Employers are not be responsible for health insurance Re: “Businesses plan health cuts because of Obamacare,” Aug. 26
This editorial mentions that employers may eliminate health care coverage to their employees. Since when was it an employer’s responsibility to provide health insurance?
I’ve been a self-employed consultant to scores of financial services companies for 35 years and have always paid my own insurance. I charge them a higher rate than they pay their employees and use the extra money to pay my own insurance, which is currently $700 per month for a family of four. It’s excellent coverage, and I’ve never been turned down for pre-existing conditions.
What if employers told all of their employees: “We will not longer be providing health coverage, you will be given a $5 per hour raise and are free to shop for your own coverage.”?
Dr. Jeff Underwood
Simpsonville, Md.
Kane’s latest column completely misses the mark
Re: “Will the real racists please stand up?” Aug. 25
Gregory Kane’s musings are often distinguished by their staleness, lack of imagination, and mind-numbing predictability. If he isn’t trotting out the rantings of Malik Zulu Shabazz or bashing Attorney General Eric Holder for failure to enforce immigration laws, he’s whining about the lack of equivalence in the treatment of conservatives vis-a-vis liberals, decrying the celebrity of Kanye West and Lady Gaga, or bashing Barack Obama for even contemplating a run at the White House, much less actually winning the election in 2008.
So it isn’t at all surprising that in a recent column ostensibly about the racist utterance of the wife of a former New Jersey state assemblyman about former Olympian and political candidate Carl Lewis, this Pulitzer-nominated journalist (thankfully, the Pulitzer committee has not relaxed its standards to actually award him the prize) manages to make his commentary about Obama’s unfitness for the highest office in the land and, with remarkable illogic, concludes that the voters who elected him were racist because their votes were based on the color of his skin.
Will columnists with nothing to say please shut up?
Craig Taylor
Alexandria
Oleszek’s victory is Sharon Bulova’s defeat
Re: “Oleszek wins close Fairfax board primary,” Aug. 25
Over 67 percent of Braddock voters in the Fairfax Board of Supervisors chairman’s own precinct rejected the candidate she funded in the Democratic primary.
As a school board member, Janet Oleszek was an early advocate for full-day kindergarten and other education improvements. She supports investment in our community’s highest priorities. For example, she will help improve the relationship between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board, which has clearly deteriorated during Bulova’s chairmanship.
The vote on Aug. 23 was a sound rejection of the Board of Supervisors’ divestment from education. Did supervisors forget that employers are attracted to our community by jobs, education and quality-of-life services?
Will Radle
Franconia
Editor’s note: Mr. Radle is an independent candidate for Fairfax Board of Supervisors chairman.
