Medicare for all could work if done right
Barbara Foreman's Aug. 21 letter contained an inaccuracy in regards to my Aug. 14 letter. I did not say that "Socialism is a precursor to Communism." While that may be true in the real socio-political world, I didn't remark on it.
While everyone likes "free stuff," as she puts it, the reality is that most of those things are politically or practically unworkable, as they are either too expensive, or will not make it through even a friendly congress.
Medicare for all, however, could work if it's designed correctly. Medicare, despite what some would have you believe, is a much more efficient system than private health plans, with their administrative costs running around 3 percent, versus about 17 percent for private insurance. Let people keep their supplemental plans, as they have now; let Medicare negotiate drug prices, as should have been done from the start, and eliminate the "donut hole."
Finally, Mrs. Foreman's adulation for Donald Trump is baffling. He may be a hard driving businessman, but he isn't so good at it. His New Jersey casinos went into Chapter 11 three times(1991, 2004, and 2009), allowing him to avoid paying contractors, vendors, and employees. He had to reduce his stake in the casinos in each bankruptcy so the banks financing the restructuring would lend him any money. He also paid out $25 million in settlement of fraud allegations involving Trump University.
As President, he stated, "Trade wars are good and easy to win." Not so easy, as it turns out. By now, almost 18 months later, the U.S. and the Chinese have imposed tariffs on a host of goods, so much so that the average American will spend around $1,000 this year paying for the trade war. That's you and me. China is not paying for this. As if that weren't enough, farmers are taking a huge hit, with crop prices down, and not being able to sell their produce in China. How many will go under due to this destructive policy? Donald Trump inherited a rising economy and did well with it early on, but now seems determined to sink it as fears of recession mount. Then, there is the constant lying and misrepresentation by Trump and his administration on a daily basis, statements that are demonstrably false. So it would appear that those unwarranted attacks are perhaps warranted, especially when facts show Mr. Trump to be clearly wrong.
Tom Beckett
Siloam Springs
Editorial on 08/28/2019