Letters: Understanding ‘quid pro quo’; Support for Brand USA reauthorization
Understanding ‘quid pro quo’
There is probably a lot of confusion over the Latin term “quid pro quo” that has been in the news a lot lately. What exactly does it mean?
So I thought I’d provide a translation into plain English. It means “bribery.”
As in this phrase in Article II of the US Constitution: “The President ... shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
I hope this helps understanding the meaning of the Latin terminology. And how your representatives in Congress can take action to do something about it.
Support for Brand USA reauthorization
Business and leisure travel is an important economic driver. Tourism resulted in $794.2 million in visitor spending in 2017. The hospitality industry supported 5,049 tourism-related jobs and raised $41.5 million in state and local taxes.
At the national level, the impact is particularly significant. The U.S. travel industry generates $2.5 trillion in economic output, supports 15.7 million American jobs and generates a $69 billion trade surplus for the United States, not to mention $1.2 billion in federal, state and local taxes.
The work of Brand USA — VisitTheUSA.com — to market the United States as a travel destination (and communicating official visa and entry policies in the process) helps to generate these economic benefits. Funded by international visitors and private dollars, Brand USA performs its vital work at no cost to taxpayers.
The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau supports Brand USA reauthorization, a decision currently before Congress.
The United States is losing market share for inbound travel in part because other countries are making greater investments in marketing. We must continue sending a strong message to international visitors that our nation is an excellent place to visit. Without reauthorization, this message will not resonate outside of our borders and the United States will continue to lose ground to its competitors, negatively impacting economy.
The HVAB urges Congress to advance legislation that will allow Brand USA to continue positioning the United States as a destination of choice for international travelers, and help the country remain competitive in the tourism marketplace.
Why the fuss around Medicare for All?
Why all the fuss about who is going to pay for Medicare for All if we adopt it? Medicare for All is already in place; we are just not paying attention. Anyone who does not have medical insurance and needs emergency medical care simply goes to an emergency room and, abracadabra, there it is.
Medical care required by law. Granted, the care has to be an emergency, but those who don’t have medical insurance wait until their sickness advances and then go to the emergency room. And it is paid for by guess who? By everyone who ever went to a doctor or hospital for medical care. The doctor or hospital has to build their pricing accordingly, no different than stores build the cost of theft into their prices. What other option do they have? They aren’t running a charity. Yes, all of us who can pay all pay a bit more for our service.
Now, since everyone at this time gets their medical care, why shouldn’t we leave the system just as it is? Transparency! It makes sense to know where money comes from and where it goes. The argument the fear mongers make about Medicare for All costing us trillions of dollars in taxes more than what we now pay is nonsense; it is nothing other than propaganda. In many of the cases mentioned above, if the person had had care before they got so sick it would cost a lot less to treat them.
