HEALTH CARE
Teachers crying foul
over new health plan
I could hardly contain myself when I read the article (“Public workers: Health plan hurts,” News, Jan. 12) regarding the increased health insurance costs now being passed on to teachers and state workers. Back in the 1980s, when I was a teacher with a young family, my health insurance was provided to me at no charge. It came with the job. Those who wished to place family members on the policy paid modest monthly premiums.
The fact that today’s teachers have to pay hundreds in premiums, only to have huge deductibles that must be met before the policy pays anything at all, is unconscionable. I can only imagine with horror how my family would have suffered under the same circumstances. Are today’s teachers expected to find comfort in the $200 million that Georgia expects to save with this current plan? They deserve better.
DIANE TORRES, Douglasville
UNEMPLOYMENT
Senators were wrong
to oppose benefits bill
Once again, Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss voted against extension of unemployment benefits (“Jobless bill clears hurdle,” News, Jan. 8). It defies credulity that they could actually believe those who are unfortunately unemployed choose to remain unemployed. Really? They choose unemployment just to receive an average $269 per week?
Perhaps Isakson and Saxby could try to live on such meager crumbs. Perhaps they could search their hearts. Perhaps they could re-read and even embrace Matthew 25:40 (“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’”). Perhaps, just once, they could abandon the tribalism that political parties impose upon our leaders and vote to extend this modest benefit. They did so five times during the Bush administration. They do, after all, represent all Georgians, not just those fortunate enough to remain employed.
JIM SNEED, Marietta
IMMIGRATION
There’s hidden agenda
behind amnesty push
I am a lifelong Catholic and a law-abiding citizen of the United States. Recently, my church has opened its arms to illegal Hispanic aliens and has encouraged its members to pressure our senators and representatives to give amnesty to those illegal aliens.
I am not a prejudiced person, but I’m concerned about my church wanting to give people who have broken our laws a free pass. Most of these people are from Mexico and are Catholic. What bothers me is this: If the primary religion in Mexico was Methodist instead of Catholic, would the Catholic Church be as concerned about giving them amnesty? I doubt it, because it wouldn’t increase the Catholic Church membership.
JOE ORR, Alpharetta
