Letters to the Editor

+ Do not call it Obamacare
Dear Editor:
Opponents of the recent federal overhaul of the U.S. health-care industry should not call it “Obamacare.” The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was a longtime coming. There are two reasons why we should not refer to by its colloquial name. One is that it is wrong, and one is that it diverts valid opposition.

First, it was not a result of one man’s triumph or (as some would describe) “ramming it down the throats of Americans.” President Obama simply rode a train of personal and party popularity following two wars. However, the Democratic Party has been advocating socialized medical care since at least the 1930s. Incrementally they have steadily increased the role of the federal government control over and responsibility for health care: Roosevelt, Johnson, Clinton and Obama.

Even the Republican Party greatly increased the federal government’s role with the passage of Medicare Part D.

Secondly, this focus on one man as the creator of this massive government grab focuses the attention on the wrong thing. Subconsciously this allows too many people to think that after Obama leaves office then all will be OK. They will be mistaken. The focus should be on the government’s role in our lives and the idea that we are responsible for others. If you really oppose this program you can only do it out of one of two principles: 1) That the federal government is trampling on states’ rights; or 2) That the federal government is trampling on the individual rights. Focus on the encroaching collectivism, not the fleeting, temporary figurehead of the movement.
Gerald Luhman II
Sarasota