Letters to the editor for Friday, Nov. 15, 2013

Congress didn’t vote on amended Obamacare

My argument to repeal the Affordable Care Act: before any law can be amended, it must be first voted upon by both houses of Congress, and any change of wording or change of legal definition of any word that changes the legal definition of any part of the law is an amendment.

When Justice Roberts overstepped his authority and changed the legal definition of the word “penalty” to mean “a tax,” Congress was obligated by law to go back and vote upon that amendment since Justice Roberts cannot legally legislate from the bench ... but Congress didn’t. And since Congress has not voted on changing the legal definition of the word “penalty” to mean “a tax,” the Affordable Care Act is invalid.

We have clarification after clarification after clarification from the majority of lawmakers and by the president himself prior to the Affordable Care Act being voted into law that the legal definition of the word “penalty” was not a tax, therefore the Affordable Care Act is invalid and unconstitutional until Congress amends it to have the word “penalty” to mean “a tax.”

James R. Parker

Carson City

No federal government would create anarchy

I read John Vettel’s Nov. 2 letter to the editor (“We’re Just Fine Without Federal Government”) in rapt wonderment. It was too long to be humorous and too short to be a serious proposal.

What Mr. Vettel appears to suggest is that we, as a nation, adopt anarchy as our preferred method of governance. I say let’s put that idea to a vote, run it up the proverbial flag pole and see who salutes it! We could then take up a national kitty to pay consulting firms to run (only our favorite) domestic programs and to hire mercenaries to protect our shores and fight current and (likely increasing) future wars. Oh, brave new world ...

Tom Strekal

Carson City