This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Different picture

William D. Carter wrote, "after finding out that it was a white male, the 911 operator told her that Colorado is an open carry state. No police were dispatched." His point being that the 911 operator treated people differently depending on their race. White privilege wins out again. How can this be?

After listening to a recording of the 911 call (found after a quick Internet search), the situation is very different from what Carter stated. The operator was getting a description of the person from the caller. Height, build, color hair, gender, and "is he white, black or Hispanic." The caller didn't answer but gave the 911 operator other information. The 911 operator did not repeat her question but gathered other information.

The 911 operator told the caller to call back if she saw anything else. Very different from the picture Carter painted. There are multiple cases desperately needing correction. This isn't one of them. Listen to the 911 call and make up your own mind.

—Art Howard

Macon

Chamber task force

I commend the Georgia Chamber of Commerce for its recent launch of a task force to explore ways to improve health care access throughout Georgia. In my opinion Medicaid expansion would be a significant step toward that goal, including providing health care for the working poor.

Georgia is near the bottom of the 50 states in the health of its citizens. While federal taxes, paid by Georgians, help provide Medicaid expansion in over 30 other states, Georgia denies this benefit to its own low income citizens. This is costing Georgia thousands of jobs, contributing to the financial strain on hospitals and denying primary and preventive care to those who badly need it. This results in many avoidable emergency room visits.

Since the federal government is initially funding 100 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion, gradually reducing it to 90 percent, it is hard to justify denying this service to our working poor. Ironically, while other states expanded Medicaid at federal expense, Georgia's enrollment in traditional Medicaid increased significantly, putting an additional cost on Georgia's taxpayers.

I think the Chamber of Commerce would be right in asking Georgia's political leaders to reconsider their decision to deny Medicaid expansion.

—Robert A. Clay

De Soto

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 8:13 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, January 6, 2016 ."