Editor:
First I have to compliment The SUN for printing and Mr. Adriano Valdez for submitting an excellent commentary describing the real threat being generated by partisan politics of the lowest order. I refer of course to the GOP’s concerted attacks upon any and everything the first African-American President tries to do to move America out of the recession. The party that says it knows how to run government left us this recession.
It is very difficult to believe that the party of Lincoln feels it necessary to resort to mob tactics blocking free speech, mass radio and television programs of misinformation and outright lies leveled currently against national health care insurance, but to be more specific, against any and all legislation the president supports.
I listen to paid for and carefully rehearsed statements about how terrible Canada’s system is. I think of residents who I know of at least six western nations, including Canada, who have talked about living under national health care.
Sure none of the systems are perfect in any other country. There are waiting lists for treatment of non life threatening conditions and in some rare case life-threatening situations.
Perhaps you know someone who needs a heart, lung, liver, or kidney transplant who does not have insurance, or who is negotiating with their private insurance company that has decided their condition was pre-existing. They may very likely wait until they die for want of care. We don’t hear much about these situations. There are no comprehensive surveys of the nearly fifty million people who have no insurance. The difference between the United States and countries with everyone insured is that residents of countries, with insurance, don’t have to lie awake at night wondering how their family will survive if a member is stricken with a major and costly illness.
We do not have the best health care system in the world at this time. More and more residents are dropping their coverage because of cost or loss of employment. If both parties will get off the talk shows and sit down and have a civil discussion, when they return to Washington, we just might enact a decent plan for all residents. If labeling the president a Nazi and pleasing their favorite lobbyist is the primary strategy of the republican party, then I fear that our Republic will be just a chapter some future history book.
Jim McCulough
San Juan Pueblo