Mailbag: Health-reform bill is widely supported

It is difficult in this economy for those of us struggling simply to put food on the table to focus on much else. Our economy is complex and is defined by more than just business. So many things determine how the economy is doing.

That is why the president has been trying to secure our economic future by encouraging more people to go to college by making it more affordable, giving the largest tax cuts to the middle class we have seen in a long time; is trying to put more money into small community banks to increase loans to small businesses and entrepreneurs, to invest in new energy jobs; and yes, has tried to solve the problem of rising health-care costs.

We have to see beyond the current state of our union. I refuse to be another generation that passes on the weight of trillions of dollars of debt to our children, and passes on to them the very same problems politicians have been talking about for the last 60 years.

We have a hard choice to make. Do we only elect and support officials who look out for our short-term interests, or do we elect and support those who are looking forward and securing both our short-term and long-term interests.

Congressional Budget Office numbers show that without the health-reform bills in the House and Senate, which by the way have everything in them that Minority Leader John Boehner demanded before he would agree to go to a health-care summit hosted by the president, more Americans would lose coverage, and costs would increase. When the health-insurance-reform bill passes, more jobs will be created, the deficit will be reduced, and insurance premiums will be cheaper. With those numbers, it no wonder that the new ABC/Washington Post poll shows that 63% of Americans want Congress to pass a comprehensive health-reform bill.

Glendale

City spending money without thought

As the California and federal budget deficits get more media attention, the Glendale city budget does not.

Despite its declared fiscal problems, the city management continues to think up useless ideas to burn through taxpayers’ money, and the City Council rubber stamps them. There is no letup to the questionable expenditure of money directed to consultants ready to burnish the image of the City Council and city management.