Letters: US is a democracy, not a company; Medicaid cuts hurt residents with disabilities
US is a democracy, not a company
If you believe Elon Musk, he has found the best way to slash federal spending. He cites federal fraud, wasteful contracts and unnecessary agencies as the cause. And he claims that through his own technical wizardry and sheer willpower, he is slashing our federal deficit in a way that has eluded politicians for years.
He claims that his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is saving our federal government $1 billion a day. He is wrong, totally wrong.
Our country has become a cruel, commercial product. Trump continues to cancel diversity, equity and inclusion contracts, while awarding Musk’s SpaceX billions of dollars in government contracts. Musk, with a net worth of about $350 billion, doesn’t have to file public disclosure reports, because he “works for free.” And he gains a lot of access to what his competitors are doing via federal contracts.
There’s a lot wrong with this “picture.” We are a democracy, not a company.
Medicaid cuts hurt residents with disabilities
As a resident of State College with a beloved, disabled sister living in a wonderful community home in Bellefonte, I am speaking up for Janet and her many friends with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). I have stood up for and advocated for Janet my entire life and feel a most compelling need to do so now.
Across Centre County, people with disabilities rely on an array of support services to live, work and thrive here.
Nationally, 69% of community providers delivering these services are turning away new referrals while 39% are discontinuing services because they lack the funding needed to recruit and retain qualified workers. This puts access to services in jeopardy while nearly 512,000 disabled Americans are languishing on their states’ waiting lists.
Now, another crisis looms. Community-based services are almost exclusively funded by Medicaid, and in Congress, the House recently approved a budget resolution directing the committee that oversees Medicaid to slash $880 billion in spending. Such a drastic cut will all but dismantle the federal Medicaid program, leaving hundreds of thousands more Americans without the services they need.
As a sister to Janet, I know firsthand that Centre County is better when it includes everyone — regardless of their disability. If Senators McCormick and Fetterman and Representative Thompson agree that our community is stronger when it includes people with disabilities, then they must reject any proposals to cut funding for the federal Medicaid program. I am asking our representatives to stand up for all of their constituents.
Don’t stand for lies about USAID
Lying to justify eliminating USAID, an organization that has saved over 22 million lives worldwide, isn’t only foolish and cruel. It’s completely un-American!
At Trump’s behest, and with the cowardice and complicity of elected Republicans, the richest man in the world has without evidence accused USAID of being “a criminal organization” while gleefully claiming to have “put it in a wood chipper.”
Why are these blatantly false claims being spread about an organization which does so much good? Are Republicans really so desperate to fund permanent tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy that they would end critical, life-saving assistance to some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people while putting thousands of dedicated Americans out of work?
Destroying USAID means that: many of the world’s poorest women will be more likely to die in childbirth; hungry children will no longer receive nutritional supplements and food; and nations will lose vital medical resources to combat devastating health crises such as AIDS and Ebola.
Losing USAID will also seriously harm American farmers as they watch the demand for their crops decline while tons of already purchased food assistance spoils undistributed.
Humanitarian assistance reduces instability, conflict and extreme poverty worldwide while enhancing U.S. influence and national security. Russia and China will undoubtedly race to expand their international presence and influence by taking full advantage of the vacuum created by America’s abandonment of USAID.
Lies can’t possibly justify allowing children to starve and letting people die. We as Americans should not stand for it!
Other ideas for commonwealth campuses
As an alumni of Penn State I was saddened to hear about the potential closing of some campuses and wondered why with the success of the Village at Penn State, many other university using campus for multiple generations housing, and the growth in aging demographics as well as Penn State’s strong gerontological expertise these campuses are not being considered for this type of innovation and entrepreneurship that could be a win-win for everyone.
Three Stooges in action
Just because you want something done does not mean you want it done by Curly, Larry and Moe.
Elon Musk and his “geniuses” do not know this, evidently. They fired nuclear safety inspectors, only to realize that the U.S. desperately needs those people, and scrambled to get them back. They did not learn from this, but instead they fired those keeping track of the bird flu spread. You know, bird flu, that which makes eggs scarce and more expensive, and that if it jumps to people can kill them. So scramble again to get them back.
Do they think that the Three Stooges are fun when they happen in real life? Hint: they are not.