Letters: Coronavirus, enhanced licenses, Medicare and more | March 19

Food workers need your support

I’m not a trained epidemiologist, so I don’t know anything about how to manage the Coronavirus situation, let alone comment on it, but I feel awful for the hospitality industry workers who are going to be essentially out of work until the restaurant/bar closing mandate is lifted.

As a result, I decided I’m going to do take-out orders at least twice a week to those restaurants who will be offering curbside pickup of food. It’s the least I can do.

I worked my way through college as a cocktail waitress, had a small catering business while in graduate school, and my involvement with the Washington state food and beverage industry helped my husband and me pay off our home 16 years early. It might hit my wallet a bit, but I feel it’s worth it.

Tri-Cities needs 2nd DOL office

In all of Benton Franklin County there is only one place to get a driver’s license renewed. I spent the better part of four hours at the Department of Licensing office in Kennewick.

There are over 350,000 people in the greater Tri-City area. Having only one office is not only unfair to the populace, it is unfair to the DOL employees as they must encounter daily negative feedback.

I realize that a driver’s license is a privilege, not a right. But it is also a much-needed document.

This state is incompetent in not having another office in such a populated area. The residents of this area need to speak up, or it’s just going to get worse.

Ending fossil fuel use might be good

What if the climate scientists are wrong, and we replace fossil fuels with carbon-free energy for nothing?

We would tap into unlimited energy sources producing energy independence for our nation, our state and even households. Our water wouldn’t be fouled with oil spills. Our air wouldn’t be polluted with soot particles, volatile organic compounds and ozone. Because of cleaner air and water and more walking and bicycling, millions of Americans would live longer and healthier lives, and fewer would suffer from asthma. Our involvement with the Middle East would be unnecessary because we’d have no use for its oil. Our coal miners would make, install and maintain wind turbines, solar panels and nuclear power plants instead of breathing coal dust in the mines. Our farmers would have healthier carbon-rich soil for their crops.

Why would we want to have all things happen to us just to stop climate change from harming future generations?

Congress needs to step up, get it done

It’s time for the old folks (Congress members) to stand up for the country. When there is a war, the young folks are sent to do battle to protect Americans They volunteer or are drafted to go into harm’s way.

Now Congress and the administration must step up and go to war against this virus vs. trying to body slam one another.

To date, our politicians are trying to handle this as a political issue. There is not full transparency. Each body of government has its own little spin machine. Instead of passing helpful legislation, Congress is stuffing the bill with their own wish lists, thus assuring nothing gets done.

To make matters worse, TV opinion makers are using this crisis as their own little platform to bash those they don’t agree just to boost ratings and promote themselves.

Stats don’t tell results of panic

Check the Worldometer online to see if the Coronavirus is dangerous. It has up-to-the-minute information about population, climate and industry. They offer a “Coronavirus Update” page.

What is the panic? Everyone fears death, and dislikes illness. But immunity is a good thing, and we know we earn it with illness.

The panic has crashed the economy and hundreds of thousands of people are out of work, and isn’t it surprising that our education system is so worthless that they close it so carelessly?

We need a forum for citizens to voice their losses from this irresponsible panic.

The WorldOmeter reports on 3/16/20, that in U.S. population of 330 million, 3,814 have gotten the disease; 70 have died. There are 3,671 active cases and how many are serious? Twelve. In the whole U.S.

More people than that could die and be affected due to school closures, or from being suddenly unemployed. Many of those suffering more, and longer than someone with the virus.

I will send this letter to our governor. If he got thousands of letters questioning his actions, would it do any good?

Leadership, not denial, needed

Here we are in the midst of a pandemic virus spreading across the globe. Countries around the world are demonstrating clear plans to test, analyze data and provide interventions for the health and well-being of their citizens. In particular, Canada and Australia have national health care programs which provide free testing and adequate resources for those affected. Their leaders did not spend valuable time denying and blaming previous administrations, their adversaries or the media. These leaders are not responsible for the COVID-19 virus, they are responsible for the implementation of steps to curb the virus.

On the other hand, Donald Trump shows lack of leadership by providing false information and lying to the American people about the virus and its spread.

Donald Trump worries about himself and his political future and not the future of all Americans.

He is not a leader!

Enhanced license rules questioned

Maybe someone can answer a question.

I went to the Department of Licensing to renew my driver’s license. I was aiming for the enhanced license in order to travel should the event arise.

In my possession I had my expiring license, my passport, my Social Security card, and for good measure my original birth certificate with the official State of Iowa seal.

I waited for 20 minutes in line. I arrived at the desk and lo and behold did not have the correct info for an enhanced license. I did not have a piece of mail with my current address on it. The address on my expiring license did not count. My Social Security card is the original card I got when I first became employed. I did not realize that Social Security cards now are more “official” looking, which mine is not.

The part I don’t understand is why can I get on a plane with my passport, but that same passport in not enough for an enhanced license? The photos on both the license and passport are almost identical.

Any answers to this mystery appreciated.

Medicare for all just won’t work

Just in case anyone is interested: Medicare doesn’t pay for everything! I think it’s about 80% and you are responsible for the remaining charges.

We have a supplemental policy that covers virtually all of the remaining charges. I don’t know about anyone else, but if we didn’t have the supplement we would be broke!

“Medicare For All” would be a disaster because even if it was designed to pay for everything, the payments to doctors would drive many from the program. And, unless the legislation was designed to stop doctors from practice unless they accepted the government program (which I wouldn’t doubt) you would end up paying cash to doctors outside the system to get decent care in a reasonable time.

All in all, anyone who thinks this will work is just plain uninformed and/or brainwashed by the Socialist Democrats. Please, youth of America, wake up! There is no “Free Lunch,” especially considering there isn’t enough money generated throughout our society no matter who and what you tax to support any of these radical Socialist/Democrat programs proposed by the candidates!

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Coronavirus, enhanced licenses, Medicare and more | March 19."