Letters: Why Council OKd weaker inspector general ordinance

Of course Chicago’s City Council will not give the city inspector general the tools he needs to fight corruption, kickbacks and fraud. They are the fraudsters, the kick-back kings and queens and the corrupted. I don’t blame the Council for tying the man’s hands, they are thieves not dummies.

Dee Kenny, Beverly

Move to Texas, gov

I see that Gov. Bruce Rauner wishes Illinois were more like Texas, a state that “pays factory workers what they’re supposed to be paid” and hence is “kicking our tail.” [“Rauner: Illinois should ‘aim to be average,’ ” Feb. 9.]

Is the governor aware that those Texas-size wages produce the nation’s fifth-highest poverty rate, as well as the second-largest proportion of residents without health insurance? The Lone Star State is also dead last in voter turnout. This suggests that Texas factory workers are too demoralized to vote, creating the conditions for the sort of Republican paradise of indifference and inequality that our governor wishes to establish here, forevermore.

May I humbly suggest that if the governor loves Texas so much, he move there, taking his cruel and destructive policies with him? At this point, I suspect that millions of Illinoisans, including our factory workers, would gladly chip in for his ticket.

Hugh Iglarsh, Skokie

Economic boon

The primary election has been a boon to the economy of Iowa and New Hampshire and they are happy there are so many candidates this year. All the candidates with their entourage of door bell ringers, staff and advisers plus the hundreds of media personnel do wonders for the local economy. They all have to be transported, fed and bedded for weeks preceding the election or caucus. The more the merrier and it is more fun then waiting for the corn to grow or skiing down a mountain.

John Culloton, Norwood Park

Protect Obamacare

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was signed

into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. This law provides myriad health care benefits such as preventive care services and affordable healthcare access for every American, but particularly helps a large portion of minorities and elderly who are at disproportionate risk of being uninsured and fall into low income groups or are marginally employed.

The ACA reduces the number of uninsured with the expansion of Medicaid Health Insurance and eliminates disparities such as the removal of non-beneficial legislation like the pre-existing conditions insurance plan. In addition, health insurance companies cannot charge women more than men. Under the ACA, the middle class is helped as well by placing adult children under a Young Adult Coverage Student Plan where they can be on parent health insurance until age 26; this law has also enabled a plethora of organizations that provide free services under its provisions, such as the Chicago-based Compassionate Care Network and the Middle Eastern Pharmacist Association.

Electing a Republican into office can change the progress the ACA has initiated for low income populations which not only has simplified gaining access to healthcare but also provides invaluable educational resources such as the CCN and MEPA. The Republican effort to repeal Obamacare will significantly impact these organizations. CCN is a nonprofit organization that educates and provides affordable health care access under the ACA to the uninsured. This year, CCN has been working with MEPA in specifically targeting the South Asian and Arab communities, particularly immigrants and low income individuals who depend on the provisions of the ACA. With a Republican voted into the White House, the CCN and similar organizations will be greatly affected, and all the services which they provide will become obsolete.

Republican have tirelessly tried to repeal the ACA since its enactment. The Senate, being that a majority of the seats are Republican, repealed the ACA in January of 2016. According to The Atlantic, Republicans of the Senate are cavalierly stating they have accomplished this feat after five years of combatting filibusters and loopholes from Democrats; their adroit demonstration of repealing Obamacare using the majority votes of the Senate will be repeated if a Republican will be elected as president. In other words, they will use the same path to repeal Obamacare without even 60 votes in the Senate. According to U.S News, hospitals saved $7.4 billion in uncompensated care costs in 2014 as a result of patient enrollment through Obamacare health insurance exchanges and Medicaid. If a Republican is elected in 2016, the Republican offense against the ACA will be successful.

Since the enactment of the ACA, the number of uninsured American adults has dropped by 16.4 million according to CBS News. If President Obama does not successfully veto the repeal or a Republican is elected, 7 million people could lose coverage. So what is the real issue that Republicans have against Obamacare? The most rudimentary answer to this question is that Republicans do not want the government to increase spending on social services and welfare, while simultaneously want to perpetuate the growing gap between the wealthy and lower income classes. While there is still room for improvement in providing proper medical care for those in need in the United States, at least Obamacare is alleviating this gap with the many benefits mentioned above.

Now more than ever, it is absolutely imperative that American voters take careful consideration for who they will be voting for president in 2016 because the repercussions of not doing so can be both so devastating and irreparable especially for those who depend on the ACA the most, including the Chicago-based CCN and similar organizations which help those in need.

Sarah Aftab, Mundelein