Time to end the fear-infested campaign
Thank you, Pat Ketchum, for addressing realistically the critical need of the United States of America to have comprehensive, humanitarian health-care legislation (Aug. 19 issue).
Those of us who have been blessed with employer and governmental insurance coverage should be most vocal, insisting that politicians end this partisan fear-infested campaign. This well-financed campaign is once again perpetuating corporate greed. The objectives are to instill fear and self-interest among basically good, caring people. This scam seems to be succeeding.
Whether it?s a call to be a true Christian or just to be one who cares about others, the time is now to end this discussion. Let?s work together to foster national pride in support of a health-care policy and legislation that will be the envy of all other industrialized nations.
Neysa Eberhard
Marion
Moran?s visit: showcase of no substance
Congressman Jerry Moran?s listening-tour stop in Hillsboro seemed to be a showcase of no substance on the part of the office holder.
Stating that he had not voted for any of the stimulus plans, he never mentioned his voting record on the Bush tax cuts that put the country in a $1.25 trillion hole so as to provide tax relief to the wealthiest citizens.
In a 2008 visit to the Kiwanis in Marion, he as much as admitted to being lied to about the reasons to go to war with Iraq but continued to support the failed Bush war policies and funding the war with deficit, outside-of-budget funding.
Why has he suddenly become so concerned about spending money that the country doesn?t have? The congressman says he is not on the side of his party ?that says do absolutely nothing.? But that is exactly how he comes off with a mouthful of generalities and maybes and no concrete solutions.
I suspect he is part of the Republican strategy that has health-care reform defeat as the place that President Obama can be beaten. This plan was first minted by the current guiding force of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh.
Thank goodness Pat Ketcham was at the meeting and bravely spoke up to point out the inconsistencies in how the public approaches public funded health care. Without her input the congressman would probably have been happy to let the ?socialist? label remain on public funding of health care.
Back in June I wrote a letter to this paper asking the local health-care providers to weigh in on the question of health-care reform.
I am still waiting to read any information from our Marion County hospitals, physicians or health-insurance providers to get a local perspective on what health care reform is needed to sustain our local system.
It was announced last week that St. Luke Hospital has hired a construction supervisor at $14,000 per month to supervise the $5.2 million building project, the financing plan is for funds to come out of hospital revenues.
I would like to hear from the Marion County Hospital District No. 1 board of directors or the hospital administrator what reforms, if any, are needed to fund the project and keep the doors open in the future.
I would ask the same of the Hillsboro Community Hospital representatives how they will pay for the new hospital that is in the planning stages right now and what health care reforms they support.
