UTA basketball; fix Obamacare; charity, decency

UTA basketball

While no one is going to confuse UT Arlington basketball with Kentucky, UCLA or Duke, the experience at College Park Center March 22 was incomparable.

As a sports management professor and sports consultant, I have been to many venues over the past 20 years. I probably had the best fan experience ever when the Mavericks took on Cal State-Bakersfield in the quarterfinals of the NIT.

The arena was packed and loud, the fans were really engaged in the game and the customer service was exceptional.

UTA students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni should be proud.

UTA President Vistasp Karbhari, Athletic Director Jim Baker and Head Coach Scott Cross have put together an exceptional product that allows alumni to re-engage with a great university.

Fix Obamacare

For the first time in 10 years, I have the freedom to see a doctor when I need to, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

It’s true the legislation has problems and costs are rising, but I expect my representatives in Congress to work cooperatively to improve it.

There is no more blatantly life-and-death issue than this.

Waiting to watch it “explode,” as President Trump said, is not an option. Using human lives to get an ideological win is a losing strategy for the American people.

I have seen firsthand the impact of the Affordable Care Act.

At the beginning of my medical training, I saw significantly more patients in the ER. I was always busy evaluating people who were hearing voices or feeling suicidal.

Once the ACA took effect, I saw the number of patients presenting to the ER with mental health issues decrease dramatically.

People were able to get insurance and find outpatient providers. They no longer needed hospitalization.

Are there problems with the ACA? Of course. Let’s address those problems and improve it.

I can also assure you that the proposed American Health Care Act was not an improvement. It would have resulted in people with mental illness losing their insurance.

Charity, decency

Is America to be purged of Christian charity and common decency?

What kind of trade-off is it when Meals on Wheels and healthcare will be cut to give tax breaks to the wealthy and increase defense spending?

Mean-spirited policies that create more inequality are bad for everyone, including the wealthy.

Such policies create declining confidence in our government, deteriorating communities and a climate of fear, anger, and resentment.

A tax system where those who have benefited the most pay more generates a fairer, equitable system.

This system provides adequate funding for city governments, public schools, state parks, public broadcasting and other quality-of-life services.

Perhaps legislators are hoping you will not learn that taxes on the super-wealthy have been decreased every decade since the Eisenhower administration.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 5:51 PM with the headline "UTA basketball; fix Obamacare; charity, decency."