Our readers made their voices heard in this week's digital Letters to the Editor, at least with regard to the GOP's Obamacare repeal plan. Luckily for all of us, it failed to even make it to a House vote.

Enjoy all of them below...

THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE PLAN WOULD HURT ALL OF US

Budget experts predict that out-of-pocket expenses will skyrocket because companies will shift prices to their employees. That means thousands of dollars less in the pockets of working people. Their plan weakens Medicare. It takes three years off the life of the Medicare hospital fund in order to give a huge tax break just to people earning more than $200,000 a year. The people cutting America’s health care under the banner of reform have never had to worry about care for themselves or their families. Congress should focus on expanding coverage for more working people, not putting high-quality care out of reach.

Thank you,
Matt Buckmaster
BELLINGHAM, WA

BAD HEALTHCARE, BAD BILL

Dear Editor,

This is the most serious assault on the American population in history. The Republican healthcare bill is ill-conceived and ill disguised as a tax hand out to the wealthiest in the country. •Budget experts predict that out-of-pocket expenses will skyrocket because companies will shift prices to their employees. That means thousands of dollars less in the pockets of working people. •The proposed cuts to Medicaid will wreck our state budget and hurt people in our community who already are struggling to make ends meet. •Their plan weakens Medicare. It takes three years off the life of the Medicare hospital fund in order to give a huge tax break just to people earning more than $200,000 a year. •Their plan does nothing to deal with skyrocketing prices for medical care and prescription drugs.

This must be stopped or we all suffer for years!

Thank you,

Dave Pierot
SNOHOMISH, WA

TRUMP DON'T CARE

The current plan of Republicans in Congress (what I call “Trump Don't Care”) to deprive at least 24 million people in this nation of health care, all just to give even more money to the rich, is unconscionable. Experts on the budget predict out-of-pocket expenses will massively increase because companies will shift prices to employees. The proposed cuts to Medicaid will hurt people who are already financially struggling. Their plan significantly weakens Medicare. It lops three years off the lifespan of the Medicare hospital fund in order to give an enormous tax break exclusively to people earning over $200,000 a year. Their plan will not do anything to address ever-increasing prices for prescription medicines. Meanwhile, the very people pushing this garbage receive excellent health care for themselves and their own families, while throwing almost everyone else (except the wealthiest one percent) under the bus. Congress should work to create a single-payer, Medicare-for-all program like Bernie Sanders wanted, since health care is a basic human right.

Thank you,

Brandon Juhl
BOTHELL, WA

NO REPEAL OF THE ACA

Stop this nonsense!!!!

Thank you,

Bill Driscoll
SEATTLE, WA

In response to Lester Black's news piece, Trump Signals That He Wants to Restart the War on Drugs:

Trump is not going to upend our pot laws because then he would have to go after Oregon, California, Colorado etc etc. Stop freaking everybody out by reporting on something that is never going to happen!—Pete Dempcy

In response to Rich Smith's books piece, Anatomy of a Sarah Galvin Poem:

I really liked the segment, and I will definitely be checking out Sarah Galvin's forthcoming book. More importantly, I'm writing to encourage this "Anatomy of a (author's name) Poem" format. I've never encountered it before (probably because I'm a poetry neophyte) and would like to see it featured regularly.

Of course, there may be obvious hurdles (of which I am blissfully unaware) to making that a reality. If that is the case, I will simply be content if you'd pass along my heartfelt thanks and congratulations on a 'job well done' to Rich, and especially to Sarah.—Joseph Reid