This is Viewpoints for Saturday, May 14, 2016

Let ‘em drive

The recent column on May 5 by the president of the Dustin Inman Society amounted to a lot of patriotic claptrap and immigrant bashing. I could care less if the official language of our state is Swahili or English. The official language of the Philippines is English. Plus they have lots of dialectics on their many islands.

Unlike Nathan Deal, I want our state to be like Colorado with a booming economy and a surplus of tax revenues.. He has also stated that we have more undocumented residents than Arizona. At least most of them are employed, industrious, religious and do jobs that most of us don’t want to do.

Why does our Republican state government do all it can to make it harder for our undocumented and the rest of us to obtain a driver’s license? By requiring original copies of our birth certificates and Social Security cards to get a driver’s license. Do we want them driving around without a license and uninsured?

Our undocumented residents are vital to our economy, especially in construction and landscaping. Let’s help them do their jobs and be happy in our great state.

Many ways to college

The democratic presidential candidates are proposing free college. They claim they will raise taxes on the top 1 percent of income earners in order to pay for their proposals. Most voters want the existing tax code replaced by a simpler code, like a flat tax, not a restructuring of the existing code. College is not a right, it is an opportunity. This is just another program to redistribute income and restructure society. Individuals, many of whom, do not have a college degree, who have worked hard, invested their earnings and do not led an ostentatious lifestyle should not have to pay for someone to go to college.

I realize tuition is on the rise, that interest rates are high and many graduates cannot find a job. Before a student decides to go to college they have to devise a plan. If mom and dad are willing to pay the bills they do not have a problem. If they get a degree in obscure Welsh poetry and cannot find a job, its their parents problem.

If a student is willing to work they can go to college. Maybe not an Ivy League school. There are community colleges and junior colleges where a student can stay home, attend classes and complete their core classes, then go to a four year school to get their degrees. A student can work for a year and then go to college. A student can go to college, work part time during the school year, then get a full time job during the summer. A student can join the military, take some classes and use the GI Bill. A student can get a loan, obtain a degree in a high demand profession like accounting, engineering or computer programming, and pay off their loan within a few years. Their are few job opportunities for graduates with a degree in human diversity.

College is not for everyone. If a student has to take remedial classes they do not belong in college. A student has to determine what they want. Do they want to earn a living, or spend a few years partying on campus? There is a bigger demand for truck drivers than for individuals with a degree in ethnic studies. There is a bigger demand for plumbers than for individuals with a degree in sports communication. There is a bigger demand for car mechanics than for individuals with a degree in fine arts.

Society does not owe an individual a college education. It does owe an individual the opportunity to obtain a degree. But most of all it owes individuals a fair tax system and the opportunity to send their income as they want.

Dirty VA

I recently visited the Carl Vinson V.A. Medical Center in Dublin for emergency care. While in the emergency room, I saw old gum near a fan and a spider crawl across the room. The place was dirty. I was there for chest pain. After all the tests were done and I was signing discharge paperwork. I asked about an EKG. The nurse left the room and returned to do an EKG. Again, the EKG was done after discharge paperwork was signed. If I had to rate the care that I received that night, I would say it was very poor. I was there for hours and I still have chest pain.

See-Click-Fix

I reported this problem through See-Click-Fix last week. It seems that there are some conscientious employees at Macon-Bibb County Public Works. I just got back in town and drove down Bass Road. What a nice feeling to not see all of those cheesy, tacky plastic campaign signs placed illegally on the public right-of-way by these ethical and law-abiding politicians. I want to give credit where credit is due because someone did a very thorough job in cleaning the row. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The whole area looks so much better now. Good job. This was was addressed by Marvin Land, who did an excellent job in ridding Bass Road of those eyesores placed illegally on the public right-of-way. Bravo.

Everyone else who reports through See-Click-Fix needs to go there and leave a positive comment. The issue numbers are: 2466780, 2466782, 2466788, 2466787 and 2466796. Leave a comment on one of them or all of them to congratulate these employees on a job well done.

Voting precincts

Another plethora of teachable moments lost courtesy of an organization (NAACP) whose leadership appears to not recognize the opportunity for long-term improved race relations by objecting to a sheriff’s precinct as a local, although temporary, voting precinct. Law enforcement staff: Those who vote are part of those they “protect and serve.”

Now, as the “Devil’s” politically correct advocate, voting precinct at a Baptist church? I’m Catholic, Methodist, Muslin, atheist, etc. how do you spell proselyte? School? embarrassing, I did not graduate, etc. What say you Telegraph?

Special penalty

The recent demise of Deputy T.J. Freeman screams for a positive solution to the war on this nation’s law enforcement officers. Solution: first, the death penalty should be mandatory and carried out in 12 calendar months. Second, any appeal should be completed and presented within 11 calendar months. Third, the convicted person should have the right of one of the following forms of execution: hanging, firing squad or electrocution. Death by lethal injection should be eliminated. It is time, past time, for America to get serious about the proliferation of crime in this nation or one day communities may not be able to find anyone to serve in law enforcement.

Drug pricing

Congress has recently taken a close look at prescription drug pricing abuses, and for good reason, as prescription medications are a part of almost every American’s daily life. Medicare beneficiaries living or undergoing rehabilitation in skilled nursing or assisted living facilities rely on the clinical oversight and medication management that long-term care pharmacies provide. However, LTC pharmacies are beholden to Pharmacy Benefit Managers — a third party negotiator who oversees the pricing structure and reimbursement rate for most generic drugs dispensed by LTC pharmacies to Medicare Part D beneficiaries.

While PBMs claim they aid in reducing prescription drug costs, data suggest otherwise. Secretive pricing practices used by PBMs create unfair reimbursement inequities for LTC pharmacies that actually increase costs. Data show prices paid for the same generic drugs on the same day by different payers can vary considerably, which raises questions about the relationship between price variation and actual market conditions.

Thankfully, U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., is stepping up as an advocate and calling for fairness in prescription drug pricing. He recently supported a bipartisan bill that calls for advancement in payment transparency with regard to how PBMs reimburse LTC pharmacies for generic drugs dispensed to patients. If the current pricing practices of PBMs are able to continue without constructive reform it will ultimately increase the costs to taxpayers and jeopardize quality patient care.

On behalf of Georgians who rely on LTC pharmacies, thank you, Congressman Scott for looking out for our state’s Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers.

GOP scam

Didn’t you find it odd that the Republican Party named Trump the “presumptive nominee” over a week ago? Think about it. If the Republican Party could get Trump to “ease off” campaigning or get the voters to ease up or stop voting entirely for Trump, he would end up arriving at the July convention with less than 1,237 Delegates required (thinking he was the nominee).

Next thing we hear is Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio stating they have not released their delegates and are still waiting for a road to election to open up.

Since, under these circumstances, Trump would not have the required 1,237 delegates, the Republican Party would quickly hold a first ballot then move on to a second ballot where they could insert Cruz or Rubio and juggle the delegate count and end up with either Cruz or Rubio as the nominee.

Cruz and Rubio’s actions are not just wishes, It’s a plan to get into the White House by the back door. Anyone thinking the Republican Party is not in on this scam, no doubt, is waiting for the Easter Bunny to bring a pot of gold.

Scott endorsement

I am writing to offer my endorsement to re-elect Austin Scott for United States Congress. Austin has been a life-long friend of mine, we grew up in Tifton. For the past six years, Austin has worked hard for the district, gaining us many victories from his seat on the Armed Services Committee, and I know that he will continue to work hard for us.

Austin is a good and patriotic man, and I know that he is the best choice to serve as our congressman in the eighth district. I urge you to vote for my friend, Austin Scott, so that he can continue the battle in Washington for our warfighters at Robins Air Force Base and for all of us here in Middle Georgia.

Divisiveness

Opponents of transgender bathrooms and abortion are called divisive. So are climate change deniers, anti-illegal entry groups, religious freedom supporters and the white power crowd. Divisiveness occurs when disagreements between people causes them to separate into different groups. Sadly, we have more of these issues than our media has named.

Using the identical methods that unearthed the divisive issues above, we find that Black Lives Matter fits the definition. So does Planned Parenthood and the political party that sabotages it’s own candidates. And don’t forget “Sanctuary Cities,” “Safe Space”s for college students and the National Organization for Women.

Whenever we maneuver to exclude ourselves, or others from the herd, we are practicing divisiveness. It matters not that one group can scream down the other. Being the loudest voice doesn’t equate to validation. To say, “ I’m right and you’re wrong” is a poor starting point to resolve differences. Furthermore, using the same definitions to segregate ourselves, or to exclude another, is nothing more than hypocrisy.

To be able to claim freedom from divisiveness we must find a way to negotiate our differences so as to get everyone into the tent. That is not what is happening.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Saturday, May 14, 2016."