Letters to the Editor

+ Enough, enough, enough
Dear Editor:

Your April 30 editorial regarding socialized medicine is frightening.

We are holding a Tea Party in our home next Tuesday and plan to put NICE/NASTY on our agenda and distribute copies of The Observer.

We will also recommend that communications be sent to all senators and representatives, as well as to the Democrat and Republican leaders in both houses and individuals such as John McCain, Evan Bayh, Russell Feingold, etc.

The Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research — even sounds phony. Blatant arrogance!

“Live Free or Die,” the motto of our summer state of New Hampshire, has been cleverly co-opted by the legislature in Concord regarding education.

Like your comment, “that the government will put a price tag on the value of everyone’s life,” the New Hampshire Legislature did the same for public education, establishing a minimum dollar amount per pupil, and we now have donor and receiver towns. Does this sound like from-each-to-each Communism?

And guess what, the legislature, in the thoroughly predictable reasoning of all politicians, granted the receiver towns an option regarding the funds — they can use the money for education or tax relief!

Enough. Enough. Enough. When do we go to the barricades?

We love our country as you obviously do. How can we get it back?

I’m a sad American.

Gibb Brownlie
Nokomis

+ Unmitigated twaddle
Dear Editor:

Rarely have I read such uninformed, obviously unresearched, politically warped, unmitigated twaddle as your editorial denouncing the British National Health Medical Service and seemingly used as a powerful argument against universal medical healthcare for U.S citizens.

How dare you publish such ignorant garbage as fact.

First, there is and always has been a totally private alternative to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, running in parallel to the NHS, financed by personal medical insurance policies, personal funds and charities. There are numerous private hospitals and clinics throughout the United Kingdom and world-class specialists in all fields attracting patients from all corners of the planet.

British medicine and research has been at the forefront of medical advance throughout the history of the science, and British-trained doctors, nurses and medical scientists are in the highest demand worldwide — all originally trained to the highest standards of practice by the National Health Service at public expense.

High-earning surgeons and physicians invariably repay that investment throughout their career by volunteering their services one or two days a week to the public sector in NHS hospitals.

As I understand it, there have been recent problems with the NHS, due to historic underfunding and permitted abuse of the system due to political meddling by your hero, Tony Blair, and his New Labour cronies. These problems have centered mainly around delays in the treatment of not-time-critical surgeries and heroic leaps in technology cost incurring those waits.

But traditionally the best standards of emergency and critical treatment are still being offered throughout the country for all citizens, free of any charge. Prescriptions are subsidized to all or totally free to senior citizens.

Tell that to Sarasota readers!

When adequate modern funding levels are restored and administered correctly, the range of choice of British socialized/privatized medicine will again be admired throughout the intelligent world. The French, Danish, Japanese and German systems are all combinations of a similar mix.

Do you disrespect those countries as well, in favor of the American system of magnificent treatment for the rich and thoroughly insured and potential bankruptcy for the rest of the community if they get sick?

You also had the nerve to invoke God’s image in your argument. Unfortunately, God’s checks are not often taken in medical payment to my knowledge, so where did that little add-on come from?

Your slant is sickening and a disgrace to intelligence and otherwise wonderful America. You are trading hugely on untruths, misrepresentational propaganda and fears. Shame on you!

Richard M.S. Posner
Osprey

“Critical treatment … for all citizens, free of charge”? The Brits are much smarter than we Yanks ever imagined. Free? Naw, surely someone is getting
gored. — Ed.

+ Stop fear mongering
Dear Editor:

I appreciate receiving your weekly publication, which does contain interesting and sometimes important news about our community. However, I do not appreciate the views expressed in your editorial of that week.

At best, it was disingenuous. At worst, it was deceptive and paranoid.

The administrative health-care proposal does NOT take away anyone’s right to choose. It allows people to retain their existing programs, if they so choose. Therefore, you are deceitful and paranoid when you warn people of the terrible consequences of this program. In addition, you apparently do not care about the 45 million or more people with no health-care coverage.

Furthermore, you state so condescendingly that the only support for the Obama proposal would be the American Medical Association, the nation’s hospitals and the insurance companies. Of course, you conveniently omit the support of the large majority of the American public.

So, who does that leave in opposition? The Rush Limbaugh Dittoheads, the Dick Cheney mindless element and some deep-rooted paranoids who are opposed to any administration proposals but have absolutely no viable or sensible alternatives?

As a community publication, you owe it to your readers to offer some honesty and integrity and to stop using the discredited Bush “fear mongering” in lieu of sensible opposition.

Elliot Aronin
Sarasota

“Fear mongering”? We should be fearful! Few things can be more frightful than a single-payer, universal, government-run healthcare system. — Ed.