Tracker Pixel for Entry

‘A rising tide lifts all boats’

Letters to the Editor | July 11th, 2018

Dear editor,

President Kennedy was fond of using the phrase, “A rising tide lifts all boats”. It is a phrase worth remembering as we look toward the November election and a new Congress.

There have been repeated attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. While complete repeal has been unsuccessful, one effort, to do away with the ‘individual mandate,’ succeeded. As a result, insurance premiums are on the rise and insurance companies are now complaining they can no longer afford to cover people with pre-existing conditions. There is now a serious effort underway to repeal that provision of the law.

History teaches us that we have been here before. Two of our nation’s most popular government programs, Social Security and Medicare were ‘individual mandates.’ They too were hotly contested but were passed by Congress and in the final analysis; they have delivered on their promise. Hundreds of millions of our fellow citizens have benefited from the social and medical insurance provided by Social Security and Medicare, and politicians remain cautious when it comes to their dismantlement.

The forces that have gathered to dismantle the Affordable Care Act are much like the same forces that fought against the establishment of Social Security and Medicare decades ago. In fact, those same forces have Social Security and Medicare in their current sights as well and the next Congress is sure to try and dismantle them using the rational that they are in fact, trying to save them.

We are the wealthiest nation in the world and have provided some level of income and health security for our fellow citizens when they reach 65 years of age. Certainly we can provide some level of affordable health insurance for millions of our fellow citizens, regardless of their pre-existing medical condition, before they become eligible for Medicare.

A rising tide does lift all boats. Elections have consequences. It is incumbent on all of us to know our history and make well-informed decisions when it comes to time to casting our vote.

Rick Weiland

[Editor’s note: Rick Weiland is a South Dakota businessman, founder of the national non-profit advocacy organization, TakeItBack.Org, and a former director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region VIII, who worked on the Grand Forks flood and Devils Lake flooding.] 

Recently in:

By Maddie Robinson  maddierobi.mr@gmail.comIn order to get affordable child care for her son, Paulina Erbele has to drive from her work in Gackle,…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comphoto by Logan MacraeAnyone who lives in the Fargo-Moorhead area knows that its yearly weather is a sequence of…

Saturday, December 2, 20231st seating: 3:30pm, 2nd seating: 6pmSons of Norway, 722 2nd Ave N, FargoCelebrate the holidays with a four-course plated sit-down dinner and hosted by the one and only Frode Tilden. “If you love…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comRemember the legacy of the NPL.Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting and dinner hosted by the Dakota Resource Council in Bismarck. I came in feeling a little defeated,…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comHow Many of Napoleon’s Hats Will Save Planet Earth for Homo Sapiens?Before I get into this week’s subject of why we need to double the number of college majors in English and Humanities if we…

We are looking for 55-gallon plastic food grade barrels, do you have ideas or connections?We use these barrels to teach our resilient yard workshop series including Make Your Own Rain Barrel and Make Your Own Compost Tumbler. If…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comThe temperatures have dropped and so have the leaves in the Upper Midwest. That means it's now the holiday season. Part of the joy of this special season for me is eating. But first things first.…

Dropkick Murphys Put Music to the Words of Woody GuthrieBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Dave StaubleWith the release of 2022’s “This Machine Still Kills Fascists” and 2023’s “Okemah Rising.” The Dropkick…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com“Saltburn,” the highly anticipated follow-up to “Promising Young Woman” – which earned Oscar gold for Best Original Screenplay – doesn’t quite equal the bite and sting of…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comA trio of Burleigh County artists are making their mark in Wing, North Dakota, to promote local foods and are quite literally painting the town, or at least the newly acquired Wing City Government…

By Eric Dallmanericd@hpr1.comWe recently watched “The PROM” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and it was an experience that left a lasting impact on us. The story, a heartwarming yet familiar one, follows a group of Broadway stars…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On the first day of the month I ask people to thank a journalist they know or someone who contributes to papers in some meaningful way. When I grew up, my best friend's father was a journalist…