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

Here.

To the Editor:

Surely there can be no better argument for a national single-payer health care system than health insurance officials saying that new customers turned out to be sicker than they expected. Of course they are, because before the Affordable Care Act many of them had no insurance and no access to preventive medicine other than emergency rooms.

The rate increases noted in the article range from 23 to 54 percent. These outrageous demands will force people to whom the Affordable Care Act gave some hope back into misery from lack of medical attention because they cannot afford the costs. This will effectively begin to dismantle the program that is President Obama’s legacy.

MICHAEL GOLDING

Fort Myers, Fla.

Note from KBJ: ObamaCare is a nightmare, not because it didn't go far enough, but because it went too far. The Left is stuck with this monstrosity. Conservatives had nothing to do with it. And yes, this will be Barack Obama's legacy. The man is incompetent.

Here are scenes from today's stage of the Tour de France. The stage winner, German cyclist Andre Greipel, averaged 25.3 miles per hour for 117.7 miles. His compatriot, Tony Martin, is the overall leader after five stages.

Here.

Here.

Today's ride was an adventure. It was raining (drizzling) when I left my house shortly after 11:00. This rain ended quickly, as I expected. By the time I reached the end of the trail at 21 miles, big raindrops had begun to fall. I had 9.6 miles to go. I forged ahead, not pausing to put my plastic rain jacket on. With about 4.3 miles to go, I had a flat front tire. During the replacement of the tube, I got drenched. Believe it or not, I was still in good spirits. I replaced the tube, inflated it (with a CO2 canister), packed up my things, and headed for home. Two miles later, with heavy rain still pelting me, the front tire blew. I heard a small explosion and felt air rush over my right shin. I brought the bike safely to a halt and began walking. I still don't know why the tire blew, but there was nothing I could do about it, since I had used my only tube and canister. Luckily for me, the rain had stopped by this time. I walked the bike the final 2.25 miles to my house. The image in this post (click to enlarge) shows the threatening sky, before it unloaded on me. I know it sounds crazy, but I love adversity. The more difficult things are, the more I relish them.

To the Editor:

Re “Southern Customs Yield to a New Age: ‘A Flag Is Not Worth a Job’” (front page, June 28):

As a native Southerner, I read your article about the changing dynamics of the former Confederacy, which captured much of the region’s complexity. But the assertions by State Senator Cam Ward of Alabama about a general Southern aversion to authority should not be allowed to pass unchallenged.

Southern defiance of federal authority has routinely been enabled by the active promotion of other forms of authority. Consider the absolute authority of white slaveholders over the bodies of the enslaved, or the authority of Southern employers to hire and fire at will and without cause, often in flagrant violation of collective bargaining rights or equal employment guarantees.

Consider the authority of the police, prosecutors, prison guards, parole officers, border patrols, immigration agents and youth custodians over the huge segments of the South’s population consigned to the criminal and juvenile corrections systems. Or the generations of robust state and local authority to enforce Jim Crow with racial terrorism.

The legitimacy of authority is not the issue; the issue is which authority, answerable to whom?

BETHANY MORETON

Madison, Wis.

The writer is a professor of history at Dartmouth.

I used to respect Peter Wehner. No more. What he doesn't understand is that Donald Trump, as flawed as he may be as a presidential candidate, is speaking truths that other Republicans are afraid to speak. Republicans take people like me for granted. "What's Keith going to do, vote Democrat? When the time comes, he'll vote for Jeb Bush." Wrong. I held my nose in 2008 and 2012, voting "for" John McCain and Mitt Romney. It won't happen again. I'll stay home. If Jeb Bush thinks he has my vote and is pandering to Hispanics to get their votes, he should think again. By pandering, he gains one vote and loses one vote. I hope other conservatives agree with me. Make Republicans pay for their refusal or inability to speak truths. Will that put a Democrat in office? I don't care. There's not much difference between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton when it comes to issues I care about, such as illegal immigration, federalization of education, supporting trade agreements that destroy American jobs, sucking up to Wall Street, and so on.

Addendum: Wehner writes:

If conservatives rally to defend Mr. Trump on the grounds that he’s “refreshing” and has “passion,” that he’s “anti-establishment” and irritates liberals, they will do considerable damage to their movement and to the Republican Party. Mr. Trump is a pernicious figure on the American political landscape. He can’t be wished away. Which means the people who have to confront and expose him are conservatives. We’re the ones who have the most to lose from a successful Trump candidacy.

What good is a "movement" that puts wishy-washy Republicans in power? What have we gotten from the likes of John Boehner and Mitch McConnell? They're scared to death of being called racists, so they say nothing about Barack Obama's slow, steady destruction of our culture. If I could vote today, it would be for Donald Trump. Any Republican who mocks or repudiates him loses my vote.

Katherine and I have joined LA Fitness. I went there today for the first time and enjoyed it. I did a brisk warm-up walk on one of the treadmills, used a variety of weight machines (both upper and lower body), and played basketball for about 45 minutes, including a game of Horse with a younger man. (He beat me, HORSE to HOR.) The best part was the basketball. I'm regaining my touch, not having played in many years. I now devote four days each week to fitness. I ride my bike at least three times each week, at least 30.6 miles each time, and now I have added a day at the gym. My body is my earthly vehicle. Without it, I am nothing (literally).

Here are scenes from today's stage of the Tour de France. The stage began in Belgium and ended in France. Tony Martin of Germany won the stage and assumed the overall lead. He averaged 25.33 miles per hour for 138.8 miles, some of which was on cobblestones.