Dear Gov. Gregoire,

I'm seeing some notes on the pro-life blogs that you have decided to restore funding to the "Take Charge" program, which allows young people to control their own reproductive choices. Thank you, that was a wonderful decision. The savings for the state over the next few years is substantial, because this program prevents unplanned pregnancies and other medical complications that we the citizens would have to pay for through our public tax dollar without this program.

Now I want to ask a follow-up question. I see on your proposed budget that the state is planning on cutting a significant number of people out of the Basic Health program. If your logic with "Take Charge" was to save the state money by preventing future medical expenditures by spending a little bit now to get a lot of savings, I can't help but wonder why the same logic does not apply to Basic Health. If we don't provide basic health services, then the only choice that those currently enrolled in that program will have is emergency health services which cost so much more.

Please reconsider your position, and find the revenue to fund our Basic Health program for ALL people in Washington who need it. I strongly believe that this will save our state money in the long run.

Chad Lupkes
Seattle, Washington

A positive heath insurance story

Dear Mr. Nordstrom,

I wanted to share a small amount of good news and thank you for building such a great company to work for.

My son is having a difficult time making the transition from his previous life with his mother (my ex-wife) in California to living with me and my current wife here in Seattle. He has been going through counseling, and I have been trying to give him as much support as I can. His counselor recommended having him evaluated at the UW Medical Center’s Child Development Clinic, and we completed the paperwork just before the end of the year. He is being scheduled for an evaluation in February.

One of the people working at the UW called me because one of the tests can run up to 5 hours long and can cost quite a bit. She wanted to make sure I was aware of the potential cost in case the procedure was not fully covered by my insurance. I called Aetna and gave them the contact information for the UW, and I got a call right away from the UW saying that my son was covered for the procedure at 100%, something that she had never seen before.

This is a huge load off my mind, not to mention the cost that such wonderful health insurance saved me from. Just like in 2003 when this insurance plan saved my life during a fight with Hodgkins, I can feel the strong foundation of community under my feet when I walk into work every day.

Thank you.

What struck me the most

My wife and I found a live feed from the Washington Post website as soon as we heard about today's shooting. What struck me the most is what I read in this article, thanks to Scott Forbes.

Also killed was 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green of Tucson.

A neighbor was going to the Giffords event and invited Christina along because she thought she would enjoy it, said her uncle, Greg Segalini.

Christina had just been elected to the student council at her school. The event, held outside a Safeway supermarket north of Tucson, was an opportunity for constituents to meet Giffords and talk about any concerns they had related to the federal government.

The school is Mesa Verde Elementary School, in Tucson, AZ. I think one of the best things that we could do would be to send support to their Parent-Teacher Organization. I have an email in to the PTO President to make sure that we can send things to the school address. I'll post that when I get a reply.

Update: Posted Beth's answer as a comment. Here's the address for the school:

Mesa Verde Elementary School
1661 W. Sage
Tucson, AZ 85704