Referring to an opinion article by Jennifer Vogt-Erickson; Ms.Vogt-Erickson, you blamed President Trump for the closing of the Mayo hospital in Albert Lea; well, it is not President Trump’s fault — it is the fault of the system that was put in place by the previous administration. Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, was put in place without any real forethought of cost or how it was going to be paid for. The Mayo hospital is closing because it is not making money. No one can operate with a loss of revenue except the government of the United States —  hence the $20 trillion of debt we have now. When the ACA was passed, it was passed with special discounts and fees for the lower-income people, but as it never got the healthy to join in, it never received the revenue it needed to maintain itself. As the first year passed, many people found that they could not afford it, so they opted to pay the fine. Others made just a little too much money to get the discounts and could not afford the ACA and they paid dearly through their tax refunds.

My son-in-law was a doctor, OB/GYN surgeon. After the ACA came into policy, he only received $126 for a tubal ligation, and yet could be sued for millions if anything went wrong. Most welfare pregnant ladies don’t have much prenatal care, especially if they are illegally in this country. My grandson was fined his tax refund because he made $40 too much to qualify for the discounts and could not afford the Affordable Care Act premiums. This system was set up to receive everyone, but the healthy opted out and just paid the fines.

We should make all senators and representatives be on the same health care that they makes us regular people have and not have their own special healthcare program. All of the government should be on this same health care every department and every employee — no special union health care or special programs for anyone.

President Trump deserves all of our support as he is the elected president of the United States. President Obama stood in front of the cameras and said, “I have a pen and a phone and elections have consequences and I don’t need anyone else” and no one yelled foul; no, they praised him and Harry Reid recessed the Senate so nothing could be done and that gave the president all the authority he needed to pass all the resolutions he wanted and hire all the czars he wanted. Is that the kind of government we all want? No, that is against everything we ever fought for or died for.

We are all Americans first and foremost. Thank you.

Ralph Moran

Glendale, Arizona