U.S. vs. Venezuela: Letters to the editor, Feb. 25, 2019

United States vs. Venezuela

Living in the United States for 13 years has been a time of partial struggle, but at the same time full of many opportunities. Many of us can say the same about our lives in the United States or in other parts of the world that have stable economies, opportunities of employment, health care, or at least food. Unfortunately Venezuela is not one of those countries. Approximately 7,000 immigrants from South America, including people from Venezuela, are escaping their country because it is not enough for them. They are fleeing from violence, lack of resources, and especially corruption.

On Feb. 7, news reported that Nicolás Maduro had the troops block the highways to prevent humanitarian aid from the United States, only because the United States, a democratic country, supports democracy for the citizens of Venezuela. The point is, how is it possible that in this century, a president like Maduro wants to affect its country in that way? shouldn’t a president want a fair, peaceful, and democratic country for the people? Or is it wealth and power the only thing he craves from his country.

Strengthen the VA, don’t weaken it

The Trump administration wants to shift billions of dollars from the Department of Veterans Affairs to private health-care providers to improve care for the veterans. Having had a private orthopedic practice for over 25 years and worked at the Fresno VA for the last four years, I believe this is a misguided policy.

Veterans hospitals have had some problems delivering services in a timely manner because they lack enough health care personnel, due to the salaries they pay that are less competitive than in the private sector. This makes it difficult to hire enough qualified health care workers. The solution is to make the salaries equal to or better than the private sector.

Shifting money away from the system will make it worse. The veterans have multiple comorbidities that require comprehensive and coordinated care. Many patients receive care for PTSD, diabetes, high blood pressure, psoriasis, heart disease, Hepatitis C, substance abuse, etc. To address all these problems in a coordinated manner will be difficult outside a centralized system like the VA. If the patient is going to be sent to all these different private specialists, the dollars spent will be astronomical.

In addition, it will be fragmented, with the inevitable complications this will bring. The Department of Veterans Affairs should be given more money, be made stronger and not weaker.

Socialism, capitalism alive in the U.S.

We have a wonderful mix of socialism and capitalism in our country. All of us are born into it .... we don’t realize it even exists. We subsidize everything from the airlines, oil companies, Social Security, big pharma, farmers and a lot more.

How can anyone, including the president, make the statement that we will not let our country become socialist? We are a wonderful mix.

Water projects badly needed — now

Who does Trump think he is? Taking stored federal water. And giving it to farmers, so they can feed the country, and the world. He has left us no choice, but to stick it to him.

We need to build the dozen of proposed water storage projects that California has need for over 30 years. Use that water for fish, cities, and farmers. That will show him, we do not need him meddling in California’s affairs, and that his action were totally unnecessary, a waste of everyone’s time.