Gifts to Congress

The problem is that oligarchs inflict undue control over the work of Congress with gifts and contributions to members for their re-election campaigns. The solution: A bill to declare that in any one year members of Congress shall:

Be satisfied with their allowed salaries, benefits and expenses

Not accept gifts worth more than 1% of their salary

Not accept campaign contributions from any single payee over 50% of their salary and

Not accept any other remuneration over 1% of their salary

May accept re-election funds from the US Treasury.

Enact it!

In the meantime, candidates may so declare.

Thomas R. Richards

N Attleboro

Vaccine Alliance

In its latest assault on foreign aid, the Trump Administration has decided to halt all investments in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This is a terrible decision.

Since 2000, Gavi has helped immunize more than 1 billion children and prevent over 17 million deaths. They have a plan to immunize the next billion children in half the time and at an even lower cost per child. As with other vital foreign aid, this is the kind of success story we should be building on, not taking away from. If U.S. funding stops, 75 million kids will lose access to vaccines in the next five years. 1.2 million of them will die as a result.

It’s hard to think of a better, higher impact example of U.S. international assistance than access to lifesaving vaccines for kids. I demand our members of Congress to push the administration to reverse the decision to cut funds for Gavi and also reinstate critical humanitarian and development aid that focuses on tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, nutrition, education, and more.

William Deignan

Medford

Mendacity

One of the huge reasons there was a voting shift in America was Democrats not being truthful. For sure, President Joseph Robinette Biden in his last year of presidency was not capable of running the country. My problem is his administration tried to hide this by basically eliminating Biden in press conferences and telling us that everything is OK with Biden’s health and ability to run the country. There’s a saying, once you find out that someone has lied how can you believe anything that person says. Shame on those people and we all know who they are.

Tony Meschini

Scituate