As the debate to reform our health care system comes to a close, we must understand that the inability of the greatest nation the world has ever known to adequately provide for the health of its citizens in a dignified and affordable manner, will never be remembered as a triumph of capitalism, but rather a failure of humanity.
The Republican leadership made it abundantly clear at the health care summit that they are not interested in taking meaningful steps toward reforming the health insurance or health care industries in this nation. Their approach to “let the free market work” has utterly failed the American people and yet they push for less regulation and more perks for the insurance industry. It is time to reclaim our humanity and our country’s value of majority rule.
We must stop the minority’s ability to obstruct all efforts of Congress to do the people’s business so that we can address the most critical issues of our generation.
FELICIA WILLEMS
Raleigh
Blaming is easy
I truly hesitate to judge J. Albright too harshly. However, he/she did it again; ruined another breakfast with a letter on February 21st!
On Feb. 14th, I asked for a work together attitude coupled with some solutions of substance. Instead, Albright sent a new dose of blame and ridicule. However, this time the ridicule reached new heights. Or, I should perhaps say, new lows. I don’t think many will agree with the comparisons drawn between the Klan and tea party folks.
Pointing the finger of blame is always easy. Anyone can do it and many make it a lifetime habit.
Blame-placing requires little constructive thought and there always seems to be plenty to complain about and plenty of folks to blame. However, a long life of experience tells me that it never cured a single problem.
Blame, especially when coupled with ridicule, is always counter-productive. It quickly narrows any hope of positive reconciliation and cooperative progress. Really, we don’t need absolution for anyone.
But we do need to stop incessant blaming and use that wasted energy to find some solutions to the array of crisis-magnitude problems that confront us as a nation. I do suggest that we should stop prescribing medication that isn’t effectively curing the disease and search for some time-tested and proven remedy.
In the future I suggest we apply Wendell’s Rule #1 for whineybutts: “No complaints permitted without a proposed solution.” It works for me!
ERNIE WENDELL
Durham
