Letter: Health care fight and school speech: 'Get a grip'

Talk about it

I fully anticipated the heated debate over health care which has gone on for the past month or more. Our present system of health care (including the drug companies and insurance conglomerates) isn’t going to go down without a fight. They’ve been operating with a free ticket for too long, and they’ve perfected the tactics of fear mongering through distortions, half-truths and outright lies regarding anyone who opposes them.

When we were told in 1985 that our health insurance premiums would some day exceed 25 percent of our salary, everyone scoffed at the notion as being ludicrous. It simply wouldn’t be allowed to happen. But when it did happen in spite of the billions spent on feasibility studies, legislative hearings, etc. in an attempt to restructure the system, we all shook our fists, raised our deductibles and resolved that “something had to be done.”

Again, we find ourselves at a juncture where we have an opportunity to change the system, but lo and behold, we’re attacking the problem much too drastically and too quickly. We don’t want to have taxpayers paying for abortions. We don’t want to be paying for illegal aliens. We don’t want the government imposing a policy of euthanasia on our elderly. Might it be possible to compromise on these issues? Only if they’re real, and not imaginary.

Maybe President Obama should put on a flight suit, travel halfway around the world and make himself a sign that proclaims “Mission Accomplished”. I’ll bet that would drum up some support.

P.S. Anyone who is afraid to let his child listen to the president speak for a brief time on hard work, staying in school, and getting good grades has some serious issues with the whole business of belonging in society where working together is going to be imperative to survival. Come on people, get a grip!

Tags: healthcare reform, opinion, letters, health, care, education