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PAGE 6A
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
Letter to the Editor
Focusing on agriculture
Trump should not trust Putin
Dear Editor:
The fact that Sweden is bringing back
conscription starting January 2018 (the
process starts this year in July) should be
alarming.
Sweden has been nervously watching
Russian military’s show of power in the
Baltic Sea. After Russia annexed Crimea
from Ukraine, there has been tension
in the region. Swedes have been wit
nessing weekly sightings of “unknown”
submarines in the Baltic Sea and Russian
military airplanes hovering over Swedish
ships.
We cannot ignore these overseas events.
The most alarming part is that Putin is
trying to bring back Russia’s old empire
by encouraging nationalistic ideology. The
former pro-USSR Crimeans sided with
Russia instead of Ukraine’s pro-European
democratic ideology. We find the parallel
in Putin and Hitler for their use of nation
alism to justify aggression. Hitler used
anti-semitism to dredge up nationalistic
sentiments in Germany.
In Putin’s case, he literally silences
opposition in Russia and manipulates
other countries toward nationalism. For
example, he gave a loan to Marine Le Pen,
an ardent French nationalist, to help her
presidential election. Using the anti-Mus
lim fever, closing doors to immigrants
is spreading not only in France, but also
other parts of Europe, These European
countries are becoming isolationists and
want to get out of the European Union
(EU).
As a consequence, the EU may not be
able to sustain its unity to fight against
Russia in case of an attack on one (or
more) of the European countries.
Under Trump’s “America First” slogan,
we will avert our eyes away from Putin’s
aggression. Putin knew that if Clinton
had won, the U.S. and the EU would be
in his way. Putin needs world leaders to
turn their heads while he expands Russia’s
borders.
Even after Hitler started to become
aggressive in Europe, the U.S. maintained
formal neutrality for two years. Only
when Japan attacked the U.S. territory, did
it become seriously involved both in the
Pacific and the European struggles. We all
know what the outcome was, and millions
of lives were lost all over the world.
Some say had Hitler been stopped at the
start of his nationalistic movement that
World War II might not have happened.
We certainly cannot afford to have anoth
er world war. The next one will bring
an unspeakable disaster. The weapons of
mass destruction, of today, can wipe out
Earth several times over.
Questions to President Trump: Why did
many of your aides (Manafort, Flynn, Ses
sions, and others) get closer to the Russian
ambassador during the 2016 election? It
is a fact that Russia helped stop Clinton
becoming the leader of the U.S.? This was
what Putin wanted, but what are we going
to gain? You have lifted certain sanctions
against Russia that were placed by the
Obama administration.
Why are you so helpful to Putin?
Sincerely.
Yoshiko Acey
Winder
Events planned at Auburn Library
The following events are coming up at the
Auburn Library:
•Ready to Read Pre-K Story Time -11:15
a.m. on Monday, March 20, for ages two and
up with a caregiver.
•Stitch, Knit and Crochet Club - 1 p.m.
on Monday, March 20. Bring your own yam
and needles.
•Lapsit Story Time - 11:15 a.m. on
Wednesday, March 22, for ages two and
under.
•Spring Book Sale - 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on
Thursday, March 23, by the Friends of the
Auburn Library.
•Spring Book Sale - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
on Friday, March 24, by the Friends of the
Auburn Library.
The library is located at 24 5th Street.
Library hours are: Monday, 11 a.m. to 8
p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.
to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5
p.m.; and closed on Sundays.
A major focus of the
2017 session
of the Georgia
General Assem
bly has been
agriculture and
rural Georgia,
and I am glad
for that.
I have been
saying for a
long time that
we need to pro
tect the parts
of the state that
feed, clothe and
provide materials for the
homes we live in.
Last Friday, the Geor
gia House of Representa
tives voted unanimously
to form the 15-member
House Rural Develop
ment Council that Speak
er David Ralston pro
posed. Rep. Jay Powell
(R-Camilla) and I will
co-chair it. The commit
tee’s task will be to study
the needs of rural Geor
gia, to report our findings
and to recommend legis
lation and other actions
to improve educational
opportunities, infrastruc
ture. access to health care
and economic develop
ment incentives.
Also last week, the
House passed a Senate
bill related to organ
ic farming. Pending the
governor’s signature,
Senate Bill 69 will elim
inate redundant state reg
istration requirements for
those who produce, pro
cess, distribute or handle
certified organic food or
products. Certified organ
ic producers only will
have to register with the
United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
In an area of vital
importance to Georgians,
the House passed Sen
ate Bill 102 to create the
Office of Cardiac Care
(OCC) within the Depart
ment of Public
Health. Heart
disease is our
state’s leading
cause of death,
and the OCC
will designate
qualified hospi
tals around the
state as “emer
gency cardiac
care centers”
similar to the
current stroke
and trauma care
centers.
The legislation creates
a three-level emergency
cardiac care designation
system based on ser
vices available to assist
emergency medical tech
nicians in determining
where to transport cardiac
patients. The OCC also
will conduct site visits
and collect data in order
to improve survival rates.
Any hospital applying for
designation as an emer
gency cardiac care center
would be eligible to apply
for grant funding.
Speaking of those on
the front lines, we took
time last week to rec
ognize the sacrifices of
those protecting us here
in Georgia and around the
world.
Last Monday was Law
Enforcement Appre
ciation Day at the state
Capitol. Georgia lost
nine officers in the line
of duty just in the past
year and a total of 699 in
the state’s history. State
wide, Georgia has 54,000
certified peace officers,
with 14,000 working for
state agencies and about
40,000 working for local
police or sheriff’s depart
ments.
House Resolution 492,
which designated March
6 as Law Enforcement
Appreciation Day, com
mends these certified
peace officers for protect
ing our communities and
for putting their lives on
the line every day.
Last Thursday, Maj.
Gen. James E. Rainey and
men and women of Fort
Stewart-Hunter Army
Airfield’s Third Infantry
Division joined us in the
House chamber for Third
Infantry Division Day at
the Capitol.
Fort Stewart is home to
more than 20,000 active
duty military soldiers and
on six occasions has been
distinguished as the top
U.S. Army installation
worldwide.
House Resolution 490
commends these soldiers
for their heroic service
and sacrifices for the
people of our state and
nation.
We are now about
two weeks from the end
of the 2017 session. If
you have any questions
or concerns, feel free
to contact me at terry @
terryenglandforgeorgia.
com or at 404-463-2245.
May God bless you and
your family, this wonder
ful county, and our great
state.
Rep. England has
served in the Georgia
House since 2005. Dis
trict 116 includes most
of Barrow County. In
addition to chairing the
House Appropriations
Committee, he is an
ex-officio member of the
Ways & Means Commit
tee and a member of the
Agriculture and Consum
er Affairs Committee, the
Education Committee,
the Industry and Labor
Committee, and the Nat
ural Resources and Envi
ronment Committee.
Buffington continued from 4A
been just the first step
toward that eventual goal.
Given all those different
views, getting enough
people in the House and
Senate to agree will be
difficult, if not impossible.
Some on the right
believe that’s OK, too.
Their theory is that if
some state insurance
exchanges collapse, it will
reflect on Democrats and
give Republicans an open
ing to say, “We told you
so!”
But there are three prob
lems with that:
First, Republicans have
been loudly complain
ing about Obamacare for
seven years.
They’ve had plenty of
time to put together a bet
ter system.
They haven’t and their
infighting shows that
they are bitterly divided.
If Obamacare exchanges
start to collapse in some
states, it will be Republi
cans, not Democrats, who
get the blame.
Second, President
Trump has thrown his
support behind the bill
being pushed by moderate
Republicans.
As a self-styled master
dealmaker, Trump is put
ting his reputation on the
line in this debate.
If he can’t cobble togeth
er enough votes to pass
something, his reputation
as the ultimate dealmaker
will suffer.
Third, and most import
ant, are Trump’s core sup
porters.
Trump’s appeal was as
a populist, not as a right
wing ideologue.
Many of his hard core
supporters could be neg
atively hit by changes to
Obamacare.
Any deal that gets done
in Congress will be known
as “Trumpcare” and the
president himself would
be saddled with its out
come, good or bad.
For many Trumpites,
that outcome will likely
be bad under the current
proposal that the president
has endorsed.
The political reality is
that even with all its flaws,
Obamacare has redefined
the debate over health
care in America just as
Social Security redefined
the debate over retirement
savings.
Most Americans who
aren’t on the extreme
political fringes now
accept some level of gov
ernment subsidy in the
health insurance market
place.
They realize that using
healthcare isn’t like shop
ping for a new car and that
if left totally unregulated
and unsubsidized, the cost
of health insurance will be
unaffordable for all but the
wealthiest Americans.
It’s going to be a hard
sell to convince many
Americans that an unreg
ulated market without
government subsidies as
proposed by the Freedom
Caucus is going to work.
And it’s going to be dif
ficult to sell people on the
moderate Republican leg
islation that would lead to
higher insurance rates on
older citizens and cut sub
sidies for poorer citizens.
Republicans have
nobody to blame but
themselves for the cor
ner they’ve painted them
selves into.
They spent seven years
shouting “Repeal!” when
they had no better alterna
tive to offer.
Obamacare has shifted
the ideological view of
having access to afford
able health insurance and
healthcare in this country.
A majority of Americans
now view it as a right and
not just a privilege.
Republicans are going
to have to face that reality,
or face an election back
lash in 2018.
Mike Buffington is
co-publisher of Mainstreet
Newspapers. He can be
reached at mike@main-
streetnews.com.
Gett i ng
care is, too.
Now that Piedmont Healthcare has teamed up wi
Regional, we've got the care you need, when you need
it. Our urgent care facilities are conveniently located in
Athens, Watkinsville, Jefferson and Winder. We're also
opening an urgent care location at the new Oconee Health
Campus on April 24th.
piedmont.org/urgentcare
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