Dear Editor,

I’m sick and tired of how our government in Washington, D.C., as well as many of our state and local governments spend our tax dollars. I’m so angry I just don’t know where to start, but here I go.

Health care costs over $3 trillion a year here in the United States, and $1 trillion of that is fraud. And you wonder why we pay so much for health care? That in itself would pay our current budget deficit.

According to David Hyman M.D., J.D., and Charles Silver, M.A., J.D., both adjunct scholars at the Cato Institute, one out of every three dollars that passes through the system is lost to fraud, wasted on services that don’t help patients or are otherwise misspent.And to make matters worse, the American Medical Association, one of the biggest unions in the country, and organized by physicians, is setting the prices we pay for every Medicare procedure done in this country. Is that not the fox guarding the hen house? To make matters worse, all the health care insurers base their prices off Medicare billing.

I used to know a local surgeon in town who would intentionally take the hardest cases; using old-school techniques, he would literally do as many procedures as he possibly could – simply to beef up his billing. I remember the anesthesiologist(s) used to hate to work with him because they get compensated not for the length of the procedure but for the procedure itself. He was eventually run out of town, and in my opinion, should have never been able to practice medicine again. This is simply one story of many. It’s time we cleaned up the fraud and waste in our health care system.

Welfare and Medicaid cost taxpayers 50 percent more due to fraud. A few years back, I shared a scenario where an unmarried couple with two children could qualify for $50,000 a year in welfare benefits. Please tell me what incentive this couple has to be gainfully employed. You got it, there is none! The average family of four in the United States earns approximately $52,000 a year. Hell, you can stay at home and earn $50,000. Isn’t it about time we reformed our welfare program to mandate work or a job skill program?

There is an entire subculture in this country doing nothing but gaming the system to get free government handouts. For example, a nurse from a maternity ward once told me she was bringing a newborn to see her mother, sitting across the room was the grandmother who said to the nurse she (the new mother) is the breadwinner of the family. You see she has the baby then gives the baby up to another relative, and that relative receives $500+ a month for taking care of the child. This is not an isolated situation. This nurse tells me she sees this every single day.

I am sick and tired of people who can work just as good as you and I claiming and receiving disability. Now don’t get me wrong, we should take care of someone who is truly disabled. How many times have you gone to the grocery store to see somebody occupy a handicapped parking space, get out of the car, and physically run into the store? Man, that ticks me off!

Through the Karen Chandler Trust, I have worked with cancer patients for the last 20 years. Are some of these patients deserving of long-term disability? Absolutely! For the most part, they need assistance for the period they are being treated for cancer. Chemo takes a tremendous toll on one’s ability to function. To my knowledge, through the SSI program, there are no short-term benefits.

Here again people are simply gaming the system costing taxpayers billions of dollars.

Today, some congressmen are actually considering a guaranteed minimum income for all Americans. Really! Where do you think that money is going to come from?

Then of course we have our favorite whipping boy 

of the year, (immigration). We take in illegal immigrants, and in many cases, we clothe, we feed, we educate and we take care of their health care needs – and we have been doing this for many years because Congress cannot pass immigration reform.

Let’s say someone from off the street came into your home, sat down on your couch, refused to leave and mandated you feed and clothe them. What would you do?

To add some irony to this, let’s look at the great city of Seattle, Washington. It appears they have been inundated with a fast-growing population of homeless folks. In fact, many of the cities all along the West Coast are experiencing this problem. San Francisco, California, may very well be the granddaddy of them all. Did you know because of the cost associated with the homeless the mayor and the city council are considering giving them one-way plane fare to anywhere they want to go. All the cities I refer to, coincidentally, are openly declared as sanctuary cities and are welcoming illegal immigrants with open arms. Furthermore, they are aiding and abetting felons and hindering the pursuit by federal agents. In fact, they want to completely dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I got up this morning and the first thing I hear is Congresswoman Waters telling the world she was sent by God to get rid of President Trump. The second story that I hear, California is considering making the delivery of a plastic straws by a waiter to a patron as a class B misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. In the state of California, that is the same penalty you would receive for assault and battery or a prostitution conviction.

Finally, because of the way he handled a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, with President Putin from Russia, it is declared that Trump is guilty of treason – a felony that carries that the death penalty as his punishment.

Folks, this world has gone mad, and our country is leading the way. Do we need to drain the swamp? You’re damn right we do! And it’s time that we as Americans stood up to take our country back. Someone told me a long time ago to lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. If we don’t lead, we deserve what we get. It’s time we showed some common sense and fairness in how we govern. I’m not saying don’t be compassionate and helpful for those in need; I’m saying have no patience for those perfectly able to be productive citizens who steal from the hard-working tax paying citizens of this country.

Break up the monopoly in health care, and jail all of those fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid. Fix the welfare and disability system so it lends a helping hand to those truly in need and force those gamers to get a damn job. And for crying out loud, do something about immigration.

To all you lowlifes in Washington, i.e., congress, I say it again, lead, follow or get out of the way. Apparently, leading and following are not in your job description. Therefore, get out of the way.

My name is Mike Chandler, and I am mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.

– Mike Chandler

 

Dear Editor,

I agree 100 percent with Margaret in her op/ed piece, Acosta Accosted, that:

“... We do not have to like the information reported, but it is critical that we love, respect, and support information and opinion in all their diverse forms.”However, she left one thing out; ACCURATELY:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-says-only-the-fake-news-are-the-enemy-of-the-people/. Fake news strikes again!

– Randy Scott

 

Dear Editor,

I read with disdain the article by Margaret Dickson in the most recent Up & Coming Weekly (June 27).

Her liberal bias is in full bloom to defend the previous POTUS’ First Ladies complaining about the “ILLEGAL” immigrants and their children. These are tough issues indeed but trying to push this agenda on our present POTUS is hogwash! He inherited their mess to start with and they were not strong enough to make those hard decisions.

Donald Trump is trying to straighten out the mess both of these ladies’ husband’s were not able to do and he has had to make some hard choices in doing so. 

(It) seems like every media source has an issue with standing up for our president and takes the popular path, which is to downplay and criticize instead of standing for the American citizen when it comes to the immigrant invasion.

– Tim Cannon

 

Dear Editor,

After reading your comment referring to the clowns of the NFL, I am a 22 year retired Veteran who happens to be black, I served so that Americans would have the right to legally protest their grievances. Just because you and other Americans think differently does not make it wrong. Let me bring to your attention that you being white, you will never understand, and for the most part the “Star Spangled Banner” was never written for African-Americans in the first place. It was written by a slave owner lawyer who spent his career fighting against the rights of African-Americans; nor was the Declaration of Independence or many of the other Bill of Rights. We just happen to be caught up in the middle of what white America thought and still thinks we should be. Yes, possibly the players could have used another venue to protest – although as usual no one pays any attention.

The mere fact that the players are using a venue that cannot be ignored is, in my opinion, outstanding because in spite of your feelings, the NFL and owners will not miss a nights sleep and any other financial lost (sic) will be made up somewhere else. The NFL will not go under because a few Americans disagree I can assure you. Professional sports have much more impact in this country than to be affected by a few disagreeable Americans.

Furthermore, my belief is that the only reason our president is making such a big deal about NFL players in protest at all is because the NFL refused to allow him to be a NFL team owner.

– Robert Johnson

 

Hey Bill, 

Loved your article about the NFL bozos and the true American heroes honored at the Purple Heart dinner. Don’t slow down and don’t quiet down brother! Hopefully the silent majority is still the majority! God bless America.

– Andy Anderson