HEALTH CARE
State insurance chief should serve all of us
Regarding “Fear, obsession behind ongoing GOP opposition” (Opinion, Aug. 28), Jay Bookman stated that Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens told a Republican crowd in Floyd County, “Let me tell you what we’re doing (about Obamacare). … Everything in our power to be an obstructionist.”
I know young people who are battling cancer to have a full life. Obamacare might well save their lives. For-profit insurance companies can presently cap the cost of a patient’s treatment, choose not to renew certain insurance policies, or refuse patients with pre-existing conditions. Obamacare protects citizens from all of this.
For an insurance commissioner to try to obstruct Obamacare is unconscionable, in my opinion. Georgia’s insurance commissioner should serve the common welfare of all Georgians — not simply the welfare of a Republican constituency.
ELIZABETH HARTLEY FILLIAT, ALPHARETTA
AIR TRAVEL
Let foreign carriers fly domestic routes
As a former employee of Eastern Airlines, I know the downside of deregulation.
Now we are facing the potential merger of US Airways and American Airlines. If we are serious about competition and benefiting the consumer, maybe we should open our skies to foreign carriers. US Airways and American may have their reasons why a merger is necessary. So be it. Allow foreign carriers to fly between U.S. cities. Maybe that will help consumers.
BRAD DALLAS, ATLANTA
ANIMAL WELFARE
Seek felony charges for dogfight watchers
There are 367 dogs — seized in recent dogfighting raids in several states including Georgia — whose lives will never be the same. These animals are off their heavy chains, and living in shelters operated by the Humane Society of the United States and other organizations.
Dogfighting has been a curse for a long time, but it was either considered a low-level concern that rarely warranted intentional action, or just a sight unseen. Over the last quarter century, the Humane Society of the United States changed the legal framework in this country, working to make dogfighting a felony in all 50 states and, in 2007, a federal felony. We urge Congress to support the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act of 2013, which makes it a felony to knowingly attend or bring a minor to an animal fight.
Animal fighting rings know no county or state boundaries. Law enforcement must have a full range of legal tools to crack down on the entire cast involved in animal fighting. For information, visit humanesociety.org.
WAYNE PACELLE, PRESIDENT/CEO, THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES
