Letters to the Editor
 Thursday,
December 17, 2009
Federal government should stay out of health care business
EDITOR:
The Nov. 12 Paducah Sun included a letter to the editor by Gary Schaaff. Mr. Schaaf opines the hypocritical, self-serving, myopic views of trial lawyers and the Obama administration that one can point fingers at big insurance companies and at medical errors for all the ills and shortcomings of health care in the U.S. Yes, we can demonize insurance companies and pass legislation to make them behave, simply reduce medical errors, and of course let the federal government take over the entire health care system; all our problems will disappear and presto, utopia is here.
Mr. Schaaf’s letter is short on fact and solutions, and long on useless cliches and finding someone else to blame. Curious that Mr. Schaaf forgot to point out that trial lawyers would be among the biggest losers if real health care reform were to actually occur. I can assure you that the current “health care reform” proposals floating around Congress have everything to do with expanding federal government, and very little to do with improving health care for patients.
Mr. Schaaf’s statement that there is little evidence that money would be saved by medical malpractice reform is flatly untrue. Several weeks ago the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan group, estimated savings of $54 billion over 10 years if comprehensive malpractice reform were adopted nationwide. Gov. Rick Perry from Texas has already clearly documented billions in health care savings from adopting malpractice reform five years ago in his state.
I have no love for the medical insurers, and agree that they are pushing their own agenda and protecting their bottom line, but no one organization in his country pushes its own agenda more than trial lawyers.
The federal government has already mismanaged Medicare, Medicaid, Champus and veterans’ health care into bankruptcy and disarray. It seems to me that a wiser “plain and simple” solution would be to get the federal government out of the health care business. Blaming corporate America solves nothing and helps no one.
Dr. Robert Beale,
Benton,
KY
Thursday,
September 3, 2009
Democrats in Congress
Insulting America’s Veterans
EDITOR:
I am a veteran of the United States Army. In recent days I have heard military veterans referred to as thugs, Neanderthals, potential terrorists, Nazis, un-American, paid protesters and various other derogatory names.
These names have also been applied to other classes of people, i.e., senior citizens or disabled, basically to anyone who has the nerve to stand up to a politician and say that they do not approve of the administration’s health care proposal.
Our president has stated that he feels that wounded military personnel fighting the wars of this country should be responsible for their own health care to treat their wounds because they knew the risk they were taking when they volunteered for the military, and he feels that it is un-American for them to object to that proposal.
Let me state the position of our military men and women. When you enter military service, you are not accepted into that service until you take an oath that basically states: I am a member of the armed forces that protect our country and I am prepared to give my life in its defense against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.
The president of the United States, who is the commander-in-chief of these military forces, has never taken that oath. But he does have the audacity to sit back and allow various members of Congress to degrade and verbally assault the men and women of this country who have done so.
Currently we have military personnel fighting a war in Iraq and Afghanistan defending this country against foreign enemies. Maybe it is time that all veterans of the military service, and all active military personnel stand up and say that we will not be abused in that manner by any member of Congress. We have earned the right to stand up and express an opinion about the way this country is run. We have the right to vote any member of Congress out of office who has this downgraded opinion of the people who have volunteered their time to protect this country. And just because some person is smooth-mouthed enough to get elected to a public office does not make him/her an authority on any subject.
I am a registered Democrat, but why should I retain that registration when it is the Democratic members of Congress who are expressing these demeaning views of this country’s military veterans?
Maybe the military veterans of the U.S. need to band together to defeat this apparent domestic enemy — not militarily, but with the power of the ballot on election day in 2010 and 2012.
Les Landers, Hardin, KY
Friday, August 28, 2009
Health care
debate about
controlling people
EDITOR:
The health care debate that is going on now is not all about health care. It’s about control of the people. Obama is pushing this to show that government knows what is best for America.
Look at what he controls now: two major auto companies, banks and insurance companies. I believe it is just a matter of time before we become a socialist nation. I also believe that the liberal party, with the help of ACORN and SEIU and other organizations, wants to destroy our way of life.
If the health and cap and trade bills are passed and become law, God help us all. If you thought Bush was bad, just wait and see what Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank and others do to this country.
William Bruce, Paducah,
KY
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Health care bill should be defeated, not changed
EDITOR:
I am seriously concerned about the monstrous health care bill, HR 3200 in the House, and similar legislation in the Senate, now being rushed through Congress. I greatly fear its disastrous effects, not only on the health care of all Americans, but also upon our already precarious financial situation.
I write this letter to strongly condemn the obvious intent of this legislation to make the federal government the final arbiter in every aspect of our health care. I have heard nothing good about these bills. From birthing decisions, through how and by whom we choose to be treated, how much treatment we should receive, when treatment should be denied at end of life and who will make those decisions, this terrible legislation goes against everything we believe America has stood for.
I am aghast that some in Congress appear ready to compromise on a few provisions of this legislation in order to soften the severe fiscal impact it will surely have upon our entire economy. Can’t they see, while the financial impact would be devastating, even worse, the human misery impact would be immoral? The new urgency of the framers to compromise by minimizing the “public option” is only a foot-in-the-door tactic to ram through with only minimal debate the most disastrous, life-changing legislation I can recall in my 81 years.
Finally, consider this: Why should the American people rely upon their government to manage every aspect of their private health care before that government demonstrates that it can reform and successfully manage the Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security systems that are driving the nation to financial ruin, and which to date the government refuses to address seriously? This legislation will only exacerbate the monstrous debt that has been piled upon our backs in the past year and is mounting daily.
We, the electorate, need to prevail upon our representatives not to try to compromise or change this terrible bill (it’s too massive and convoluted in its evil intent), but to defeat it completely. Then we can begin to reform the present health care system where it needs reforming, not remake it completely. It’s still the best system in the world.
JAMES C. TIDWELL, Paducah,
KY
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