Reader: Facts can be stubborn things…

Dear Editor:

The Democrat-controlled Congress and the White House have announced their new ‘go it alone’ strategy to pass their version of a healthcare reform bill this fall. These are the same Democrats who committed to stop the partisan bickering in Washington, D.C., and work hand-in-hand with the Republicans.

Big surprise… they didn’t.

The Democrat-controlled Congress and the President question the motives of those Americans who oppose the Democrats wanting to usurp 1/7th of the U.S. economy in one piece of legislation without adequate debate.

In America, dissent against the government should not be vilified as it has recently been by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi nor should those doing the dissenting be ‘flagged’ by the White House as spreading “fishy” comments.

However, as Thomas Jefferson eloquently listed the reasons for the colonies wanting to secede from Great Britain in the Declaration of Independence, so I shall list a few of the many reasons behind the American people being suspicious of the idea of the government running/ruining America’s healthcare:

• Social Security’s coming financial meltdown

• Medicare’s inefficiencies and looming bankruptcy

• 2.8 million jobs lost since January 2009

• Unemployment rate increased from 7.6 to 9.4 percent despite the President’s promise that it would not go above 8 percent if the STIMULUS package passed.

• U.S. Post Office inefficiencies and deficits

• War on Poverty

• The “still not complete” fence on the Mexican-US border

• The number of “long-term unemployed” has nearly doubled from 2.6 million to 5.6 million

• 15 states now have unemployment rates above 10%

• The government takeover of General Motors

• A 10 year deficit of $9 TRILLION… a 2009 deficit of over $1.8 TRILLION

• Stimulus spending is ‘down to a trickle’, according to a Aug. 14th Washington Times report, down to $4.2 billion a month…at that rate it will take 15 1/2 years to spend the $787 billion in the Stimulus bill.

The only positive thing this administration and Congress can point to is the “Cash for Clunkers” program. A program so inefficient and laden with long-term consequences for the automotive industry that this government run program’s “success” will be questioned.

A “vast right-wing” conspiracy is not to blame for the growing opposition to the president’s healthcare plan. No, it is a long list of government solution/plans/ takeovers that fail/failed to deliver the services promised.

In conclusion, let President Barack Obama deliver results on something… THEN ask for support on taking over my healthcare.

Buddy Boe,

Laplace, La.