Letters for April 30, 2022

We need a federal price cap on insulin

One in four insulin-dependent people reported rationing due to price. Rationing, your blood turns acidic as you use what little insulin you can to stave off ketoacidosis and death. It is a living nightmare.

Those like me with Washington #insulin4all are working to pass meaningful legislation to make insulin more accessible. In the past few years, we’ve set co-payment caps on insulin, established a cost of insulin work group, and allowed the state to manufacture insulin.

We need a federal price cap on insulin. The Senate introduced the Affordable Insulin Now Act, proposing a $35 co-payment cap on insulin. However, this wouldn’t have helped me when I was rationing and it won’t help the most vulnerable of us.

Our lives depend on access to insulin. Capping the price of insulin for anyone who needs it will save lives. We need policy solutions that will put the lives of patients over profits.

That’s why I’m calling on Sens. Murray and Cantwell to amend this bill to include the uninsured through a federal price cap, not a co-payment cap. They need to move quickly to pass true insulin price cap legislation. We need action now to ensure insulin is accessible for all.

Kevin Wren

Seattle

Taking Idaho farmers’ precious water

We have been overwhelmed by the number of Brian Smith political attack ads on TV. In his political attack ad against Mike Simpson, he states that Simpson is taking away precious water from Idaho’s farmers.

I was curious about this inflammatory statement. In checking the facts, it appears there is a movement to remove four dams on the lower Snake River. Simpson is not the author of this plan. It appears that many groups are pushing for the removal of those particular four dams.

My question to Smith is: The four dams in question are located in Oregon and Washington. So how is Simpson taking away Idaho farmers’ precious water? Do Idaho farmers pump water all the way uphill and upstream, from Oregon and Washington to water crops in Idaho? This is just another example of a slick lawyer trying to use a false hot button issue to get votes. I’m not voting for Smith.

Blair Moncur

Idaho Falls

Why teens should not vape, written by another teen

Vaping in public school bathrooms has become a problem of epidemic proportions. The reason for this is you can’t smell it, it does not linger on clothing, and you don’t need a lighter so it will never set off the smoke alarm. Many high schoolers get away with vaping due to the fact that it is nearly undetectable. Vaping uses nicotine, which can harm the parts of your brain that control impulsive control, learning, mood and attention.

Vaping is also a gateway for teenagers to begin smoking cigarettes because the transition from the nicotine substance to cigarettes is easy.

Lastly, nicotine changes the way synapses in the brain form, and since synapses form our thoughts, nicotine is a naturally negative influence that is not allowing teenagers brains to fully develop. From all the factual evidence found on the internet, teens might think that nicotine is the cool/hip trend to do, but once they’re too far into the substance it is really hard to quit. That is called addiction.

Schools are also having to deal with kids vaping in the bathrooms, forcing them to lock the majority of their restrooms just to stop the vaping.

This affects everyone, because of the inconvenience of school bathrooms being closed. If we reduce the number of teenagers from vaping, we can make school bathrooms accessible and safe, and save people from drastically crippling their lives from this crippling habit. But it isn’t just a habit, it is an epidemic.

Teghan Bright

Spokane

Should college athletes be paid?

On average, to graduate from a college with a degree it costs $83,080 for in-state public schools and $332,320 for nonprofit private schools. This is a substantial amount of money, especially for someone in their college years.

While the NCAA doesn’t permit schools to pay athletes, they do allow them to make money through endorsements, selling merchandise, and their social media accounts. This should not be allowed.

These student-athletes who have big enough names to earn themselves money through endorsements are usually being paid thousands of dollars through various scholarships already. Their food, housing and tuition are all paid for so why should they be allowed to make more money? The amateur college league is exactly that. We get to see the rise and come-up of athletes who could potentially go a long way in the pros, and make thousands if not, millions of dollars. However, this amateur league is no longer amateur when athletes are being paid similar money to that of the pros. This type of money, endorsements and branding also puts lots of pressure on athletes that is not necessary.

I believe that student-athletes must graduate college before they should be allowed to make money off of their name and brand, or until they are in the pros, already making hundreds of thousands of dollars.

JJ Lenman

Spokane