We still must vote

The Daily Herald endorsement of Hillary Clinton was exactly what we readers should expect of a newspaper written and edited with integrity and professionalism.

I have no doubt that its editors' natural bent was to endorse a candidate more representative of change in line with the basic values the Herald strives to represent. No such luck - you had to pick between a relatively cautious extension of much of the past eight years and a candidate who is the antithesis of the basic values we try to instill in our children.

Bravo. You did the right thing for the right reasons. However, Americans have yet to vote and the outcome is still uncertain.

I see in today's broadcast news that Trump and other Republicans are jumping on the one bandwagon they may have left: the failing fortunes of Obamacare. They point to rising premiums and shout "I told you so!" They say it must be repealed and replaced with a better, lower-cost model that will still meet the insurance needs of middle Americans, including those with previously uninsurable preconditions.

Despite the headlines trumpeting large premium increases and decreasing numbers of insurers, I urge my fellow voters to stay the course. Do not fall for this last-ditch strategy to sway undecided voters in the last days before November 8.

Why? Because Republicans have no alternative other than a set of well worn platitudes; because Republicans, foremost among them Peter Roskam, brag about defunding critical elements of the Affordable Care Act, like that which provided a safety net for insurers to prevent exactly the problems we are seeing now.

All their criticisms focus on the insurance side. They say nothing about the billions of dollars being saved due to provisions of the ACA that require systemic change and reduce Medicare expenditures. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater!!

I encourage everyone to read the endorsements of responsible journals like the Herald and the Atlantic magazine. Vote accordingly.

Peer T. Lykke

Barrington Hills