Universal health care is not a fantasy
Health care for all
Re “Universal health care? In Fantasyland, maybe” (Editorials, May 22): The Sacramento Bee has characterized SB 562 as a pipe dream and assigned its proposal for health security to the realm of fantasy. But we know this is not true. Universal care does exist. The U.S. is the only developed country that lacks it.
It is well-documented and widely known that the U.S. spends substantially more per person on health care than any of the countries that make care available to all at little or no cost to the patient. Unsurprisingly, those countries score ahead of us on measures of health such as life expectancy and infant death rates. What do they know that we don’t? Or is it something they have, such as morality or courage?
Dr. Louise Mehler, Sacramento
Arrogance
Re “Jerry Brown rightly tags anti-tax motorists as freeloaders” (Dan Walters, May 26): Why is there such a road maintenance backlog? Why weren’t the billions of dollars in gas and DMV taxes collected over the past decade used to pay for this maintenance? California is one of the highest taxed states in the country, yet Dan Walters and Gov. Jerry Brown seem to think that anyone who opposes even more taxes is a freeloader. What shameful arrogance on display.
John Bersinger, Folsom
Gas tax
The California Legislature passed and Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new 12 cent per gallon gasoline tax. This is on top of the current 40 cent state gasoline tax. The new gas tax won’t hurt the rich or the upper middle class. It will only hurt the lower classes. Should we believe that our legislators are oblivious to all this, or could they believe they will be re-elected no matter what?
Ted Pickett, Placerville
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This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Universal health care is not a fantasy."