The Public Pulse, February 14

For those who follow their faith

In response to Patty Hawk (Feb. 10 Pulse), who believes that few Catholics have an issue with the government mandate requiring insurance coverage for contraception, I beg to differ.

The Catholic women I know are supportive and appreciative of the teaching of the church in this area of sexuality, and in the areas of peace and social justice as well.

We also try, as best we can, to live our lives according to those teachings. Because some Catholics do not follow these teachings is not a good reason to deny a conscience clause to Catholic institutions that want to practice the tenets of their faith.

Shelly Chloupek, Harvard, Neb.

Rule moves to insurance firms

Praise be to God that President Barack Obama revamped the health care rule requiring religious employers to provide women access to contraception.

Religious employers now will not have to cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs. Insurance companies will now have to cover those services directly.

Now, the mirrors are arranged just right.

Patrick S. Fahey, Omaha

Survivor can't support Komen

As a breast cancer survivor, I am not able to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure because of its association with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the nation's largest provider and promoter of abortion.

Komen's decision to fund PPFA's affiliates interjected politics into its grants process and needlessly ostracized many pro-life Americans from the country's most recognized breast cancer charity.

The $680,000 that 19 PPFA affiliates received from Komen last year is a drop in the bucket for PPFA's billion-dollar budget. This was never about money for PPFA but more about losing the stamp of approval from Komen.

Komen's continued caving to political pressure sadly prevents me from joining the sisterhood of survivors who are buying pink items and supporting Race for the Cure.

Julie Schmit-Albin, Lincoln

Executive director

Nebraska Right to Life

Really about better health care

Kevin Jones' Feb. 7 letter about abortion and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure dispute is a glaring example of the greater good being sacrificed on the altar of single-issue-driven politics. It isn't about abortion or cancer. It's about health education.

Decisions about contraception and family-planning are often the first individual health care decisions a young person makes without the guidance of a parent or guardian. Moreover, for many it is the only health care decision they approach proactively.

If a young girl can walk into Planned Parenthood looking for birth control and walk out having been screened for breast cancer or informed about the cervical cancer vaccine, the seeds of preventive care have been planted — which ultimately benefits us all.

Caroline Cole Swartz, Omaha

Always someone else to blame

So the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is suing the alcohol industry as being the cause of the alcoholism on its reservation.

Now, there's an idea for Nebraska. We don't need to threaten to build our own casinos. We can just sue the casino industry and all concerned as being the cause of gambling addiction among Nebraskans.

Of course, that would include Native American casinos.

John T. Hansen, Lincoln

Try giving a little to gain a lot

A Feb. 9 news story could have mentioned another group — military retirees — that avoids living in Nebraska. Nebraska is one of only a handful of states that tax military retirement or do not give a break on the amount taxed.

Military retirees get a final government-paid move to wherever they would like to retire. Looking at the tax situation in Nebraska, they usually choose to move to one of the 40 or so states that give them a break on taxing their retirement pay.

Those states realize that military retirees are not freeloaders. When they move into a state, they get jobs, pay income taxes, buy a home, pay property taxes, register cars, pay vehicle taxes, buy stuff in local stores and pay sales taxes.

When are Nebraska legislators going to wise up?

Ralph G. Healey Jr., La Vista

Nebraska, Iowa vote differently

More than the Missouri River separates Nebraska from Iowa. There is the way the two states have voted in presidential elections since 1984.

Only once, in 2004, have both states voted for the same presidential candidate — George W. Bush. But even that was deceiving. Bush beat John Kerry by nearly a 2-to-1 margin in Nebraska that year, while he barely beat Kerry in Iowa, winning 50 percent to 49 percent.

Otherwise, the two states have gone opposite ways. Iowa was one of 10 states in 1988 that supported Democrat Michael Dukakis, while Nebraska solidly supported Republican George H.W. Bush.

Bill Clinton carried Iowa solidly in both 1992 and 1996, while Nebraska was one of Clinton's worst states both times. Al Gore carried Iowa by a thin one-point margin, 50-49 percent in 2000, but got buried nearly 2-to-1 by George W. Bush in Nebraska.

Barack Obama won Iowa by nearly 10 percentage points in 2008, while losing Nebraska statewide 57-42 percent that year, even though the president did win an electoral vote in the Omaha-dominated 2nd Congressional District.

Looking at the polls now, that split between the two states seems likely again, with President Obama likely to win Iowa, though very narrowly, and the Republican nominee likely winning solidly in Nebraska.

Herb Vermaas, Omaha

Judge swished ruling on hoop

Kudos to Douglas County District Judge Marlon Polk for allowing Jill Lewis to keep her basketball hoop up (Feb. 10 news story). Surely, Ray Zimmerman, chairman of the Merrifield Village Homeowners Association, had access to a hoop when growing up.

Ms. Lewis has one of the nicest basketball hoops I've ever seen. She installed it the right way.

John Jacobsen, Omaha

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