What government does well

What government does well

EDITOR:

An Oct. 8 letter, “You can count on health care reform being mismanaged,” was right on the mark. Government does two things well — take away our money through taxes and spend it foolishly. That’s what they have done with endless raids on Social Security funds to support the pork that gets them re-elected. Their next fiasco will be what to do when they “discover” that our Social Security tax dollars have been converted to worthless IOUs. Chances are good Congress will ball up that Congress-created crisis as badly as they are about to do with needed health care reform.

We can no longer just shrug our shoulders and roll our eyes at government incompetence, these people are dangerous. Whether elected officials act out of malice, greed, or ignorance, the result of their actions impact all of us. Of course, these are not government’s only motivations, but we could throw a lot of rocks in D.C. or Columbus and never hit an altruist.

We need all citizens to pay attention to quash boondoggles from the PUCO/First Energy bulb and rate gouge to the impending health care disaster. We must make clear to elected and appointed officials that arrogance does not equal authority. I think we can make a start on this by substituting the words “my hard earned money” every time the words “government funding,” “revenue enhancement,” “government programs” appear in news stories or public announcements or ballot issues. If we do not agree the proposed use of our hard earned money is appropriate, leave no stone unturned in our efforts to crush it.

JAMES CARTWRIGHT

Canfield

Support the president’s plan

EDITOR:

As a registered nurse I have been a long-time and assertive advocate for the protection of the health, safety and quality of life of American families. I have worked steadfastly for equal access to needed health services and I have spent years researching, identifying and seeking reforms that will reduce and eliminate health hazards as well as ensure health protection. Especially for those most at risk; the young, families and senior citizens who are least able to afford and overcome threats to their quality of life. We are closer now than ever to enacting comprehensive reform. Reform that puts people before profit. An unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses and a huge percentage of the American people are behind President Obama’s plan. We have not been misled by the rhetoric and misinformation because we KNOW the truth; gained through experience, training and research. Tens of millions of Americans have no health insurance, living one accident or illness away from total health, financial disaster and possibly death. Hundreds of millions of Americans who have insurance live with the constant worry that they might lose it, lose their jobs or that their insurance company might cancel their plan when they get sick.

President Obama’s plan strives to make insurance work better by holding the insurance industry accountable. Under the president’s plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to:

UDeny coverage based on a pre-existing condition.

UDrop or weaken coverage when you get sick.

UPlace caps on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime.

It’s time to finish the job and pass real reform. It’s time to ensure the protection of America’s greatest resource; its people. The young who are just beginning their lives and the older Americans who deserve to age with dignity.

LAURIE BREDA

Warren