With regard to the opinion by Albert Long ("Look Out Everyone," Nov. 16), I respectfully disagree with his position health care reform will be the worst decision ever. I would guess 99.9 percent of "open-minded informed" Americans would agree the worst decision ever made on behalf of this great nation was to unilaterally invade Iraq. Not to mention the shenanigans that followed such as The Halliburton Robbery or the inane "rules of engagement" or the fact there was no end-game plan or exit strategy.
We could also put in there the deregulation of the banking industry or the refusal to ratify the Kyoto Treaty, or the refusal to address immigration reform or tax reform.. or perhaps we should consider the shredding of the Constitution via the "patriot act." You must have been asleep from 2000 through 2008 to have missed such colossal blunders . What exactly is the problem with the current health care bill? The bill passed by the House works like this: If you have insurance you keep it, if you don't have insurance you can now afford to get it. If you think for a minute we have not already socialized medicine you are out of touch with reality. The medical-insurance industry is socialized simply with the outrageous level of corporate "welfare" handed out.
The health care reform bill simply directs those corporate welfare dollars away from greedy corporations to the folks who really need it.
MICHAEL LOPEZ
Chapel Hill
Thanking Price
We want to express our thanks to Rep. David Price for voting for the Affordable Health Care for America act. To all that voted to pass the bill for their constituents, thanks.
RANDY and ELAINE FLOWERS
Durham
No reform
What is being called "health care reform" is mislabeled.
There is no reform. To not address the medical liability issue is crazy. All that is being focused on is offering the current system to more people. Medical liability is a huge driver of expenses. Talk to any practicing doctor or nurse and they will confirm. To not control costs and offer insurance to more people will only result in more costs for someone to pay -- you and me -- in the form of higher taxes, inflation as employers try to offset costs and jobs lost as employers try to offset costs.
The current farce is designed to buy votes, pure and simple.
DOUG JONES
Durham
