Showing posts with label LETTERS TO EDITOR. Show all posts
Hungary has fallen
Dear Editor,
Blink and you've missed it: Hungary is no longer a democracy.
President János Áder has just signed away the rights of all that was left of Hungary's opposition parties after years of gutting legislative powers, crippling the free press, and eliminating all mention of a "republic" in the country's constitution.
If this trend doesn't sound familiar, here's something to jog your memory: along with criminalization of the homeless and attacks on women and the LGBT community, Hungary's seen a horrific spike in state-sanctioned antisemitism and racism, including the decoration of three men known for their connection to the pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party.
We've seen the steps Áder's taken before. We know these signs. And while the European Union continues to stay silent, the situation for women, ethnic minorities and religious groups in Hungary becomes deadlier by the second.
Please, join us in calling on the member states to act on Article VII of the EU Treaty, which demands they intervene to prevent any state from being robbed of its democratic freedoms. We still have time to stop Áder's men from stripping Hungary's people of more rights and protections -- but we cannot afford to stay silent for long!
PETITION TO EU MEMBER STATES: We cannot afford to sit by while another European country represses state protections, targets minorities, and spreads anti-Semitism while eliminating free speech. Don't let Hungary go the way of Nazi Germany -- act on Article VII to ensure Hungarians' rights and freedoms!
Click here to sign -- it just takes a second.
Thanks,
-- The folks at Watchdog.net
A Good Neighbor-letter to editor-CLICK HERE
Dear Editor,
Thank you for the 5/20/13 article "What makes America strong". It
covered what we -as a "national family"
have heard about: the dramatic escape and rescue of three young women
in Cleveland, Ohio - who were held captive
for a decade and of their self-reliance, courage and survival instincts - that tell us that we have it within us to
endure what might appear to be the "impossible".
These three young girls were horribly abused by a cruel captor for 10 years in his home but now they are free!
Their freedom came because a concerned neighbor named Charles Ramsey
saw one of the girls "trying to get out of the house" he kicked in the
locked door allowing an escape of the girls including a daughter of one of the girls born in captivity.
Charles Ramsey was the epitome of "A Good Neighbor" And he made sure
that these poor abused souls were taken away from the Ohio house of horrors.
They Survived And We Can Learn From Their
Fight for Freedom to have Courage: Knowing That Good Always
Triumphs Over Evil As We Hold Firm To Faith For What Is Good - Being
Good Neighbors!
Renee Christopher-McPheeters
Citrus County
Dear Editor-Make single-payer health care a reality in Vermont!
Ask Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to allow Vermont to implement its better health care plan for universal coverage.
Click here to sign our letter.
Single-payer health care is on the move in Vermont. We need your help to make it a reality.
Today Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law a plan that could put Vermont on the path to becoming the first state with a truly progressive universal health care system.
If successful, Vermont’s plan would provide health coverage to every resident of the state without forcing people to become customers of the private insurance industry. Yet Vermont won’t be able to fully achieve this goal without multiple waivers from federal health care programs to pursue its better plan.
Kathleen Sebelius is President Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. She’s a critical decision maker in allowing Vermont to pursue its plan for a more effective unified health system. Can you sign our petition to Secretary Sebelius asking her to grant Vermont favorable terms on every waiver the state requests?
Vermont’s new law will reform health care at the state level and take a massive step towards a fairer, more efficient system. The state’s plan would incorporate some of the proven cost control features of a single payer system, such as simplified administration and negotiation for fair prices for pharmaceuticals.
That’s why the for-profit health insurance industry and groups like PhRMA see real Vermont’s health care reform as a serious threat. They know that if truly progressive reform succeeds and becomes popular in Vermont, it will spread to other states.
No doubt these corporate opponents of universal health care will use their national lobbying power to do what they do best: they will work behind the scenes to quietly impede or cripple Vermont's efforts at every turn on the federal level. If the Obama administration does not grant all the waivers Vermont needs, the system could fall short of its true potential.
We need your help to tell Secretary Sebelius that we plan to fight for Vermont every step of the way.
President Obama actually endorsed the idea of allowing states to pursue better health care plans during a speech earlier this year. Now that Vermont is ready to move forward with a better plan, his Administration can make good on its commitment.
In order for Vermont to achieve the full potential of its plan, the federal government needs to grant the state waivers from federal programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Part D and the new Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Health care waivers aren’t something rare. The federal government recently granted McDonald’s and 29 other corporations waivers to offer their employees worse health care plans than currently required by federal law. We’re asking for Vermont to get waivers to pursue a far better health care plan.
Vermont is a small state trying to take on both a big problem and well-connected corporate interests. With your help, we can make their ambitious plan a reality on the road to universal health care. I can't promise the fight will be short, but I can promise it will be one of the meaningful fights this century.
Thank you for your support.
Onward,
Jon Walker
Firedoglake.com