Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid aren’t welfare programs Re: “America comes to grips with the liberal welfare state,” Aug. 3
The subject editorial comment about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — “… these welfare programs are unaffordable” — is somewhat unfounded. I have paid into Social Security for over 50 years and Medicare since its inception and find it offensive to be told I am on “welfare.” My parents would be ashamed of me. Of course, for those who receive benefits without paying into these programs, then it would welfare. Neither program was intended for that.
The food stamp program is a welfare program. It was reported in a Washington Post editorial several weeks ago that 70 percent of the Department of Agriculture’s budget is wrapped around food stamps. That is a welfare program that frightens most working Americans. An editorial on that would make for very interesting reading.
David Cornelissen
Springfield
Private auto is the best subsidy we have
Re: “Some Metrobus riders getting free rides,” Aug. 2
Throughout your Local News report of Aug. 2, “Some Metrobus riders getting free rides as subsidies ramp up,” again and again the term “subsidies, subsidized rides” was intoned. Indeed so; maybe we’re finally recognizing the horrendous disparity that exists between the private auto and public transportation.
The private auto is this nation’s most cherished subsidy — from manufacture to graveyard, we experience road and highway maintenance, snow removal, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the billion-dollar budget of the Environmental Protection Agency, which shoulders the pollution caused by the private auto, along with urban and suburban degradation (are you able to walk — not run — across the streets of Tysons Corner, or walk upon its nonexistent sidewalks, long ago removed to make room for the private auto? Then there’s our traffic and highway police — do they all work for free? Please, bring on the subsidies!
Edward Abramic
Washington
Traffic efforts have been made for a long time
Re: “Montgomery County drops the ball on BRAC,” July 28
The Examiner’s July 28 editorial on Montgomery County’s preparations for the Base Realignment and Closure changes affecting Walter Reed Army Medical Center couldn’t have been more inaccurate. A simple phone call from The Examiner might have avoided their publishing an uninformed editorial. Clearly, the folks at The Examiner sorely lack any knowledge about BRAC generally and, in particular, what Montgomery County has been doing to address BRAC’s impacts on congestion in Bethesda.
The BRAC law that Congress passed in 2005 and mandated to be complete by 2011 required the relocation of personnel from over 800 military bases across the country. Congress appropriated many billions of dollars to accommodate these moves on the military bases, but provided virtually no assistance to local communities that were left to deal with the impacts unaided.
This was an enormous unfunded federal mandate on Montgomery County, as we face an increase of 33 percent in personnel at the Navy Medical Center and a doubling of visits to the campus to almost one million per year — without the ancillary revenue benefit that normally comes with major employment relocations to the county.
Early on, the county assembled the BRAC Implementation Committee, which brought together representatives from state and local governments and community leaders to begin planning the state and county joint response to BRAC. The result is 18 state and county projects that have either been completed or are moving forward to address traffic impacts.
Furthermore, The Examiner does not understand that the major roadways in the area (Rockville Pike and Connecticut Avenue) are state roads under the control of Maryland. If The Examiner is going to put the onus on Montgomery County alone, The Examiner should know what it is talking about.
In the meantime, the county and state have worked together to design improvements to major intersections and new entrances at the Medical Center Metro station. County and state officials believe the cost to complete these and other BRAC-related transportation projects will be in the $150 million range. These are very expensive projects at a time when both state and federal dollars are scarce.
Despite these challenges, earlier this year our congressional delegation succeeded in procuring federal funding for a number of BRAC transportation needs. We are now waiting to see how much of this new round of federal funding Montgomery County will receive in order to complete the remaining construction projects.
We’ll be happy to discuss this and other BRAC details with The Examiner if they would simply call to obtain the facts.
Phil Alperson
Montgomery County BRAC Coordinator
Rockville
