LTE: Reasonable Opposition

I was insulted, saddened, and frustrated by Jim Fitzgerald’s September 9th column, “The Wildfire in Washington,”  in which he likened the entire conservative movement to raging wildfires that “generate a lot of heat without substance, destroy anything and everything in their path, and border on anarchy.”  He went on to say that conservatives’ opposition to Obama’s healthcare reform reveals a lack of compassion for those less fortunate and even called into question the Christian beliefs of those who disagree with him on this volatile and important issue.  Not once in this article does he acknowledge the fact that people can have legitimate reasons for their opposition to the bill now before Congress.

As a Christian, I certainly do feel compassion for those who are unable to afford health insurance.  It would be great if our government could afford to cover everyone.  There are many wonderful things government COULD do – if it had the money!  Mr. Fitzgerald seems oblivious to the fact that we, as a nation, are broke!   Not just broke, but over 11 trillion dollars in debt.  And what is really scary when one looks into the future is the 53 trillion in unfunded obligations, mostly due to future Medicare costs.   Right now, we are dependent on the Chinese, not our best friends, to finance our growing debt.   It is not inconceivable that our great nation could one day go bankrupt.  Then we would all suffer hardship, rich and poor alike.

So far, Obama’s solution to financing record-breaking deficits has been to print more money.  This inevitably leads to inflation.  Inflation also hurts rich and poor alike, but it hurts the poor most of all since they have little or no cushion in their budgets to cover rising costs.  A brief study of history teaches us that printing excessive amounts of money leads to hyperinflation.  If that term means nothing to you, study Germany prior to WWII.  Their money became so worthless then that it profited them more to burn it in their heating stoves than it did to spend it!

Obama also tells us he will finance healthcare reform by cutting out waste and fraud.  Well, excuse my skepticism, but if government can cut out all that waste and fraud, WHY HAVEN’T THEY ALREADY DONE SO?

Liberals like Mr. Fitzgerald simply cannot understand why conservatives are opposed to a government-run healthcare system.  Well, as a student and teacher of history, I look at what government has done in the past.  How well has it handled Social Security, Medicare, and the Post Office?  All three are going broke.

Healthcare reform is one of the most important issues of our time. It will have a profound effect on all our lives.   It is in need of reform, as the current system does have inequities and is unsustainable.  However, good people can have honest disagreements on how best to fix it.  Attacking the opposition gets us nowhere.  Let’s get our best minds together and have a reasoned conversation about the problem and solutions.  And let’s not rush.

Ironically, after insulting conservatives everywhere, Mr. Fitzgerald ends his column by calling for a reasonable dialogue between people on both sides with differing beliefs.  But then he goes on to say that conservatives are “increasingly difficult to listen to, much less take seriously.”  Well the concerns I’ve expressed in this letter are, I believe, worthy of serious consideration.  I hope Mr. Fitzgerald is listening.  I applaud his compassion for his fellow man.  I just feel it needs to be balanced by an understanding of economic reality.

Paula Canup (former history, government, and economics teacher)
Hayesville, NC