Five Letters: Thanks to city, the Supreme Court, ObamaCare, SCBL and the American Dream

Thanks to the city for installing an audio signal near Nordstrom school

Dear Editor,

At a time when citizens have very little in the way of praise for government, I wanted to express my thanks and appreciation to the city of Morgan Hill, particularly Engineer Scott Creer, for giving me the gift of independence.

When returning home last month from receiving my first guide dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, I thought all of my mobility problems would be solved. Particularly, I thought I would now be able to safely walk my children to school and run errands without a sighted guide to help me navigate two dangerous crossings near Nordstrom School. Frustratingly, my instructors felt the crossings were still too dangerous, even with my guide Ruffles at my side.

As I drafted a letter to Mr. Creer and the city requesting consideration for an audio signal at these crossings, I pessimistically prepared myself for a bureaucratic nightmare. On the contrary, Mr. Creer was responsive, open and engaged. He immediately investigated the possibilities, weighing the needs of a single citizen with those of the entire community. Within two weeks, it was determined that such signals were possible and would be installed.

The engineer replacing the signal boxes was eager to tell the curious children walking home from school that day how the signals work and how they keep everyone safer, especially neighbors who couldn’t see as well. He had no clue I was in earshot and was just as gracious about these safety measures as Mr. Creer had been.

I teared up the first morning Ruffles and I were able to walk the children to school by ourselves. For me, the ability to carry out this simple motherly task feels like an incredible gift.

Ruffles and I are now on our way and I could not be more grateful.

Katie Hogan, Morgan Hill

Five Supreme Court Justices show their allegiance to the 1 percent

Dear Editor,

Five Supreme Court Justices have shown their allegiance to the Koch brothers and the rest of the 1 percent, they ruled that a corporation is an American citizen.They also ruled that dollars are speech and corporations can make unlimited anonymous contributions. Who will be shocked when rulings on the Affordable Care Act give control of American medical care back to insurance companies? How can we replace these five Justices who continue to betray the American people?

Frank Crosby, Morgan Hill

Obama’s lawyers made the wrong argument and looked pathetic

Dear Editor,

It amazes me as a non-lawyer how bad trained lawyers can be when arguing legal cases in front of the Supreme Court as the Obama Administration did. I’m no fan of the individual mandate but it’s seems rather obvious to me that anything that affects 17 percent of the economy comes under the Commerce Clause.

If I were the one arguing I would have said that the federal government requires hospitals to treat people who can’t pay. In doing so those costs are shifted to people who pay insurance. So there’s already a federal mandate. People like me are mandated to pay for the health care of people who choose not to pay for their own treatment.

So the change under ObamaCare is that the government is mandating people pay for their own insurance rather than mandating strangers pay for them through cost shifting. If Obama’s lawyer had made that argument then they wouldn’t have looked pathetic in front of the Supreme Court.

Marc Perkel, Gilroy

Thanks to all South County Basketball League does for children

Dear Editor,

I would like to tell you how wonderful I think the South County Basketball League is. It is very wonderful because it teaches kids how to play basketball and helps them learn the rules.

They make it very affordable because one the registration cost is very low, two all the practices and games are in one place and three, there is practice only before the game. I think that it is wonderful to know that people are spending their time to help us kids.

Their website is: http://www.scbahoops.com.

Stephen Faulk, Morgan Hill, 11 years old

Should ObamaCare be overturned, the American Dream goes with it

Dear Editor,

Should the Supreme Court over turn the Affordable Healthcare Act, it will not be for the values we stand for, nor the principles the world admires, or the ethics we hold dear. It will because we have become a truly selfish society, manipulated by greed and funded by dark self-interests.

If overturned, the rich will become richer and the poor and the middle class will remain at risk, forced to choose between insurance or providing for a family. The real American Dream is not a three-car garage but to live free of fear that a medical emergency will take away the dream that has yet to be lived.

Mark Grzan, Morgan Hill