learned a long time back, it takes one to know one. A person who would call another person ignorant, is ignorant. A college professor from Harvard Law School can still be ignorant in many ways. He may be schooled to manipulate the minds of students with his or her philosophy, but ignorant to what is morally right or wrong. Unfortunately, it’s not what you say, but the way you say it that gets attention today. The smooth talking politicians, journalists, teachers and even preachers, should send up a flashing warning light to our attention.

More letters

You go, Mike Ganas. I think I will write more letters, too, partly on principle and partly because I like to write letters. Of course, the wording of mine has sometimes been changed, to my chagrin, though I don’t use foul language. Then again, sometimes it is an improvement.

Watch out for limits

Congressman Tom Price, nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, introduced H.R. 2300 to replace Obamacare. However, this bill is not limited to repealing Obamacare. Section 102 provides tax credits for the purchase of private health insurance in lieu of Medicare Part A, TRICARE, and veterans’ benefits. Current enrollees in these programs could continue receiving benefits as they do now, but the future is uncertain.

This bill has serious implications for current and future beneficiaries. The amount of the credit a person would receive to pay for health insurance is tied to the amount of taxes owed. The more tax you owe, the bigger your tax credit. If you owed little or no tax as a retiree, you would get little or no help paying your commercial health insurance premiums. Another serious implication is that Medicare, Tricare and veterans’ benefits do not limit the dollar amount of benefits allowed. Before Obamacare, almost all health insurance policies had annual caps on benefits, as well as lifetime limits. Substituting a commercial policy for Medicare, Tricare, or veterans’ benefits raises the possibility that a person’s health care expenses could exceed the limits of the policy, leaving the person either without care or with huge debt.

Civilian or military, I urge you to contact Rep. Austin Scott and Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue and ask them to ensure that any bill to replace the ACA not substitute commercial insurance for Medicare, Tricare and veterans’ benefits.

Hit list

All of these “stars” and “personalities” insulting the government and the president in particular, have gotten away with it for so long that they expect to get away with it forever. They are being punished by losing a medal and some have even been arrested. Madonna and Meryl Streep just hire a slick lawyer and all is fine. My solution is easy. Hire a couple of thousand agents and audit them. Audit Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Mayor Bill de Blasio and the whole San Francisco city government and California Gov. Jerry Brown and everyone who is thinking of revolting. They demand Trump’s income tax forms, maybe we should demand theirs. They would be tied up for months. Good. OK boys, let’s hear the insults. I am awaiting one I haven’t heard.

Defunding the U.N.

I was exceedingly happy to learn that the Trump administration is preparing executive orders that will drastically reduce U.S. funding to the United Nations and other pro-Palestinian organizations. The PA has been allowed to join several international bodies where it wages campaigns against the Jewish state. U.S. lawmakers have likewise called for cutting U.S. funding to the U.N. over its anti-Israel activities.

The draft order also calls for a decrease in U.S. funding for any organization that “is controlled or substantially influenced by any state that sponsors terrorism” or is blamed for the persecution of marginalized groups as well as any other systematic violation of human rights. The order will also establish a committee to recommend where those funding cuts should be made. About time.

Get used to it

Democrat Frank W. Gadbois makes me very proud to be the conservative Republican that I am. He writes in his tirade that he doesn’t like anything about Donald Trump. The Donald will be president of this great country, hopefully, for the next eight years. Maybe he will offer Sarah Palin a job in his administration. I will support him every day of it. Get use to it Gadbois.

Expose the businesses

In his recent Executive Order entitled, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” President Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to publish a weekly report on crimes committed by illegal aliens as well as the jurisdictions that refuse to enforce immigration law.

What an excellent idea, however it does not go far enough. The reports should also name the businesses that hired the illegals. They’re all here for jobs, right? So the economic traitor who hired the illegals instead of American citizens should be publicly exposed and then we can let the market decide just how acceptable those hiring decision are.

Assumptions

In Thursday’s paper, there was a story about the black men who testified on behalf of Sen. Jeff Sessions. It said that people on social media were smearing them as “Uncle Toms,” “House Negroes,” and “Tokens,” based on their opposition to Sessions. I would assume the people saying these things are left-leaning. I thought people on the left were supposed to be for diversity and inclusion. Sounds like racism to me.

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017."