Letters to the editor: Aug. 30, 2019

and ten documented cases of obstruction of justice.

Congress must act

to end surprise bills

Re: Aug. 18 article, "Millions of Texans vulnerable to surprise medical bills despite legislative efforts."

This recent article underscores just how important it is that Congress act to eliminate surprise medical bills at the national level.

As a small-business owner, I am keenly aware of the burdens that the high cost of health care places on my employees. Surprise billing only makes a difficult situation worse. Congress must enact a solution that protects patients while enabling providers and insurers to settle their payment disputes in a fair, transparent way. The best way to ensure that is through independent dispute resolution.

While it is great that Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1264, this covers a fraction of the patients in Texas that are at risk of receiving surprise, unwanted medical bills. We need Congress to act to stop this practice nationwide

Mark Edmondson, Austin

Trump's dishonesty

on display at G7

The problem with a president who lies is that, when he makes statements about serious issues, it's impossible to know if he's telling the truth.

At the G7, the narrative on the ground stands in stark contrast to what the president said. President Donald Trump asserted without proof that China called this weekend to resume trade talks; this statement cannot be confirmed, leaving us to wonder whether Trump lied simply to rally a declining stock market.

In addition, the White House told reporters that Trump didn't attend the G7 climate meeting, asserting he instead was meeting privately with the Indian prime minister and the German chancellor; yet photos from the climate meeting show that both these leaders attended despite Trump's absence.

No one at home or abroad knows when the "leader of the free world" can be counted on to tell the truth. The consequences of this are far more than political!

Richard Cherwitz, Austin

Amendment's militia

clause often forgotten

Too many people ignore the conditional clause in the Second Amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Those who want to own and use military-type weapons should join Texas State Guard or the National Guard, which are well regulated Militias.David Gavenda, Austin

Have businesses pay

for buses with AC

Here's a possible solution to the problem of hot school buses.

Contact all the large businesses in the area and ask them to buy new air-conditioned buses, and let them put their names on the buses, "This Bus Donated by Dell," etc.

Multimillionaires might also be contacted.

Sounds too simple, but can't we try?

Jay Beavers, Georgetown

MoPac toll lane raises

concern about safetyRe: Aug. 3 letter to the editor, "Increasing speed limit is bad for the environment."I just saw the letter by Philip Russell titled "Increasing speed limit is bad for the environment." My title would have been, "Officials vote to make death traps deadlier." The kind of toll lane that has been put on MoPac has caused so many traffic fatalities and accidents in Florida that legislation has been introduced there to ban them. I think Texas should follow. It is only a matter of time before one of the box trucks (which I see in the toll lanes all the time, despite the signs) is going to barrel into the slow, non-toll traffic, killing and injuring multiple people.Jody Everett, Buda

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