9/16 Letters: Real tax reform needed to gain consensus

Regarding “Hoping tax code changes deliver” (Sep. 1): “He who hesitates, may know something you don’t.” That line was written by a friend of mine named Chuck, who kept a neatly printed poster on the wall of his office titled, “Ten Laws for Today’s World” to which he had added his line as the 11th law. Chuck’s law came to mind when three Republican Senators, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and John McCain, refused to vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

In doing so, they knew what the other Republican senators either did not know or refused to admit publicly – that repealing Obamacare would wreck our health care system, deprive millions of Americans of adequate health care and become terribly unpopular very quickly. Chuck’s law should come to mind again very soon, as Republicans try to overhaul the tax code. Here, the Republicans will give huge tax cuts to the wealthy without replacing the lost income. They will then use the resulting deficit as a cudgel to cut social programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Our nation “dodged a bullet” on health care, thanks primarily to those three senators. I hope we can be as lucky again on beating back the tax overhaul.

Prevent nuclear war

Regarding “Germany’s Merkel points to Iran talks as a model for North Korea” (Sept. 10): An agreement similar to the Iran agreement is the only viable solution to prevent a nuclear war with North Korea. The government of South Korea does not want a war with the North. War is not an option since millions of innocent Koreans would be killed.

The Trump administration does not like the Iran agreement. If president Trumps finds a reason not to honor the Iran agreement, this action will be taken as sign by the North Koreans that the United States does not keep agreements. The best solution is diplomacy after stopping any inflammatory rhetoric.

Support bond

On Oct. 10, Raleigh will have a transportation bond on the ballot. This bond will have significant funding for bicycle and greenway infrastructure. We all know sedentary lifestyles put people at risk for diabetes, heart disease and premature death. Integrating healthy options within community design increases the likelihood that people will have an active lifestyle. Environments that are safe and built with walking, biking and other physical activities in mind are correlated with lower body weights and reduced cardiovascular disease. Local economies are also improved when people can walk, bike and shop with ease in a community.

A national survey revealed that the ability to walk or bike through a neighborhood is a strong factor in determining where to relocate when considering a move. Everyone should support Raleigh’s transportation bond. This investment will help bring much needed sidewalk and bicycle infrastructure improvements to our community.

This story was originally published September 15, 2017 at 1:00 PM with the headline "9/16 Letters: Real tax reform needed to gain consensus."