Letters to the Editor for April 17

Thank you, Sen. Harry Reid, for supporting health care overhaul

Hats off to you, Harry Reid. Your efforts have been instrumental in passing health reform. This new legislation is a historic victory for all Americans - for families, seniors, young people, workers and small businesses alike.

Thanks to you, Mr. Harry Reid, for your strength and courage during the past year in the face of extreme opposition. I am very proud to have you as my representative in Washington, and you have my support in the November election.

Sue Robertson

Carson City

Health safety net a huge relief

Passage of the health reform legislation in Congress is a historic accomplishment. Even though I have never had a significant medical problem, I have experienced first hand how difficult and prohibitively expensive it is to purchase insurance in the individual market if you are over 40 or have any medical history.

It is a huge relief to know that I and other people like me will no longer have to rely on our employers to have access to reasonable health insurance.

Of course the bill is not perfect. This is the real world, and given that there are millions of opinions in this country about what the perfect program would be, no compromise could completely satisfy anyone. But it is still a major improvement over a system in which millions of responsible people can't get or afford health care when they need it most.

Susan Paigen

Carson City

Editorial cartoon on coal mine disaster missed mark

It is unfortunate that the Appeal chose to run a syndicated political cartoon recently alluding to a connection between the unfortunate mining deaths in West Virginia last week with the "High cost of cheap coal energy..."

Low-grade coal, such as that used by power plants, is close to the surface and is mined in open pits, such as the Powder River Basin in upstate Wyoming, before being transported by rail to be pulverized for power generation.

High-grade, or "Met" coal, is mined deep underground. It is primarily exported overseas to steel-producing countries such as Japan and China. It is highly desirable, more expensive and is why big companies are in that business - they stand to make more money on the exporting.

Please don't mix apples with oranges - (the) Mine Safety and Health Administration is going to have their hands full with this terrible tragedy. But the Met coal that was being mined in West Virginia has absolutely nothing to do with coal that is pit-mined and used to satisfy our nation's huge demand for electric power.

They have nothing to do with each other.

Joel Kirk

Carson City