Dear Editor:

I am concerned over the direction health care in this country seems to be heading. I have received the benefits of our great medical system, treatment and care. I have been a patient in hospitals in Gaffney, Shelby (N.C.), Spartanburg, Greenville and Duke University. I have even experienced socialized medicine firsthand at a hospital in Canada.

My list of illnesses have included cancer, kidney problems, diabetes and the latest being four heart caths this past year. All of my treatments were decided on quickly and done without delay or put on a waiting list. We have great health care in this country now and we don’t need the government in the middle slowing it down. My point being that all decisions about my health care were made by my doctors and me, not some government bureaucrat. I don’t want the government to decide if I need a certain test or that I am too old or it’s too expensive.

We were promised change and a new era in Washington. What have we received? We have had bills rushed through in the middle of the night without being read or understood. Billions are being spent on “pork projects” and special interests. Congress doesn’t want the health care debate to be shown on C-Span (may give us one hour to cover over two thousands pages). What is it they don’t want us to see or hear? Will there be more Nebraska or Louisiana bribes? The latest trick proposed is to pass the health care with a 51 vote or reconciliation in the Senate.

This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. At stake is our individual freedom of choice. The government should not force individuals or small business to buy insurance or be fined. The proposed cost of this program will be a tax burden for generations to come. When has the government ever gotten the cost of an entitlement program right. We know it will cost more than their estimates. I would encourage everyone to stand up for your rights and contact our representatives and inform them of your concerns. It has been said, if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
Glenn Patterson
Gaffney, S.C.