{"id":792690,"date":"2026-05-13T05:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T05:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/792690\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T05:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T05:01:12","slug":"letters-dont-be-misled-on-cost-of-single-payer-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/792690\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters: Don’t be misled on cost of single-payer healthcare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Submit your letter to the editor via this form<\/a>. Read more Letters to the Editor<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be misled on single-payer cost<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cFate of universal health care still unclear as Newsom exits<\/a>\u201d (Page A6, May 10).<\/p>\n

Dan Walters misleads readers in his opinion piece. He cites a UCLA report that states that single-payer would cost $731.4 billion a year, more than triple the state\u2019s $238 billion general fund. What he doesn\u2019t say is that this huge number is only 2% more than we already pay today. And with that 2%, it removes all deductibles and co-pays, and provides long-term care coverage.<\/p>\n

Major new benefits at small additional cost are possible because single-payer skips bloated administrative overhead, insurance marketing costs and insurer profits. We don\u2019t need to drown in debt to remove the enormous burdens of healthcare costs and hurdles.<\/p>\n

Doug McKenzie<\/strong>
Berkeley<\/p>\n

Vote no on bailout for community college<\/p>\n

Contra Costa County Measure G<\/a>\u00a0on the June 2 ballot is too big a burden for the property owners of the county. It should be opposed by the voters.<\/p>\n

In an era of declining enrollment, the community college district is using its existing funds to pay exorbitant salaries to management, staff and educators, ignoring the fact that part of its current budget needs to pay for maintenance of the district\u2019s physical infrastructure. Instead, district management defers maintenance on buildings and then seeks voter approval to borrow more bond money for repair and replacement, in this case, $1.88 Billion. This is morally wrong and contributes to the high cost of living in Contra Costa County.<\/p>\n

Vote no on Measure G.<\/p>\n

Bryan Scott<\/strong>
Brentwood<\/p>\n

Voters should say no to Measure B<\/p>\n

The ballot is packed, but if you don\u2019t read the details, you won\u2019t realize how deceptive Measure B<\/a>\u00a0is.<\/p>\n

The money goes into the general fund, and, like Measure X, can be spent on things you would never have voted for. The justification \u2014 Medicaid and social service spending \u2014 is bogus. The numbers given go into the future when administrations and needs change.<\/p>\n

None of us can afford higher sales taxes. And, if you can, think of your neighbors who are struggling. This regressive tax is just the first of many our politicians plan to inflict on us. Stop Measure B.<\/p>\n

Denise Kalm<\/strong>
Walnut Creek<\/p>\n

Keep FCI Dublin out of ICE\u2019s hands<\/p>\n

The Bureau of Prisons published an Environmental Assessment on FCI Dublin on May 1, 2026, opening a 30-day public comment period.<\/p>\n

The report details myriad structural problems and recommends permanent deactivation of the facility. Unsaid in the 2,700-page report, but hinted in a notification letter to the city of Dublin on Dec. 4, 2025, is the possible transfer of the property to another agency through GSA.<\/p>\n

The proposed action in the report does not go far enough to ensure the safety of Bay Area residents. If the facility is unsafe to be a prison, it is also unsafe to be an immigration detention center. Furthermore, the safest option would be to demolish the crumbling buildings and remediate the site.<\/p>\n

Read the report<\/a>\u00a0and send in your comments by June 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

Dan Morley<\/strong>
Pleasanton<\/p>\n

Educate yourself on candidates before voting<\/p>\n

The question in 2026 is not whether a woman has the temperament to hold high office.\u00a0 The question is, do the men she defeated, the men who work for her, negotiate with her, argue policy with her, have the temperament to get over themselves and not sabotage her efforts to fulfill the will of the people?\u00a0 As past and recent history demonstrates, temperament is not gender assigned.<\/p>\n

As we approach the primaries, we know this is the most important election in our history.\u00a0 As you consider how to gift your precious vote and listen to debates and ads, ask who is making personal attacks, embellishing their r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and making false claims.<\/p>\n

More importantly, who is talking about solving real problems that affect you and me?\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know, Google each candidate.\u00a0 The information gained is invaluable in making your decision.<\/p>\n

Nancy Thornton<\/strong>
Concord<\/p>\n

Trump critics need to have faith, not fear<\/p>\n

Why are so many individuals afraid to publicly speak out against Trump? Of what are they scared? Is he God who created the universe? No. Does he believe he is God? Yes, and that\u2019s blasphemy. Does he have more power than God? No.<\/p>\n

His cabinet, the Republican Congress, his sycophants in D.C. and elsewhere, tech giants, educational institutions, attorneys, some courts and individuals who call themselves Catholics or Christians bow down and kiss his rear. They\u2019re all afraid of his wrath, which will cause them to lose their power and money, so to hell with everyone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe the people\u201d who are fighting to save our Democracy aren\u2019t afraid to speak up. Pope Leo isn\u2019t. We who advocate for immigrants and who participate in peaceful protests aren\u2019t. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops isn\u2019t, and our Democratic members of Congress and state officials aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

So, \u201cbe not afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramona Krausnick<\/strong>
Dublin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Don\u2019t be misled…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":792691,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[15172,15173,18412,9437,276,99768,49397,15174,323565,69,4735,15175,99769,210,1141,1142,5410,409,1370,7492,7281,1269,323566,5332,618,99770,67,132,68,26320,116044],"class_list":{"0":"post-792690","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-alameda-county","9":"tag-bay-area","10":"tag-berkeley","11":"tag-brentwood","12":"tag-california","13":"tag-central-contra-costa","14":"tag-concord","15":"tag-contra-costa-county","16":"tag-contra-costa-county-elections","17":"tag-donald-trump","18":"tag-dublin","19":"tag-east-bay","20":"tag-east-contra-costa","21":"tag-health","22":"tag-health-care","23":"tag-healthcare","24":"tag-ice","25":"tag-immigration","26":"tag-latest-headlines","27":"tag-letters","28":"tag-letters-to-the-editor","29":"tag-opinion","30":"tag-pleasanton","31":"tag-prison","32":"tag-taxes","33":"tag-tri-valley","34":"tag-united-states","35":"tag-unitedstates","36":"tag-us","37":"tag-voters","38":"tag-walnut-creek"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116565513696089719","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}