Published: October 29, 2009 04:36 pm         

Reader's Forum: Oct. 30, 2009

Don’t believe lies from those with an agenda



On Oct. 18, in a letter to the editor, Mr. Charles Bean asks, “How do we know who to believe”? I would like to say that there are many who tell lies to further their own ambitions. However, suspect first those who are making obscene profits with the status quo set up. They are:

• The oil industry;

• The medical insurance companies.

It is pretty disgusting remembering four-plus-dollar-a-gallon gasoline during the Bush administration while watching the American Petroleum Institute run television commercials on the 6 o’clock news cajoling the public into speaking out against taxing the petroleum industry. While there is little doubt in my mind that they would pass the cost of a new tax upon them to the consumer, the development of new energy technologies are not a product of their mantra to drill, drill, drill.

If the government would force G.M. to start producing their EV-1 electric vehicle again that enjoyed success in California before G.M. crushed all of them, perhaps there would be no need to tax the petroleum industry. Forget the hydrogen fuel cells that the auto and oil companies have heavily invested in that would require the re-tooling of every convenience store in the country. Just let me plug my car into the garage electrical outlet.

If the chambers of commerce cared about the consumers of health care, they would come up with a plan to deliver health care to everyone in America. Instead, they are running a series of commercials advising that a new tax to help finance health care would accompany any new legislation. Their objective is to protect the medical insurance industry, which is making obscene profits. It is time that we realized that they have controlled medical reimbursements to medical providers for almost 30 years and they need fixed! The medical insurance industry cutting reimbursements to medical providers to maximize profits is to blame for the rise of the cost of health care to astronomical levels.

What exists now is a de-facto tax on those who choose not to purchase health insurance. When these individuals finally make the inevitable trip to the doctor or hospital with a serious illness or injury due to no preventative health care, they are not charged the rates the insurance companies reimburse. Instead, they are charged the market rate that has been inflated by years and years of insurance companies attempting to control medical fees. Insurance companies did not help the premium payers, but instead they maximized profits to make their parasitic executives rich from the blood of the patients, the doctors and the hospitals. All the while, consumers who make claims on their medical insurance policies have their insurance rates raised or their policies canceled for every unjustifiable reason under the sun.

Tired of hearing the lies of the Plutocracy? Then the next time one of these commercials comes on mute it because they will not stop trying to brainwash you until they get their way and your money! Support the President we all elected, listen to him and let him talk to the school children. After all, that is the American way!

— John Garner, Terre Haute



It’s time to take care of Americans



In response to Mark Burns’ recent letter … “Canadians willing to pay higher taxes for health care, so is it really free,” perhaps Canadians have more disposable income to do good with than we Americans do.

We paid to keep banks afloat after they cashed in on some bogus housing market scheme. They spent that money and then when the house of cards collapsed came running to the taxpayers with hands out. We have billions tied up in wars in the Middle East and have to watch as rigged voting procedures keep our proxy governments in power. Isn’t it funny how we always seem to support the guy the majority of the people in these countries hate the most?

Given just these few examples, Americans deserve health care. Isn’t it time we do something for ourselves instead of supporting big businesses forays into other countries’ affairs?

— Bruce Price, Bowling Green



Elephants are safe in circus



This is about the elephants at the circus.

They may not be free or where they were born. But, I’m sure I would rather be with the people in the circus than be in the world where people hunt me for sports or fun, or watching my family members shot down for their ivory or other body parts to sell and leaving the rest of the bodies to rot in the sun so the babies can see them rot.

So, I’ll take a kind human versus a killing human any day.

Thanks to Zorah Circus for letting the elephants live safely.

— Linda Williams, Terre Haute