7/13 Letters: ‘Social identity,’ not best interests, drive rural voters

Regarding “In mountain town, GOP base fears repeal effort faltering” (July 10): The examples show that citizens in Mark Meadows’s district, while receiving Obamacare, still voted for Trump and would do so again. They also will continue to support representative Meadows. Meadows heads the super-conservative Freedom Caucus, a major proponent of totally abolishing most major benefits found in Obamacare. Although 44,000 people in Meadows’s district are on Obamacare, he carried it by a wide margin.

It is clear that these folks are unable to reason about the link between their predicament and the policies supported by the likes of Meadows. And so they will continue to vote against their own economic and personal interests. Their voting patterns are more determined by social identity than by any other factor. These identities may be based on racial, religious or other social factors and almost certainly will continue to ensure the dominance of the Republican Party at state and federal level regardless of how detrimental Republican policies are to their well-being.

Medicare worries

I don’t expect to live forever or want to spend my last days in “the home.” I do want to make sure my spouse has enough money in our savings to take care of herself and not burden our child with inevitable “final” expenses. We’ve saved, inherited and protected our savings, but with a severe medical event, insufficient insurance reimbursements and the cost of elder care could quickly wipe out our savings. Outliving our lifetime’s nest egg is a very real fear. We’ve spent frugally, purchased insurance and been employed over 40 years. We are still afraid of financial ruin in our final years.

The proposed option of turning Medicare over to the states is a frightening option based on how Congress and the North Carolina General Assembly have recently treated the poor and working class. Obamacare is withering and needs to be resuscitated. Call it repeal and replace, “Trumpcare” or whatever name you want, but fix it, and not through unfair tax cuts or blatant insensitivity to the sick, poor, elderly, rural or disabled. Politicians beware, my vote will be “hugely” influenced by how you vote for Medicare, Medicaid and medical insurance reform.

Housing questions

I read “Residents of another affordable housing complex will have to move” (July 8) about residents of affordable housing apartments being forced to move as developers are buying their buildings in order to tear them down and build much more expensive apartments.

I do not understand how this is being allowed. Where will they go? Who will help? How can this even be allowed? Hundreds of old, disabled, poor people left homeless? Did the mayor allow this to happen? The former governor? The legislature? There is supposed to be a percentage of housing built for poor and disabled residents. What can be done? How can I or anyone else help? Please – this just can’t happen.

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "7/13 Letters: ‘Social identity,’ not best interests, drive rural voters."