We’re free to speak, but there are consequences for what we say

May I remind Mr. Brenfleck of Camp Verde that Trump aide Kelly Sadler's comments about Sen. McCain have indeed been protected by her First Amendment rights. She was not arrested!

Free speech means the government cannot pass laws or abridge the right of people to speak their minds, as it is not against the law. However, free speech is not without consequences. If your boss is offended by your public speech, he can fire you.

If you say something as crass and unkind as Ms. Sadler did, you should apologize. The NFL could stop the demonstrations on the field if they wish, but recognize that it would be a public-relations nightmare.

We somehow have come to believe that we can say or do whatever we want and the Constitution will protect us from any consequence. Sorry, not the case.

Patients need skin in the game or whole system spins out of control

I was initially excited by the headline of the guest column proposing support for "Medicare for All," as I have been an advocate for that position for years.

Having practiced cardiology for over four decades in Phoenix, I witnessed first hand the weakness in our healthcare system in preventing the financial and medical devastation that serious illness can cause. Universal health care should truly be seen as a “basic human right” as it is in other first-world countries.

I was, however, disappointed in the statement made that “This means comprehensive health care that is free at the point of service, paid for not on the backs of the sick but through taxes on the rich: no fees, no copays, and no deductibles.” First of all, the latter part of that statement is worded in an inflammatory way and will frankly anger anyone who is fiscally conservative (as I am). Second, anyone who has worked in the medical field will describe to you the abuse and overuse of a system in which everything is free. If the author, Benjamin Fong, an assistant professor at ASU, thinks that those words apply to Medicare, he is sadly mistaken.

In any plan for universal health care the patient (or, if you prefer, consumer) must have some “skin in the game.” This is the only way to control costs and prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed.

The amount may vary by the resources available, but some cost must be present when the decision to seek care is made. If this is not the case, Medicare for all will become Medicaid for All, and this will not work.

Russians aren’t the only ones who interfere with other governments

Lets get over the Russian's attempt to influence our election. Under both Democrats and Republican presidents, the CIA has tried to influence elections in South America and other places with some success.

We have tried to effect the existence of other governments. That is what the Voice of America does. We have tried to destroy the governments of other countries. Remember Cuba, where our president tried to have Castro assassinated. When that did not work, we tried the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. We tried to prop up a corrupt government in South Vietnam.

All countries try to influence other governments. Remember the French were in Vietnam before us.

President Reagan used diplomacy and threats to change the government of Russia and their satellites.

It's a tough world out there with plenty of intrigue.

Is there a puppet master at the White House who controls all this?

The cast of characters in this administration — Giuliani the wild-eyed crazy, Sarah Sanders the robot, Scaramucci the Mooch, Melania the captive princess, and of course The Donald himself — makes me wonder if there is a Grand Master actually orchestrating them all.

A children’s fable turned into a real horror story.