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Steamboat Springs — While mathematics was not my strongest subject in my academic career, I do understand basic math. I wonder if Rep. John Salazar understands that the math he cited in the Nov. 22 Steamboat Pilot & Today simply doesn’t add up. Here is why:

Rep. Salazar’s Web site states that the total population of the 3rd Congressional District is 614,467 people.

In his article on Sunday, Salazar states that HR 3962 “will improve employer based coverage for 362,000 residents … provide credits for as many as 184,000 households … allow 25,200 small businesses to obtain health care coverage … and provide coverage for 111,000 uninsured residents …”

Now, let’s add all this together:

362,000

184,000 (no multiplier even used here to make my point)

111,000

100,000 (25,200 small businesses at 3.9 employees/business)

TOTAL = 757,000 people

We need to find more residents in the 3rd District to help because apparently some have gone missing!

And while we are on basic mathematics, please, this will help lower the national deficit by $109 billion over the next 10 years. Again, the math doesn’t add up:

First, all of us will be paying into this new health care system and benefits don’t start until at least 2014.

The Congressional Budget Office that Salazar cites in his article says that the budget deficit will have a cumulative $9 trillion deficit between 2010 and 2019 and has soared this year to a record $1.6 trillion, more than triple last year’s deficit of $459 billion. A year into his term, this is on the president’s watch and not to be explained away as inherited.

Finally, the White House Budget Office also updated national debt projections and now say that this year’s $11 trillion debt number is really $12 trillion and will likely go up $1 trillion a year through 2019. Wow, this $109 billion in savings will really cut into this $9 trillion deficit and our total national debt including unfunded liabilities of over $100 trillion dollars.

Somehow I don’t feel any better.

Rich Lowe

Steamboat Springs