Friday, Sep. 25, 2009

Letters 9/25

Reform forced on us

The health care bill as written says, in effect, that we are spending too much money on our elderly; shame on us. The elitist, Democratic, liberal, minority plans to ram this down everyone's throat without regard for what the people want or need. It's too late for petitions; President Barack Obama's henchmen plan on doing this very soon, before anyone can really read it or try to vote against it. Is this the way a government of the people and by the people should be run?

The plan is to take $500 million from Medicare to finance health care for the younger folks and illegal aliens, who are not covered by health insurance now. I'm not denying these folks need health care, but not at the cost of depriving health care for our older Americans, who have paid their dues. We owe them that. It's your parents and my parents we are talking about here, and it may soon be us.

"Don't worry about how little I know ... you'll find out how much I know in a minute." -- Paul Teutul Sr.

Lynn Chitty

Dupo

Sorting fact, fiction

As the debate over health care reform has grown increasingly heated, it has become more difficult to separate fact from fiction based on newspaper accounts alone, despite journalists' best efforts. In that spirit, here are a few points people should know the truth about before reform comes up for final votes in Congress.

A lot of the misconceptions out there about health care reform can be traced to the powerful lobbying and misinformation campaigns of the very industry with the most to lose when the system gets fixed -- the private insurance companies, which are taking advantage of holes in regulations. If it sounds too bad to be true, it probably isn't true.

Polls show that most people who find out the truth about these myths support health care reform, and I'm confident the readers of your paper will be no different. Please make sure everyone knows the truth.

Edith Moore

East St. Louis

The sacred cow

Let those people who oppose giving health care to all Americans start trying to get rid of Medicare.

Donald Burgett

Lebanon

Curtains for the GOP

It should be obvious by now that the Republicans in Congress do not care what is in the health care bill, or what benefits it might have for the American people.

President Barack Obama has done all he can do to try to work with them. So he is going to have to choose between which of his campaign promises he intends to break. He promised to make Washington more bipartisan. And he promised health care reform.

Trying to negotiate with Republicans at this point is like trying to convince a guy in the middle of the ocean that he should give up his life vest. They feel like they have to win something soon, or they will become irrelevant. But they picked the wrong issue. Once the bill passes, which it will with or without them, it will become as popular as Medicare and Social Security.

The Republican Party will be remembered as the party that voted against a bill that was beneficial to the American people. Wonder if something similar happened to the Whigs?

Dianne Lee

Edwardsville

Moderation needed

The Republican Party of Ike Eisenhower seems to have recently changed hands. Gone are the days of polite, rational and reasoned conservatism, having now been replaced by hate-filled ranting and far-right vitriol from the lunatic fringe.

The growing list of wing nuttery includes birther movement founder Orly Taitz' insistence that the commander in chief was born in Kenya (recently thrown out of court); wild-eyed tea bag protesters bringing assault weapons to protests and waving photos of the president in a Hitler moustache; former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin warning of fictitious "death panels" for senior citizens; Georgia Rep. Paul Broun equating the president's plans with Nazi policies, and Ohio Rep. Jean Schmidt -- last heard calling Vietnam veteran John Murtha a "coward" -- telling a birther, "I agree with you, but the courts don't."

Add in South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson shouting, "You lie!" at the president during his recent speech, and it seems that the GOP has freed itself from the burden of intellect, reason, civility and reality as we know it.

All in all, I'm not surprised at GOP''s far-right parade of lunacy and hatred; It only proves what many of us have been saying all along. It just baffles me as a political observer why any political party would voluntarily give the reins to their most offensive elements at a time when they need moderate support more than ever.

W. Scott Kuhnert

Waterloo

The new thugs

As far back as I can recall, Chicago has had its share of gangsters, mobsters, racketeers, crooks, thieves, hoodlums and thugs. They were proud to be identified as such.

Something happened and they changed their titles but not their actions. They are now called politicians.

The sad thing is, some were sent to Washington. Also sad is that these people from Illinois, along with others, are calling the tea party people and other citizens, who are fed up with Washington treachery, all kinds of names. They are acting childish, or maybe they are afraid. I bet they hate to see election time roll around.

I get the feeling the only things our politicians are in office for is what they can get under the table, get from the lobbyists, or for expenses.

Sen. Roland Burris got in politics to get himself a nice pension. That was all he wanted. How many times have you heard a politician say: "The only reason I want to be elected to office is so I can serve you and do this and that for you"? They should tell the truth and say it's, "So I can line my pockets and do this and that to you."

God bless America; it's really in trouble.

Terry Hunt

Trenton

Overtaxed in O'Fallon

The O'Fallon city's real estate tax increased while the O'Fallon school districts decreased. The following utility taxes were also increased in O'Fallon:

* Small increase in the city's cellular phone tax, an increase in tax nonetheless.

* Small increase in the city's home phone tax, an increase in tax nonetheless.

* Small increase in the city's electrical and gas tax, an increase in tax nonetheless.

* Small increase in the city's cable bill tax, an increase in tax nonetheless.

Plus an increase in the city sewer rate, which was necessary.

The city is $30 million in bond debt. For a small community, that's a lot of debt. Bonds have been refinanced, with an increased amount, several times in the current and past years. The present bond will never be paid off, but refinanced over and over again.

Living off of bonds is the same as living off of credit cards. When you overextend yourself, you are in trouble, or heading for trouble.

Robert F. Braswell

O'Fallon