Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

A Kind of Magic (1986).

To the Editor:

I take exception to “Jon Stewart, Patron Saint of Liberal Smugness” (Sunday Review, Aug. 9), in which Gerard Alexander bemoans what he sees as Mr. Stewart’s contribution to “our polarized public discourse” and, more generally, liberals’ failure to respect conservatives.

When conservatives abandon their plan to prevent women from having an abortion; when they relinquish their refusal to expand Medicaid because of their contempt for the poor; when they desist in their efforts to deport millions of illegal immigrants because of their bigotry toward Latinos; when they grow the mere semblance of a social conscience and reverse their slashing of funds for food stamps and nutrition programs for poor single mothers and their children, and instead substitute a tax on billionaires and the closing of a single tax loophole; and when they suspend their actions to decrease minority voting, depriving millions of a right that is most elemental in a democracy—then I will respect them.

Indignation should not be conflated with smugness.

ROBERT STRAUSS

New York

Note from KBJ: Who wants to take this man apart? I don't have time.

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To the Editor:

Re “California Proves That Health Reform Works” (editorial, Aug. 10):

You are right that California is setting the pace with our implementation of Obamacare. And we are leading the way, in large part, because civic and grass-roots leaders in our state were committed to an aggressive approach to enrollment.

We think that Obamacare could be even more successful with one important reform.

More than a million and a half undocumented Californians don’t have access to Obamacare because they and all undocumented Americans are barred from participating. Anyone who believes that their exclusion from the law saves dollars is mistaken.

Undocumented Californians contribute tens of billions of dollars to our state’s economy, and their lack of insurance coverage results in lost productivity and increased reliance on emergency rooms and other government health services. And perhaps more important, their exclusion undermines the principle of health care as a human right.

We are proud of our state’s success story with Obamacare. We will be even prouder when all Californians are part of that story.

ROBERT K. ROSS

Los Angeles

The writer, a pediatrician, is president and chief executive of the California Endowment, a private health foundation, and a former member of the Covered California Health Exchange Board.

The Democrat Party is a geriatric ward. Here are the ages of five people who are either running for president, thinking of running for president, or mentioned as presidential candidates:

• Hillary Clinton: 67
• Al Gore: 67
• John Kerry: 71
• Joe Biden: 72
• Bernie Sanders: 73

This is mind-boggling. Hillary Clinton will be 69 years old on inauguration day 2017, the same age as Ronald Reagan in January 1981. Reagan was 73 (almost 74) when he took office in January 1985. Where is the next generation of Democrats?

Wind & Wuthering (1976).

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