This is Viewpoints for Monday, Jan. 25, 2016
Time to expand Medicaid
This year, our state legislators will be asked to decide whether or not to expand Medicaid. And the stakes are high. There are countless benefits to expanding Medicaid and each is far too important to ignore. It could help almost 500,000 people get access to health insurance. In addition to insuring hundreds of thousands of Georgians, Medicaid expansion would create over 3,300 jobs and approximately $156 million in new income in Middle Georgia. (Georgia State University Analysis of Medicaid Expansion Impact, February 2013).
The facts are particularly important when it comes to women's health. Any person taking a close look at the data revealing health disparities in African-American women and at health outcomes for all women with mid-to-lower incomes — those that fall below ACA minimum income requirements — should be able to reasonably deduce the need to expand Medicaid in our state. Surely, if you care about children in Georgia, you care about the well-being of their mothers.
We can no longer afford for the Medicaid expansion conversation to be a political one. When I listen to my neighbors in the community, they just want to make sure their families and neighbors are healthy and financially secure. This is about doing the economically smart and compassionate thing for our community.
If not Medicaid expansion, we should make it easier for folks in this state to receive accessible, affordable and quality health care through other market-based options. Either way, the time to act is now.
— Fenika Miller
Warner Robins
What's the answer?
In a recent letter to the editor, former mayor, C. Jack Ellis asks where is the Macon-Bibb County leadership in regards to the recent killing of 14-year old Ta'shuntis Roberts. Her death is a tragedy for the entire community and I applaud Ellis for attending her funeral and for asking questions of community leadership.
However, he is asking questions to the wrong group of people. Ellis and the entire Macon-Bibb community should be asking questions of the black community, specifically to black men.
At every one of these killings we only see the tears of mothers. Where are the fathers? Why are black fathers not a part of their children's lives? There is nothing the mayor, the sheriff, the district attorney or the police can do to stop violence in the black community that fathers cannot do and should be doing if they were present in the home.
The 800-pound gorilla in the room that Ellis and others refuse to talk about is that 75 percent of all black children are born out of wedlock and thus are raised without the guidance of a loving father.
Patrick Moynihan in his famous 1965 paper, "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action," predicted what the black family would look like if the current government policies toward the poor and blacks continued. Moynihan recognized that dependency on welfare was directly linked to the increasing numbers of out-of-wedlock births within the black community.
He believed the breakup of the black family was the core problem within the black community. Fifty years later, our country is witnessing and struggling with the accuracy of Moynihan's observations.
What can be done about the breakup of the black family? Simply put, blacks must refute the liberal ideology that tells them they are victims and must rely on government for all their needs. Being told they are victims, many blacks act the part as though their own actions cannot overcome the adversity to which they were born. To that, I say "balderdash." Millions of people of color have overcome bad family and societal situations. There are many examples of successful blacks who have overcome the broken homes and poverty in which they were raised. Good examples are Dr. Ben Carson, Col. Allen West, Sen. Tim Scott, and President Barack Obama. Each one overcame adversity by refusing to accept they were victims, by getting educated, staying out of trouble and through hard work.
I won't allow blacks to call themselves victims because they are not. Every single person born in the United States, black or white, can achieve whatever they so desire.
However, until the African-American community demands that black men actually be fathers to their children, and until the same community starts asking tough questions of themselves, the problems will never be solved; and we will continue to mourn terrible killings like that of "Tootie" Roberts.
— Sloan Oliver
Juliette
Good economic news
The article, "Macon economic development group recognized for its work recruiting industry" dated Dec. 19, 2015, by Linda S. Morris, is an enlightening well-written article indeed. Stated was "Macon Economic Development Commission was recently named one of the four economic development agencies by Southern Business & Development Magazine."
Morris laid out thoroughly the work and accomplishments of MEDC, as well as companies' investment in our area. Congratulations to the MEDC for its well-deserved honor. Thank you also to the companies for having the confidence to invest here and for creating new jobs.
Finally, I applaud The Telegraph for its superb writers that keep our area informed.
— Chris Westbrook
Macon
This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 6:57 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Monday, Jan. 25, 2016."