To the Editor:

I grew up in Morgan County and make my home here. I was raised by wonderful parents. My parents suffered through the Depression and Hoover days. My father was a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party. He raised all of us to love God first, family second, and country third; of course the Democratic Party was placed on the same level as the United States of America in his view. We were all raised knowing that it was not only our right to vote, but our obligation to vote. With this right comes the responsibility of every voter to do their research before casting their ballot. I remember when I turned 18, the first thing I did was to go to the Morgan County Courthouse and registered to vote. This was very important to me, although it was summer and no election was being held for over a year. Months before an election I would read all that was published about the candidates or any bill that was being introduced. By Election Day, I was as informed as any voting qualified citizen could be. These standards of being a responsible citizen have followed me through my life and I’ve passed them on to my children and grandchildren. I have never considered myself a Democrat or a Republican; I am an informed voter that does my research before I ever cast my ballot. I have never missed an election. My parents always paid for health insurance for the family. My husband and I have always paid for health insurance for our family. Our children now pay health insurance for their families. I fully agree that many uninsurable and uninsured American citizens need help in obtaining or keeping health insurance coverage they can afford. If this is the intended purpose of the health care bill, then write it so those citizens are the only ones affected. Leave the rest of us alone. If this is NOT the intended purpose, but rather a health care takeover by the government, then don’t hide behind a voluminous amount of words (1018 pages), like a snake oil salesman, and get mad when the American people see though the deceit. By limiting the number of people covered by Government Health Care, a federal sales tax could be passed to fund the program. Everyone buying anything would pay the federal sales tax and income taxes wouldn’t have to be raised.

During our entire work lives we have paid into the government-controlled plans. On March 23, 2005, CBS News reported Medicare will go broke in 2020 with Social Security following in 2041. Now when the time is near to enroll in those plans, it appears both are very close to going broke.  

Why should we turn yet another program over to the government when they don’t have a very good track record with those they now control? As far as I can remember, President Johnson was the first president that started removing money from the Social Security Trust Fund when he included it as part of the budget in order to make Vietnam war expenses look like a smaller portion of the budget than they actually were. I’m sure many other presidents have followed this practice. I haven’t been able to find where any of this money has been paid back by the government to the Social Security Trust Fund.

The 2005 census reported there were 78.2 million baby boomers, as of July 1, 2005. Don’t be lulled into thinking that they approve of what’s going on, just because they don’t go to Town Hall meetings or write Letters to the Editor. They are sitting, watching, and will be voting.    The ground work was laid for the health care reform bill with the Stimulus Bill that was signed on February 13, 2009. On Page 152, not doctors, but senior federal officers or employees will make the calls on approval or denial of recommended medical treatment. Remember this is the bill the Congress refused to take time to read. Text of pp. 425-430 (Section 1233) of the health care reform bill (House Bill 3200), amends Title 18 of the Social Security Act to stipulate that Medicare will pay for “advance care planning consultations" between individuals and physicians every five years, during which a spectrum of end-of-life options can be explained and discussed so said individuals can knowledgeably choose their own treatment preferences in advance.”

I’ve read the articles by Ms. Murray and Ms. Harris. I assume they are paying to place these articles in the paper as Democratic advertisements since they always have “a member of the Morgan County Democratic Party” shown beneath. I enjoy reading fiction so I look forward to their articles each time they appear. As someone representing the Democratic Party, they owe it to themselves and their readers to read the bills and do the research. They should never depend on misinformation, as they accuse their readers of doing.

Ruth Poole
Rutledge
Via e-mail