Letter to the editor: War's costs include lost opportunities

Lying Liberals wrote:

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Poor Liberals want big Daddy Government to come along and solve all of their problems for them because they are just too stupid and lazy to do it on their own. I for one want a small less intrusive government and the freedom to solve my own problems. Liberals just don’t get it, government screws up everything they get there hands on, just look at Social Security. Stay out of my back pocket! You poor things….

You state that government screws up everything. So it follows that you do not approve of public police departments or fire departments or courts or water distribution or sewage disposal or child protection or our armed forces, because these are all part of some government.

You do not support our troops in Iraq, because you think they just screw everything up.

I bet if your house catches fire you will be very supportive of the government that provides means to save your life and property.

That would make you a typical right-winger. You only approve of government when you need its help.

THE WATCHER wrote:

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As your post said...they do get basic care...I'll wait a hour or two in a emg room...as the wait is based on medical need...also many state provide medical insurance for those with low income to visit doctors and be able to get meds....so it isn't all that bad my friend...even if one without insurance can go to a county/state hospital without insurance.
You know it would be nice if everything in the world went smoothly...but it doesn't....
Am a bit tired of having my HARD EARNED MONEY taken from me and given to others who don't want to work improve their lot in life by going to school etc...The doers can't always do for the no doers....

Well, I appreciate you point of view and your right to it, but I ask you to consider that universal health care might well save us all money in the long run compared to the way we do it now. The ER is a very expensive place.

Sometimes the right thing to do morally is also the best way to save money. That's a real win/win for all.

Florian wrote:

Since you agree that the Bush administration has generated budget deficits larger then previous administrations, and you agree that the Bush administration has profoundly increased the national debt, isn’t the rest splitting hairs?
I get my figures directly from the Bush administration itself;
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/p...
Pages 326 and 327 are particularly interesting.
According to the Bush administration, during the past 35 years our federal government had ‘Total Government Surpluses in Absolute Amounts’ in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 only.
Also according to the Bush administration, during the past 35 years our federal government had ‘Total Government Surplus as Percentages of GDP’ in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 only.
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Things like 911 and WAR are expensive and played a part in the increase of the federal deficit. The percentage of increase of the deficit has been lower than previous administrations. Don’t get me wrong I have plenty of problems with the Bush administration and yes they do have to do with balancing the budget. The 1994 Congress Contract with America balanced the budget during that time period and the republicans have not talked about a balanced budget in years. But this conversation started when you implied Bill Clinton had left a surplus and that is not true. I for one think that Government should balance the budget by cutting spending. Taxing the rich more is not the answer, most of the taxes are already being paid by the rich. More taxes on big corporations and the rich will result in fewer jobs. Cutting government spending will make the economy grow and more jobs will be created.

Florian wrote:

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Well, I appreciate you point of view and your right to it, but I ask you to consider that universal health care might well save us all money in the long run compared to the way we do it now. The ER is a very expensive place.
Sometimes the right thing to do morally is also the best way to save money. That's a real win/win for all.

The government screws up everything they get there hands on, i.e. social security. Universal healthcare has failed in every other country around the world, that’s why they come to America to get there operations. Take England, they are now selling private health insurance again in that country because of the failed universal healthcare system they have. Now they really do have two classes of people, the ones that are stuck with universal healthcare and the ones that can afford private health insurance to supplement the universal healthcare they get from the government.

Florian wrote:

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You state that government screws up everything. So it follows that you do not approve of public police departments or fire departments or courts or water distribution or sewage disposal or child protection or our armed forces, because these are all part of some government.
You do not support our troops in Iraq, because you think they just screw everything up.
I bet if your house catches fire you will be very supportive of the government that provides means to save your life and property.
That would make you a typical right-winger. You only approve of government when you need its help.

No Government entitlement programs. Give the federal government more money and they will waste it.

A UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY!

Clinton Concedes and endorses BARACK OBAMA!

It's time to clean up the MESS the REPUBLICANS have made!

A VOTE FOR MCCAIN IS A VOTE TO CONTINUE BUSH POLICIES and MORE TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, while Low and Middle Class Americans continue to suffer.

Restore HONESTY and INTEGRITY to the White House!

"YES WE CAN, YES WE DID and YES WE WILL, WIN BACK THE WHITE HOUSE"

CHANGE IS HERE!

OBAMA 08

Lying Liberals wrote:

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No Government entitlement programs. Give the federal government more money and they will waste it.

Well, make up your mind. You stated that government screws up everything it touches. You said everything, not some things. Now you change your claim. Now it's just some things that government screws up, not everything. That is a big difference.

When you say that if the federal government is given more money they will just waste it, do you mean that you feel our warriors wounded in Iraq should not have high-quality VA benefits and medical care, because that is an entitlement program. Bush seems to feel that way too.

Florian wrote:

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Well, I appreciate you point of view and your right to it, but I ask you to consider that universal health care might well save us all money in the long run compared to the way we do it now. The ER is a very expensive place.
Sometimes the right thing to do morally is also the best way to save money. That's a real win/win for all.

Universal health care....there are ways of going about that but not having the government run it...seriously look at any social program they try..bloated and wasteful.
A better approach is to have regional health plans...making all ins companies a member and this way the ocst are spread amoung more insured...the incentive is compitition between the ins companies to get buyers...to help people buy palns a tax credit in a form of a voucher should be given to everyone...it could only be used to but HC..those who have ins that are happy with it can opt out but get a tax break and not a credit voucher.
One thing that is bad it's human nature that when something is free many will use it and tie up the system there will be those who abuse it.
I feel that the free market approach is best with some bumping by the government in the way of the tax credit vouchers.
Even if it works you can expect delays in getting treatment due to all the people now looking for doctors etc.

So there's no Utopia for health care...and health care is not a right! A right being it's free....

Florian wrote:

Yes, I agree with you about the filibuster proof Senate. You are right about that.
As for paying for stuff, well, that sounds kinda funny. We have spent a trillion dollars or more on the false war in Iraq. That would pay for a lot of stuff for Americans.
I already said in the post you point to that ending corporate welfare, requiring BOB to pay its fair share of taxes, and requiring the rich to pay their fair share of taxes will generate enough income for our government to provide for many benefits for middle-class and poor American.
I’m smart enough to know that the U.S. has had balanced budgets and budget surpluses. Are you smart enough to know when?
Shouting does not make you right, it just means you are shouting.
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was I shouting?
Don't think so...

THE WATCHER wrote:

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....how much are you willing to pay more in TAXES...or forgot you want OTHERS to PAY IT!!!!

I interpret words in all caps as shouting. I’ll grant you that this is a small amount and the exception for you.

*L* Thanks...I use cap's not to shout but to highlite...glad you understand...Thanks.

Dave wrote:

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Like we don't have one man calling the shots today as he is backed by the mindless Republicans in Congress. Issues are irrelevant - they vote solely by party as instructed. BTW that man is **** Cheney (note the lower case "d")

And the Democrats don't vote by party? Get real...losing even more credibility when you post ignorant comments like that.

Florian wrote:

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We Democrats watched that exact thing happen for six years. Executive and Congress all controlled by the Republican Party.
Don't worry though, I believe Democrats will handle it much better then Republicans have.
This is what I predict will happen if Democrats control both the Executive and Congress:
Instead of starting wars on false pretenses and borrowing the money to pay for them Democrats will balance the budget and start paying down the national debt.
Big Oil and Business will have to start paying their fair share of taxes and corporate welfare will come to an end.
The rich will have to start paying their fair share of taxes, and this combined with the end to corporate welfare will provide for a budget excess.
Guantanamo Bay will be shut down and habeas corpus will once again be the law of this land. All persons held will be entitled to a timely and fair jury trial.
Torture will be outlawed across the board and this country will no longer suffer the shame of being guilty of torturing human beings.
The banking industry will be re-regulated so that people are not ripped off when they borrow.
All Americans will get baseline healthcare instead of almost 50 million of them having none. This will have the side effect of profoundly improving emergency medical care for all of those that need it when they need it.
We will break our addiction to war and our military will be brought home. We will begin rebuilding it, as it is worn out at the moment and needs time to rest and recuperate.
Money that is now given to the Iraqi police will be given to American police instead.
The immigration dilemma will be solved by the simple expedient of making the hiring of an illegal alien such a serious crime that few will want to risk it. Illegals come here to make money. If they cannot make money here they will not come.
There will still be problems and there will still be corruption. No doubt Republican will find a way to fixate the public attention on some new “stains on a suit” issue. I do long for a time when we once again think that that kind of thing is our biggest worry.

Wow! Eutopia!!! Keep dreaming...Be nice! But a dream none the less...

Your starting to show the 'Republican=evil, Democrats=angel' mentality...which makes you look like a neo lib. No offense meant by that, I've just noticed a change in your posts lately.

X Chambersburg Resident wrote:

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Wow! Eutopia!!! Keep dreaming...Be nice! But a dream none the less...
Your starting to show the 'Republican=evil, Democrats=angel' mentality...which makes you look like a neo lib. No offense meant by that, I've just noticed a change in your posts lately.

No offense, but you use that Republican=evil Democrat=angel thing as a contrivance and you’ve overused it.

I think you must not know what a Neo-Lib is. I think maybe you should look it up. There is such a thing as Neo-Liberalism and you are misusing the phrase rather badly.

It’s true that utopia cannot be achieved, but that is not a reason to choose to create hell on earth.

There should be universal health care of some kind because what I have seen in Emergency Departments is a dysfunctional system where often no one gets the attention they deserve. The way it is now is inefficient and costly. There has to be a better way, because an ounce of prevention is better then a pound of cure.

It is true that I do not think money should be the only measure of a persons worth. I think we are all Americans and we should help each other out to an extent. If my neighbor’s house catches fire I will help him. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let him move in with me. It does mean I will do what is reasonable to help.

Last summer I was driving home with my wife. We were passing through a section of town where the homeless hang out. While I was waiting for a traffic light to change I saw a man lying on the ground in the gutter. He was in the full sun, and the air temp. was about 105.

I watched as car after car drove by. Everyone saw him but no one stopping to check on him or help him. Some folks came very close to running over him. When the light changed I stopped in the curb just short of him and told my wife to lock the doors after she moved over to the driver’s seat.

I went over to him. He was dirty and drunk. He was showing signs of heat exhaustion. I moved him to the shade even though it was difficult for me. I gave him some of the water I had brought from my car. I called 911 and waited for someone to arrive.

No one stopped to help me, and several people honked at me in anger that I had blocked the lane.

This man was very possibly going to die lying there in the sun. All it took to save his life was a few moments of my time. Because he is a human being and a child of God, I feel it was a few moments well spent.

I don’t understand how hundreds or maybe thousands of people could just drive by, not caring, or too busy, or for what ever reason just driving by.

When I see a car wreck I stop and render aid. The car might be a piece of **** Yugo or it might be a Bentley. I don’t care. If I see someone that is in dire need, I try to help. Others don’t even show the decency to slow down as they go by, making it very dangerous for me to try to help. They can’t imagine what it will do to a person that is hit by their giant SUV. I can.

I hear the right-wing complain that the government gives all its money away to the stupid and lazy. In hateful terms they speak as if the Welfare Reform Act had never been enacted. They choose to focus on the negative and ignore the positive.

Those of the far right-wing rarely talk of programs like Women with Children and Infants or the Veterans Administration. They don’t care that good things are done for the young and old and sick and weak. They ignore the needs of the many veterans who were injured and maimed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Instead they focus solely on the notion that someone somewhere might be getting a free ride. They are infected with the sickness of greed and it turns their heart cold to the suffering of others.

That is why I am proud to be a liberal Democrat. I care about people. I care about mothers and children and infants. I care about the elderly and infirm. I want there to be a large middle class and almost no rich or poor. My values involve love and mercy and forgiveness.

I want our government to do everything it can to improve the lives of all of its citizens and provide a viable safety net for every one of us. I know that we can never achieve utopia, but I am sure that we should try.

That may make me naïve or a dreamer or stupid or subject to jokes about singing Kum-by-ya around the campfire, but I know that I’m ready to stand before Saint Peter this very day, every day.

X Chambersburg Resident wrote:

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Okay then. With this logic the econimic downturn that started in the first year of the Bush administration (actually, it started about 6 months prior to him taking office) is the fault of the Clinton administration.
See? The finger pointing between parties is really getting to the 'stupid' level and they BOTH need to share/take responsibility.

Absolutely Right. Bush's tax cuts "repaired" that downturn, but then the rampant overspending on Iraq, Katrina, pork, etc. got the US overextended on credit, and now the problem with oil prices (which started creeping up 3 years ago) guarantees that the next President will inherit a deep recession.
I'm certainly not one of these Democrat Good, Republican Bad (or vice versa) shills. To be one or the other shows a fundamental lack of honesty, education, and common sense. Even Hannity expresses dissatisfaction with the Reps every so often.

Florian wrote:

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No offense, but you use that Republican=evil Democrat=angel thing as a contrivance and you’ve overused it.
I think you must not know what a Neo-Lib is. I think maybe you should look it up. There is such a thing as Neo-Liberalism and you are misusing the phrase rather badly.

I keep using it on purpose. I use it because I think it's ignorant of anybody to believe that they, or their party, are always in the right and the other party is always in the wrong.

About the 'neo-lib'...I guess I need to do some research to come up with a new adjective! Wow...I was WAY off wasn't I!!

I'm all for helping those in need anytime you see someone that needs it.

I had/have (haven't spoken to him in over a year) that I met at my old church in Pennsylvania. He was just out of prison and needed help. I helped him with food, transportation, an little money, etc. Anyway, long story short, he kept making the same mistakes and ended up back in prison. I still tried to help him in different ways, but all I asked for is the truth from him in all that he was involved in. I knew the truth, but he still would lie to my face. I had to stop helping him other than listening and offering advice...that he would not take most times.

My point is there comes a time that people need to be responsible for themselves and their actions. Sometimes that takes 'tough love' and not helping someone over and over again, to the point it enables them to keep expecting help.

I'm not talking about helping a stranger on the street because that is the right thing to do; we don't know how/why they are in that situation, so help them. I'm talking about stopping the abuse of social programs, and I guess that means that sometimes the people that abuse it...should end up in the situations they find themselves in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Another youtube link with nothing but ****.

Use some sense and don't be so common...