Congress to overstep bounds?

7/31/2012

Your July 21 editorial "Guns blazing" ends with: "Presidents may fear the gun lobby, and members of Congress may cower in its shadow, but it is time for patriotic Americans to pry its trigger finger off our right to live without fear."

I am a patriotic American and my biggest fear is what would happen to the country if the Second Amendment is overturned.

People forget what happens when the citizens can no longer own guns. Look at Germany in the 1930s, when Adolf Hitler made it illegal for Jews to have guns.

Look at Switzerland, one of the most law-abiding countries in the world. The Swiss government provides guns for men between the ages of 20 and 30 who are conscripted into the militia.

Your editorial says Congress should step in because "no individual civilian needs that kind of firepower." But once Congress moves against assault weapons, what's to stop it from coming after all guns?

John Foster
Perrysburg

'Adult children' writer off base

Did the writer of the June 26 Readers' Forum letter "Adult children? That's ridiculous" have a child graduate from college recently?

My daughter helped pay for her college education by working and going to school at the same time. When she graduated, she could not find a full-time job with benefits. She worked three part-time jobs and paid more for catastrophic health insurance because she had a pre-existing health condition.

When she needed surgery, she paid for it herself because insurance wouldn't cover it. We would have been thankful if the health-care law had been in place before she turned 26 and she could have been on our insurance plan.

Ann Miller
Temperance

Young adults aren't freeloading

If college graduates are fortunate enough to find a job, the chances that it offers health insurance, much less pays a living wage, are a lot slimmer than when their parents started out.

It's obvious that the letter writer hasn't priced an individual health-insurance policy lately. It's no wonder that young adults often are forced to go without health insurance and put off preventive checkups, which would prevent higher health costs down the road.

These young adults aren't freeloading off their parents' insurance. Parents pay the premiums out of their paychecks. There's nothing free about it.

Carol Goodman
Springfield Township

Thanks, jurors, you make system work

This past week, the Lucas County Common Pleas Court conducted five jury trials. One of our fundamental rights is a trial by jury.

I thank all the jurors who served our justice system. Whether they determine guilt, fault, or damages, their service should be appreciated by all. Our system works because of them.

Jim Perlman
Sylvania