{"id":970,"date":"2015-07-02T16:57:06","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T16:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/almayan.com\/?p=970"},"modified":"2022-06-13T08:27:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T08:27:10","slug":"tax-litigation-at-your-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/almayan.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/02\/tax-litigation-at-your-door\/","title":{"rendered":"Readers sound off on prescription costs, congestion pricing and higher education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Westbury, L.I.: As a patient who has lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 50 years, I disagree with Howard Dean\u2019s assertion (\u201cWhy stop with insulin?\u201d, op-ed, June 2) that lawmakers should focus only on lowering out-of-pocket costs without addressing list prices.<\/p>\n

Lowering costs for patients is personal for me. I take Humalog insulin to manage my disease, and just one bottle costs in excess of $300. I know too many people living with diabetes and other conditions who have been forced to ration their prescriptions. It\u2019s unfair that patients like me have to shell out thousands of dollars just to stay alive. We deserve better. But lowering out-of-pocket costs alone is not the solution. List prices have a profound effect on what patients and taxpayers pay for prescription drugs. Because I am retired and a Medicare beneficiary, the amount I pay for my insulin is based on the price set by Big Pharma. Capping out-of-pocket costs without lowering prices will simply shift costs, and everyone will end up paying more through higher premiums and higher taxes.<\/p>\n

We need a better Rx. (DANIEL SORABJI\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the Senate must pass the drug pricing reforms already passed by the House of Representatives last fall. These reforms would stop price-gouging, allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for some of the most expensive drugs, including insulin, and institute a cap on out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries and people using insulin. Sen. Chuck Schumer has the opportunity to lead his colleagues to deliver on their promises to lower drug prices for Americans. The votes are there. New Yorkers are calling for it. We need the Senate to act now. Bob Parant<\/p>\n

Risk in verse<\/p>\n

Providence, R.I.: In reference to \u201cSee kids smile\u201d (editorial, June 10): As a bioethicist, an old person and, most of all, as a human being, I object to the editorial\u2019s endorsement of what it calls the \u201csane strategic decision to tolerate a certain amount of COVID spread in order to disrupt schooling less.\u201d Here\u2019s what the editorial is really saying: See kids smile \/ See COVID spread \/ Risk the old and frail \/ Shrug when they are dead. Felicia Nimue Ackerman<\/p>\n

Covered in blood<\/p>\n

Brooklyn: The testimony of fourth-grade student Miah Cerrillo about the Uvalde shooting should be played on a loop all over America \u2014 as a commercial in every state, on a big screen at sports events, in Times Square, but most of all, at the Capitol. In honor of this young child who has been affected for the rest of her life, do something. Miah needs to know that her voice and her trauma will make needed changes in this very scary world. Mariann Tepedino<\/p>\n

Sue<\/p>\n

Boynton Beach, Fla.: It\u2019s time for the families of AR-15 mass murder victims to seek compensatory damages through civil lawsuits against the elected officials who condone and promote the sale of these military-grade killing machines. Representatives who not only refuse to enact protective legislation but openly endorse the use of AR-15s are aiding and abetting the psychopaths who commit these atrocious crimes. It\u2019s time for aggrieved families to act and seek redress through civil litigation against the NRA, weapons manufacturers, and their bought-and-owned political office-holders. Enough is enough. William T. Bredin<\/p>\n

Driver tax<\/p>\n

Glendale: Re \u201cSorry, but congestion pricing for NYC can\u2019t wait\u201d (oped, June 9): I see that Brad Lander and Jumaane Williams are pushing for congestion pricing. I guess the Democratic plan to get middle-class drivers out of their cars with higher gas prices isn\u2019t enough. I hope that middle-class workers wake up before it\u2019s not too late and defeat these tax-and-spend liberals whose major goal in life is to take your hard-earned money. As a middle-class worker in New York, I have had several co-workers over the years who drive through Manhattan from New Jersey. With congestion pricing, these workers would feel the pain inflicted by our New York politicians. Thomas Murawski<\/p>\n

Party foul<\/p>\n

Brooklyn: With crime rising, Broadway plays shutting down and the subways unsafe at any hour, what does our mayor do? Attends a party into the wee hours with J-Lo. This mayor is too stupid to realize that J-Lo would never step foot in the Bronx again. She has never sent a dime to her Catholic Bronx alma mater, Preston High School, which has helped so many young women attain a great education. But go ahead, Adams, and keep boogie-woogieing as the city burns. Mary Zanfini<\/p>\n

Round 1<\/p>\n

The Daily News Flash<\/p>\n

The Daily News Flash<\/p>\n

Weekdays<\/p>\n

Catch up on the day\u2019s top five stories every weekday afternoon.<\/p>\n

ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS<\/p>\n

Fresh Meadows: The first televised hearing on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack was most interesting. All of the people who spoke were honest and sincere about what they had experienced on that terrible day when thousands of Americans decided to storm the Capitol after President Trump told them to fight like hell. Even more information and videos will be revealed in the upcoming televised sessions. The American people have every right to fully know about all of the facts that led up to that terrible day. Despite his own attorney general, William Barr, and countless others on his staff, his own family members and the rulings of the courts, Trump defiantly refused to accept the fact that there was not one shred of evidence to prove his alleged allegations of voter fraud. Our country is still shaken from that day and our government remains polarized along political lines, which is not a positive or encouraging sign. John Amato<\/p>\n

Euphemistic<\/p>\n

Chicago: If Jan. 6 was a \u201clove fest,\u201d as described by disgraced ex-president Donald Trump, then it\u2019s quite possible that he also believes Pearl Harbor was a Sunday picnic and 9\/11 was an air show with unskilled pilots. Bob Ory<\/p>\n

Look away<\/p>\n

Bronx: It was interesting to me that Fox News chose not to air the Jan. 6 hearing. To paraphrase my favorite line from \u201cA Few Good Men\u201c: They can\u2019t handle the truth! Mary Ann Guarneri<\/p>\n

Fan of fascism<\/p>\n

Bronx: What a disgrace Republicans have become. This man endorses Hitler (\u201dHe\u2019s vying for Congress, and touting Hitler,\u201d June 10). That is clearly the point. They want America to become a right-wing dictatorship. Never have I seen such horror in America! The GOP has devolved into something unrecognizable. When I came to America, there were liberal Republicans like Edward Brooke and others. The ones who identified as conservatives were patriots even if you disagreed with their policies. You would never see them storm the Capitol in an attempt to derail the peaceful transfer of power. The Republican Party has lost its way. Will they ever return to the way they were? Pauline Graham Binder<\/p>\n

Indecent proposal<\/p>\n

Fresh Meadows: With all the controversy regarding USGA golf professionals signing up to play the newly formed, Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational Series, it brings to light the utter hypocrisy of the 40 or so players who have committed to play. The game of golf and its professional players on the USGA Tour have always promoted themselves as purveyors of integrity, honesty and decency. They are the opposite, showing the world that they are willing to sell their souls for a buck. The overt brutality of Saudi Arabia regarding human rights does not seem to bother them at all. Generally, when someone is being interviewed for a job, or when meeting someone for the first time, the very first trait you consider is whether or not they are a decent person. The people funding this new golf tour don\u2019t pass that simple test! Shame on those players. They should be shunned. Robert Jong<\/p>\n

Small in scale<\/p>\n

Tarrytown, N.Y.: Voicer Jack D\u2019Elia seems proud of his response to my \u201cabsurd rant\u201d about the plight of African-Americans as compared to the 11 Italian-Americans who were lynched in New Orleans, as well as two others put to death in jail. Well done, Jack, you\u2019ve made my point! Jaime Geiger<\/p>\n

Embracing ignorance<\/p>\n

Cincinnati: I just heard that more and more high school students are not going to college. The Trump cult\u2019s high school kids are taught that they don\u2019t need higher education. The rednecks shun education \u2014 colleges are full of liberal thinkers. I always say that the new redneck generation is the first group of people since Adam and Eve that is intentionally regressing intellectually. Mark Jessee<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>