Two disturbing issues
While reading the tally of how our local federal lawmakers recently voted in the Sunday edition of the Observer-Reporter, I noticed two disturbing issues.
The first is one of irony. In considering legislation that would enable small businesses to provide health benefits to their workers through professional associations, thereby benefiting million of families, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated a plan to include mandatory coverage of drug addiction, especially opioid abuse.
Representatives Bill Shuster, Keith Rothfus and Tim Murphy all voted to defeat this plan. The irony, of course, is that each of these men have publicly decried the opioid epidemic. It appears they voted against the plan because it came from Democrats, thereby reinforcing that politics and hypocrisy trump saving lives.
The other issue involves Sen. Pat Toomey, who voted to allow extreme, inhumane methods of killing bears and wolves on 77 million acres of federal land in Alaska. Congratulations to the senator for helping rid the planet of these pesky animals.
Bob Willison
Rices Landing