Dear Editor:
Two articles in today's paper (July 14) upset me and, hopefully, others that read it as well.
First, after reading the July 14th article "House rejects attempt to ban transgender surgery for troops," I couldn't believe it. We have people in this country with "real" problems and needing "real" health care, but our politicians wants to pay out, according to that article, over $1.3 billion in the next 10 years, to make gender changes on armed service personnel!
Since our officials think that is okay, they should take the money out of their own pockets instead of ours. Using their theory, every person who has any kind of ailment from a sore thumb to cancer should automatically be enlisted into the services for free care, not for something foolish, like defense!
What has happened to our country? Are our leaders so blind that they can't see the ridiculousness of this insult to the rest of us? Are we supposed to look the other way when normal veterans/citizens wait for expensive treatments, while transgender people receive special free treatment? How about belly tucks, plastic surgery, hair transplants, etc. for the rest of us, at no cost of course?
Usually, I wouldn't join a fray over the government's continued lack of good judgement, but this is another something we should all get upset about, pray about, and then take a stand behind U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler about.
Second, using campaign money to modernize congressmen/women's homes with security systems is outrageous! If that is so necessary for them, then every household in this country should be alarmed. We should be allowed to deduct the total amount of a security system purchase, for our homes, from our income tax bill. While still paying out of our pockets and waiting for the return via deduction, we would get an almost equal benefit, even though it would not be "free money" like our self-righteous "panel of lawmakers" would like for themselves.
It is time that our congress starts doing what we pay them to do, rather than wasting our dollars bashing, witch hunting, lying to each other, and filling their pockets. They might discover if they tried to do what we elected them to do, there would be no worry about their homes and families.
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