PUBLIC HEALTH

Lamest reasons given

for insurance refusal

Thank you for the series on the effect of Obamacare on consumers, physicians and business owners.

Physicians and business owners will do some critical thinking and figure it out on their own, but I was troubled by the comments reported in “The 20-somethings” (News, Sept. 24).

I’m not arguing the merits or drawbacks of Obamacare or any private insurance, but the attitude of people refusing to purchase insurance for the lamest of reasons. They’d much rather stay out of the system and allow the taxpayers to manage the expense of their sicknesses or injuries.

We couldn’t pass a law that would protect these people from their own decisions. Such a law wouldn’t protect the public from these “20-somethings,” either. My hope is that this random sample of “20-somethings” is not representative, and that most of that particular population is taking care of itself properly.

MIKE WOODLIFF, SMYRNA

Georgia is wrong to

deny affordable care

I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. Who could possibly agree with Georgia lawmakers who want to deny Americans and their families affordable health care? Doesn’t everyone want affordable health care and not face financial ruin? How could they not? And what could possibly give Georgia lawmakers the right to deny us this?

Forget politics; this is about getting sick, and not losing your house to get better — period.

BARBARA A. CHENG, MARIETTA

FEDERAL SHUTDOWN

How debilitating to be

labeled ‘non-essential’

I wonder how it feels to be labeled a “non-essential employee”? What kind of psychological impact does such a label have on an employee? You go to work every day and work hard — and one day, you get furloughed as non-essential. How do you come back to work after a shutdown and put forth the same effort?

RICHARD KENYADA, SMYRNA

COMMENTARY

Obama as a worm?

Cartoonist is grasping

Surely, somewhere in this country, there is a more talented conservative cartoonist than Michael Ramirez. While Mike Luckovich’s offerings are almost always clever, funny takes on timely political subjects, Ramirez seems stuck in depicting President Obama as single-handedly destroying our country.

The cartoon “Comparing apples to rotten apples” (Opinion, Oct. 3) makes me wonder how long Ramirez can continue to come up with ideas. Seeing our president depicted as a worm, it leaves me to wonder, what’s next? Perhaps a flesh-eating virus?

BARBARA RIVES, STONE MOUNTAIN

GOVERNANCE

Politicians could once

find common ground

Politicians haven’t always agreed with each other, but at least they could dine together and find common ground on issues. President Ronald Reagan and Speaker of the House “Tip” O’Neill would frequently have dinner with party leaders from opposing sides, where they found common ground and were able to get important things done.

And we can all agree that, despite our differences, we are still the greatest country in the world.

BRIAN DINAPOLI, DECATUR