LETTERS

Our system’s a shame

I was incensed when I read Jimmy Curtis’ letter. He said the Affordable Care Act is scandalous and shameful. It is our current health-care system that is scandalous and shameful. Like many before him, Curtis seems to think the vote for health care for all was a vote against Arkansas values. It wasn’t against this Arkansan’s values. I am proud that most of the 48 million Americans without health insurance will soon have it. They will be able to seek medical care when they hurt and get treatment for their illnesses.

It seems amoral, unjust and ungodly that anyone would want another human being to suffer miserably because he or she does not have coverage. Where is Mr. Curtis’ compassion? About 25 percent of uninsured adults go without needed care as compared with only 4 percent who have private insurance; 75 percent of the uninsured are in working families, and 38 percent live belowthe poverty level, which is a mere $22,350 for a family of four, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

I believe this legislation is one of the greatest laws ever enacted in the United States and I am excited about its full implementation.

PATRICIA PHILLIPS Little RockRemains unconvinced

Dixie Ann Cole, in her letters, is doing her best to convince us atheists that the King James Bible is the word of a god.

As long as people are dying by the millions from starvation, diseases related to malnutrition, floods, droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes or anything else that hurts or takes lives, I will never be convinced there is a loving, caring god who answers prayers and makes anything possible.

This is just common sense, not a belief.

BILL MORELAND RogersOur world is at stake

As a person of faith, it was important to me that President Barack Obama reminded us that God has commanded us to care for this fragile planet. In his recent speech on climate-change solutions, he said: “… our children and our children’s children will look at us in the eye and they’ll ask us, did we do all that we could when we had the chance to deal with this problem and leave them a cleaner, safer, more stable world?”

Like any parent, he understands what is at stake if we fail to act. I agree. I will be calling my senators and representative to let them know that climate change is a moral issue and we need action. We need to set limits on industrial carbon pollution from power plants, promote renewable energy and build more energy-efficient cars and buildings.

TOM NAVIN Little Rock Swans’ deaths tragic

My neighbor released three mute swans after learning they didn’t do well on her indoor swimming pool. They made their home on the lake and the nearby fish hatchery. Game and Fish did not bother them. Now, I read that Game and Fish went to Harris Brake and wrung the necks of four cygnets and caged an adult, saying it was for the best because of our native trumpeter swans. These swans had made their home there for several years and bothered no one.

I’ve lived here 75 years and have never seen another swan in this state.Do they intend to replace the mutes with trumpeters? I’ll bet not. I am so incensed over this that I can hardly speak. Such a senseless crime (can’t call it anything else) should not go unnoticed or unpunished. Won’t someone do something to make this right? Why don’t they concentrate on getting rid of some of the non-native Canada geese that are destructive pests?

SAMMIE CRAWFORD Hot SpringsThe costs of pollution

I applaud President Barack Obama’s speech on the National Climate Change Action Plan. Some people say the costs of addressing climate change are too high, but what about the costs if we fail to act?

I am a person of faith and I have faith in our ability to innovate. I know it can be done because we are doing it. I’ve worked with congregations to help them become more energy-efficient. We changed light bulbs, sealed up cracks in doors and windows and turned off unused lights and appliances. It was not difficult, but it is saving significant money on energy bills each month that can now go to other programs.

There is a cost to all of this carbon pollution. We are paying with damaged health and an uncertain future we’re leaving to our children. It is time for action. I support promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and putting standards on polluting power plants.

DANIEL B. JOHNSON Little RockInsult to his memory

I have been following the news in regard to the hog farm near the Buffalo River. Many may not be aware of the efforts of Dr. Neil Compton to protect the Buffalo. He was a respected Bentonville physician, author, photographer and conservationist.

In the 1960s when the Army Corps of Engineers planned to dam and divert the Buffalo River, he, along with others, actively opposed the plan. The Ozark Society, founded by Dr. Compton and his associates, was successful. In 1972, the Buffalo was designated the first national river in the national park system. Due to those efforts, the river remains one of pristine beauty and a major source of tourism.

It would be catastrophic if this river were to be polluted by the waste generated by the hog farm. Furthermore, the potential destruction of wildlife, runoff entering tributaries of the Buffalo and the contamination of wells are just a few of the horrendous results that may be looming in the future.

If you have not visited Compton Gardens and Conference Center in Bentonville, I urge you to do so. Enjoy the pictorial display and video depicting the life and accomplishments of Dr. Compton and you will come to appreciate the legacy this remarkable man has left behind. Don’t let this generation be the one to claim the dubious distinction of having allowed the beautiful Buffalo River to be forevermore trashed and decimated.

LYNN MOFFITT Bentonville

Editorial, Pages 17 on 06/29/2013

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