letter favoring government health coverage
Reality of care
In the past year, two narratives have co-existed in my life: I suffered a series of small strokes that forced me to retire in my mid-50s on a small disability payment, and our Congress debated health care.
During that time, I have been angry about the esoteric distance opponents of universal health coverage could adopt as they contrasted the American individualism they somehow exemplified, to the communism they enigmatically could detect in extending health care to all Americans. As strange as it may sound, I do not consider my strokes to be an inadequate expression of my patriotism or rock-solid self-reliance. I had worked continuously for 35 years, and paid my part of my employer-provided health insurance premiums all that time. Then it was gone. Fortunately for me, my wife agreed to delay her retirement so her insurance could continue covering me — if she is lucky enough not to become ill or lose her job.
The tea party mobs and the Republicans goading them were willing to spend tax dollars on roads to their homes, on arenas for their sporting events, or marinas at their federally constructed lakes. Yet when the communitarian spirit our founders proclaimed when they designated our state the Commonwealth of Kentucky is transformed into spending tax dollars on those who are unable to overcome a health problem by themselves, those expenditures inexplicably become communism or fascism or whatever foul epithet tumbles from their mouths.
For standing up for their constituents, and standing up to the vilification of the mobs both outside and inside the Capitol Saturday and Sunday, I wish to thank the courage of our two local congressmen, John Yarmuth and Baron Hill, for helping pass this historic legislation.
WILLIAM THOMPSON
Louisville 40204
One Response to “letter favoring government health coverage”
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I find it odd that those you demonize here, the right, you demonize partially for name-calling. Then you refer to them as “mobs”. Is there a problem in your mind with this?
You allude to your patriotism but you never say you are a patriot. You claim your self-reliance by saying you worked continuously for 35 years. That isn’t a claim for self-reliance in and of itself. Patriotism is a way of life often exemplified by self-reliance but if that is all it takes to be a patriot a lot of socialists would be patriots.
So what do you do while you aren’t working? Is there something stopping you from starting an internet business or other type of income project? Show a little patriotism with American ingenuity and reclaim your independence.
January 29th, 2011 at 9:04 pm