Trust Washington over insurance companies

To the editor:

Your Sunday Viewpoints cover featured three stories arguing against President Obama's health care plan. One says, "Do the opposite of what President Barack Obama wants." Then it tells people to shop around for better insurance prices. The second story suggested creating an insurance pool -- still tied to insurance companies. The last suggests allowing insurance companies to cross state lines, presumably so people could be denied and rejected from all 50 states.

The premises of the stories were to keep big, bad government out of health care. They say, "Don't trust the government that brought you Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. You should trust big business, like the one Bernie Madoff ran; or Enron; or Lehman Brothers; or the banking system or AIG (and all their associated bonuses). Trust the big insurance corporations. They've always known what's best for you."

We're the last of the civilized countries that allow large medical insurance corporations to overcharge us, deny us and cancel us. With 16,000 people a day losing medical insurance, and the majority of mortgage defaults being caused by medical bankruptcy, you still believe the government is wrong and big corporations, with their CEOs getting $100 million bonuses, are best?

You will until your medical insurance is canceled.

Jerry Sturdivant

LAS VEGAS

Party games

To the editor:

In Monday's letters, Kevin L. Stockton clearly has an incorrect understanding of the difference between a democracy and a republic. This causes him to completely misunderstand a previous letter writer's lament about the "Democratic Party" being called the "Democrat Party" by prominent Republicans.

A democracy is a government directed and run by the people, either directly (as in ancient Greece) or indirectly through representatives (as in our country). There are two key characteristics of a democracy: equality and freedom. The former is interpreted as equality before the law and in eligibility for power. The latter refers to all citizens enjoying legitimized rights and liberties, usually protected by a constitution.

A republic, on the other hand, is any government not run by a monarch with at least some of the public having an impact on the governing. Ancient Rome prior to the emperors was a republic, but clearly not a democracy. Citizens of a republic are guaranteed none of the rights Mr. Stockton so treasures unless that republic is also a democracy.

This is why he missed the previous letter writer's point. Calling the party the "Democratic" Party ascribes to its members a common set of values, those of a democracy, and those that Mr. Stockton mistakenly believes only belong to his chosen opposing party. Calling the party simply the "Democrat" Party is an attempt to remove the association with those values by making it simply a group label.

We are privileged to live in a democratic style of republic, and Mr. Stockton would do well to remember that while looking at all the ways his own party has worked to limit those "republican" -- oh, wait, that should be "democratic" -- freedoms he so enjoys.

Ryan M. Jean

LAS VEGAS

Rules of the game

To the editor:

It's the rules of engagement, stupid. As a Vietnam veteran who experienced the phenomenon of losing that winnable war because of politics, not the capability of our military forces, I see Vietnam redux in our Afghan policy formulation.

Do you really think we would have won World War II if FDR had used today's rules of engagement? I believe President Obama is in the process of cutting the legs out from under our brave military.

You can't fight a war without civilian casualties, and the Taliban insurgents use our politicians' reticence to inflict civilian casualties in their battle plans.

Rather than sacrifice more of our soldiers for political expediency, we should re-evaluate our entire strategy. Gen. Stanley McChrystal (commander in Afghanistan), I believe, is being pressured by the White House to provide different troop levels for different goals. There should be only one goal: to win. If we are not there to win, we should get out.

More regular troops is not necessarily the answer. Perhaps changing the rules of engagement and the expanded use of Special Forces, such as the Army Green Berets and the Navy SEALs, as well as increased air power, would be a more prudent way to go.

John J. Erlanger

LAS VEGAS

Pay up

To the editor:

Apparently, the proposed health care bill does not cover illegals. All Americans, however, must buy health insurance or be fined $1,900. If the fee is not paid, you go to jail and pay a $25,000 fine.

If legal Americans are subject to this provision, why not illegals? Taxpayers still have to pay for emergency care, etc.

Also, wouldn't employers be more likely to hire illegals to avoid paying for health insurance?

Rae Harbour

NORTH LAS VEGAS