Re: “GOP senators fail to reverse birth control rule” (TNT, 3-1).

The defeat of the Blunt Amendment proves that, to most reasonable Americans, birth control is not an issue. If the amendment had passed, employers could choose to opt out of covering not only birth control but any health service in the Affordable Care Act they deemed to be immoral.

Contraception is basic health care, similar to other preventative medicine such as medication for heart disease. This debate boils down to an issue of basic fairness and equity. Contraception is used by 85 percent of women at some point …

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Re: “Obama signs $26 billion jobs bill.” (TNT, 8-11).

Once again our federal government has stepped in to save the day. I especially enjoyed Rep. Jay Inslee’s quote that the bill will “fund 3,000 teachers.”

As much as I enjoy children, I’d wonder about a few things. Just where, exactly, are those 3,000 teachers jobs that needed to be funded? Haven’t most school districts already set up their teachers positions for this school year? Isn’t public education (along with firefighters and law enforcement) a state and local responsibility?

If these jobs are so critically important, why haven’t the state (and …

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