Letters to the editor March 31

Health care overhaul bill is not socialism

One hears a lot of talk about socialism, communism and our drift into such a system under the Obama administration. The facts are quite different.

Socialism is the collective ownership of the means of production, factories, capital, land, utilities, transportation, communications, dwellings and about all else.

Worldwide, the socialist ideology is as dead as last year's hay crop. The only ones left worth mentioning are North Korea and Cuba, both as economic and social basket cases. One of the causes of the socialist, communist hysteria, besides politics, is the fact some of the economic and social measures and laws present in socialism also are found in most modern democracies.

A national health care insurance law, which has been in effect in England, France, Germany, Canada and in most modern democracies for decades, is now causing political conflict and hysteria here at home, even though not one of the countries listed above drifted into socialism because of a national health care law.

It is one thing to disagree with some or most of what the Democratic Party stands for, as I do, but to mindlessly shout socialist or communist, which they seem to know nothing about, is demeaning and counter-productive.

It would be a blessing if both Democrats and Republicans would be more accurate when expounding their cause.

We should all be aware that political activists of both political parties tend to exaggerate and overstate their points of view.

Al Matye

Minden

Representatives aren't listening to the voters

What's up with our elected representatives? For months the public has been screaming at the top of their lungs - through phone calls,

e-mails, faxes, letters and demonstrations - to kill the bill. Yet they pretended not to hear. We would have welcomed changes to the health care system to improve access and lower costs, but this isn't it. Instead it increases federal government size, spending, power and control, not to mention necessitating new taxes to pay for all this.

They already shredded our Constitution when they decided that a simple up or down vote was enough to pass it.

This is not how our government is supposed to work. Each and every one of our country's senators and representatives who have supported this health care bill against the wishes of the overwhelming majority of citizens needs to be fired this November. Heading the list should be our own Harry Reid, with Nancy Pelosi a close second.

Karen Caludino

Carson City

Vote out all incumbents when election rolls around

Well friends, how does it feel to have the people you elected thumb their collective noses at you? With 38 states gearing up to sue the federal government, with almost 65 percent of the people - depending on which poll you use - who didn't want this health care fiasco, that's exactly what Congress did. They believe that you will forget this come November. Will you?

Please join me in voting no in November. Let's clean the House. We have the opportunity to do exactly that. So, in November, if the word incumbent is found by any name, from the local school board, supervisors, all the way to Congress, then just say no. Let's show them who they work for. And please don't feel sorry that they will lose their job in Congress. They won't lose any income, it's theirs for life.

Oh yes, one more thing, Congress is exempt from the health care plan they just shoved down our throats. Kind of makes you feel warm all over, doesn't it?

Ed Deusenberry

Carson City