Election
deadline
The deadline for letters to the editor related to the May 4 election is at noon Monday, April 26. No election-related letters will be published after Friday, April 30.
Regarding the recent “Follow the money” letter (April 5): In apparent disgust at typical conservative rhetoric, you’ve missed some typical conservative wisdom. Very few would assert that we have the “best” health care, but our system does have benefits unmatched in the world.
The World Health Organization reports that our system is ranked 37th, but the organization’s methodology primarily focuses on health care spending and life expectancy. America has a terrible life expectancy because our people eat worse, exercise less and smoke more than others in the “first world.” And we spend too much because we have an over-regulated, public-private hybrid system that discourages any kind of conservation in the market.
Still, we do have the highest cancer survival rates in the world (by far), and the best treatments for chronic illnesses. Our infant mortality is high because we track infant mortality differently than other countries, but it’s worth noting that we’re very successful at caring for the premature.
Our system has its troubles, but the biggest of them is spending. Because Obama-Care does nothing to reduce the inflationary trend of medical costs, it is an abject failure of a reform package. That’s why most conservatives opposed it.
It’s also a bit disingenuous to cite gun violence statistics without a reference to the complex sociological and historical reasons behind them. More important, studies show that increased gun restrictions do nothing to combat gun violence. This much was obvious to an inner-city Washington, D.C., man who wanted a protective firearm so badly that he fought for his rights all the way to the Supreme Court. The court’s incredibly bright legal minds agreed with the man, finding that the “militia” clause isn’t sufficient reason to remove the civil liberties protections of an entire amendment. Belief in the right to bear arms isn’t a bizarre fantasy of right-wingers; it’s the law of the land.
But my biggest problem is your apparent disregard for the wisdom of people who disagree with you. Our country is consumed by rhetoric that almost precludes any kind of reasonable discussion or respect for opposing views (many on the right are equally guilty). Instead of reducing conservatives’ motives to some kind of financial interest, you should try engaging their ideas. If everyone did so, we might actually solve some of the country’s problems.
J.D. Hamel
Middletown