No upswing from budget plan
Regarding “A brutal budget plan” (Editorial, May 25): President Trump often tweets about “winners” (of which he includes himself ) and “losers” (pretty much anyone who disagrees with or criticizes him). Well, the true winners in the Trump administration’s budget plan will be defense contractors, due to increases in military spending, along with the already wealthy who will benefit from tax cuts.
The losers will be the poor, the sick and the elderly who will suffer disproportionately due to draconian cuts in social safety-net programs. Many Trump supporters who are still enduring hard economic times will sadly discover that this president is not going to help improve their lives.
Priscilla Massey, San Francisco
Fix the avenue
San Francisco has torn up Van Ness Avenue, one of its most important arteries. And yet, all week I have seen only two workers on the project (I’ve driven up and down Van Ness Avenue several times each day). Given the importance of this street, any other large city would have people working nonstop to quickly do the necessary work and get commerce, life and traffic operating once again.
Sherman Griffin, Seattle
Not a solution
Regarding “A cure for health care” (Letters, May 25): I must disagree with the writer wherein he maintains that “free-market competition” is the better solution to our health care crisis than is a single-payer system.
If our national antitrust laws hadn’t been gutted and ignored and if the health care/ insurance industries hadn’t been merged to the point of virtually no choices (with collusion between even those few), I might think differently.
Amy Kuhlmann, San Francisco
Insensitive cuts
Although I wouldn’t go as far as to say that President Trump’s budget proposals that execute severe cuts to social programs such as Medicaid (Medi-Cal), food stamps (Cal Fresh) and Meals on Wheels are immoral, I would certainly say they are insensitive. There are various reasons why people find themselves in the proverbial safety net and it’s not necessarily because they are lazy. For example, my partner’s 84-year-old mother came to the U.S. after the demise of South Vietnam and found work as a housekeeper.
Although her English skills are limited, she took pride in her work and her independence. I would hate to see her Section 8 voucher and other federal benefits reduced. For many people such as herself, these proposed cuts could be catastrophic. If the president is to embrace religion, he should take to heart the admonishment of Jesus Christ that the poor will always be with you.
Kurt Kleier, Concord
Optimistic moment
Regarding “S.F. Seeks to jail fewer for less time” (Open Forum, May 24) and “Support safe injection sites” (Open Forum, May 24): I have always been proud to call San Francisco my home, but I beamed with pride when I read both Open Forum pieces on the same page.
Mayor Ed Lee urged alternatives to jail and Healthright 360 CEO Dr. Vitka Eisen urged for safe injection sites.
The common thread connecting the two is a smart and humane approach to public health. San Francisco has been and always should be a trend setter.
Every now and then, we need to to remember our history and pat ourselves on the back, especially in these dismal times. Much work remains to be done, but let’s share a moment of optimism.
Ellen Chaitin, San Francisco
Profit motivation
Regarding “To see just how Trumpcare would work, take a look at Iowa” (Catherine Rampell, May 25): How could a single patient could rack up $1 million in health bills per month in medical costs? The only answer I can imagine is wildly expensive drugs and procedures, whose costs in the U.S. are unregulated and driven solely by the profit motive.
Alice Spears, San Francisco
Health bill impact
Regarding “Millions excluded in GOP health bill” (May 25): The Chronicle’s coverage of the Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act has been quite informative about the number of American’s who would lose health coverage and the “cost savings” to the government.
I wonder if there is a way to figure out and report on the resulting added cost to the American citizens who will be paying more for coverage, the loss in revenue to hospitals that may be inundated with the uninsured and especially large numbers of people that may die prematurely because of the Republican determination to end the Affordable Care Act.
Terry Edeli, San Francisco
Trump similarity
Regarding “Salesforce Tower raises stakes high” (May 22): John King compares the new Salesforce Tower to President Trump, in that they’re both big and brash and impossible to avoid.
In light of the president’s ill-conceived and dead-onarrival proposed budget, here’s another similarity: the upper reaches of both are mostly empty space.
Tom Ruppel, Dixon
Body-slammed
Thanks to President Trump’s repeated verbal bashings of journalists, a Republican tech millionaire candidate for Congress named Greg Gianforte took this hostility to the next level and bodyslammed a reporter who asked a question about health care. Have we sunk so low as a nation that journalists now need to fear for their physical safety simply because they’re trying to do their jobs?
Julian Grant, Pacifica