2009-08-27 / Letters

Healthcare Reform: Left Resents Opposition

To The Editor:

The people of this country are becoming aware of the implications of the proposed government run healthcare system advocated by Obama and friends, and it is apparent that the "left" resents the opposition. They had hoped to ram the legislation through before people had a chance to learn the truth and contest the bill. Fortunately, and unlike the Congress, people read the proposed law and rightfully became enraged at the contents. This is apparent from the videos of the town hall meetings where members of Congress are verbally attacking their own constituents. The same hypocrites accuse concerned citizens of being Nazis while the left brings busloads of Acorn and SEIU members to shout down and shut out the opposition. By the way, a Nazi is defined as a member of the National Socialist Workers Party of Germany or a person fanatically dedicated to or seeking to control a specified activity. This socialist philosophy is the antithesis of freedom loving Americans.

Malicious personal attacks and skewed statistics from the World Health Organization do not change the truth. The United States does have the best healthcare available anywhere in the world. People from Canada and Europe routinely come to the U.S. to obtain healthcare they cannot receive in their own country because their socialist systems are incapable of providing it. Although "death panels" are not specifically mentioned in this legislation, they are implicit in any government-run system. The government systems in other countries routinely review and deny various treatments and medicines based on their criteria. Our politicians are calling it QALY or "quality adjusted life years."

Meaningful healthcare reform and cost reduction are possible, but the issues should be addressed sensibly. The government is not the solution to healthcare reform but rather the cause of many of the problems in the current system. For example, tort reform should be a necessary component of any healthcare improvement. No one wants to deny a person the right to reasonable compensation for a genuine tort, but ridiculous jury awards and class actions lawsuits are unfairly costing consumers, pharmaceutical companies and doctors tens of billions of dollars annually. Unfortunately, meaningful tort reform won't make it through this liberal Congress that is so heavily supported by trial lawyers. Sensible insurance reform, such as allowing insurance companies to compete nationally, can also occur if Congress has the motivation. We should look for free market solutions to these healthcare issues and not bigbrother government. If you think a government that can't even run a "Cash for Clunkers" program efficiently should be placed in charge of our healthcare system then you should probably think again. I would much rather deal with a representative of a private insurance company than a federal bureaucrat concerning my healthcare.

Liberals always think they know what is best for us. The problem is they are running out of other people's money to spend. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are implicitly bankrupt already. Medicare alone had an unfunded liability of $36 trillion as of 2007. If you add other unfunded government liabilities, the total rises to $52.7 trillion, according to the former comptroller general of the U.S., David Walker. The current proposal is certain to add more trillions to our national budget deficit. Everything you want is not a "right," especially when someone else is paying for it.

Vincent Joyce


P.S.: I have lived in Fulton County for about 40 years but would still be considered an "import" by Mr. Keebaugh, according to his rambling letter. By the way, sir, my children work in areas other than Fulton County. I suppose in Mr. Keebaugh's view unless you're born in Fulton County you shouldn't have a job or an opinion. Mr. Keebaugh, if you are not too busy deporting people and building fences, please compare this letter to Mr. Gobin's letter in the August 20 edition of this paper and then tell me again about someone "venting their spleen with vitriol." I believe liberals have that market cornered.

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