Letters to the editor for July 17, 2019

Affordable health care

I have stage 4 chronic kidney disease. But for the Affordable Care Act, my condition would remain untreated and I would suffer disabling, painful consequences. Physicians in the U.S. don’t treat uninsured patients unless those patients pay something up front, which many can’t. The ACA provides insurance for many of those who prior could not obtain such. We need to take the next step. I have two sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law who are medical doctors. Two live in one of the many countries that have universal health care. They can prescribe medications and have surgeries performed for patients without worrying if the patient can afford what is necessary. About 47,000 people in the U.S. die every year because we do not have universal health care. Private health insurance companies, who have billions in profit to lose, will lie and tell you that universal health care will cause long waiting periods, etc., to scare U.S. folk. But those are lies which private health insurance companies have billions of dollars of reasons to tell. Ask physicians in universal health care countries like my in-law MDs, who treat all of their patients completely within a day or two for non-emergencies and immediately in emergencies. The U.S. should start caring for people, not profiteers (insurance companies) who make premium profits but don’t actually provide medical services like physicians.

Wolfgang Nordmeyer

Carson City

Martinez-Guzman lost his ‘rites’

Gazing at the front page of the weekend (July 13-16) edition of the Nevada Appeal prompts me to write this letter.

On a daily basis we are made aware of the rights of people, young, old, people of various ethnicity, races and religions. However, the headline that stated, “Reno murders’ ruling appealed to Nevada Supreme Court” — this article really got my attention. Actually, it made me darn angry.

Since when do the rights of an arraigned felon supersede the rights of law-abiding citizens?

Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman’s lawyers are arguing that the Washoe County grand jury exceeded its jurisdictional powers. However, that argument was rejected by Washoe District Court Judge Connie Steinheimer by insisting all Nevada grand juries enjoy statewide jurisdiction in cases involving felonies. This case involves several felonies.

Martinez-Guzman has lost all of his “rites” on five counts starting, of course, with number one, entering and remaining in this country illegally; numbers 2 and 3, by killing two women in Douglas County; and numbers 4 and 5, by killing two more women in Washoe County. I could add a sixth with the fact that Mr. Martinez-Guzman was in possession of an illegal firearm stolen from one of his victims.

Rights? Who possesses more rights these days — the victim or the criminal?

Send Martinez-Guzman back to El Salvador in chains and spare the monies for the families of the victims.

Joel Flamenbaum

Carson City

Return to socialism would pave way to nation’s ruin

The United States of America is 243 years old. There are countries that are over 1,000 years old. That is amazing in itself when you consider where we are and what we have accomplished in comparison as to where they are. Our country was founded because there were some people who wanted a better way of life and were fed up with being restrained under dictatorships. They wanted to have the freedom to live their lives and prosper to the best of their abilities. They were tired of the shackles of socialism and tyranny and yearned to be free to seek out their own destinies as a free people. They knew there had to be a better way and this new land of America offered this challenge. The question is, why would we want to go back to socialist policies when socialism has eventually failed everywhere it has been tried? We have evolved into a capitalistic country, but we have been doing pretty good in less than 300 years. If you really think that you would do better under socialism there are other countries where you could go, but leave this country to those who appreciate it and whose ancestors bet their lives and fought to legally come here and make it what it is today. Freedom comes at a price and the Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence were the first steps and the Constitution paved the road to follow. It can be argued that the worst day in this country is better than the best day in many other countries. It has not been, nor will it ever be easy, but we must defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic in order to maintain our freedom and way of life.

Kelly Madigan

Carson City