Here’s a dose of truth on health care

So, Sen. Mark Warner says Medicaid and Medicare are going to explode the federal deficit in the coming years, and his solution is to replace them with a new and improved government health plan and make everybody participate? This guy must be counting on his audience being plain stupid. Somebody should tell him he lies.
Here’s how things work. Franklin Delano Roosevelt caused most people’s health care to be tied to their jobs, so your health care is part of your pay.
You pay for your health care through reduced pay, and your cost is far more than what appears on your pay stub. It’s not really insurance. Insurance involves pooling risk and paying a small amount to be protected against large, but unlikely, catastrophes. For example, your car insurance kicks in when you crash, but if you get your oil changed or break a tail light, you shop around for the best deal or fix it yourself.
If your employer did not have to pay for every little cut finger and teeth cleaning, your pay would increase. You would then shop around for the best values in emergency care and teeth cleaning. Common services — things you need on a regular basis, like oil changes and physicals — would become cheaper due to increased competition, value shopping by patients and the lack of insurance involvement. Does your auto insurance company take a cut every time you get the oil changed? Why should a health insurance company, or worse, a totally inefficient government bureaucracy, get paid every time you get your teeth cleaned? Under the Democrats’ plan, we will be forced to trade an ever larger share of our labor for less actual health care, and more lazy government bureaucrats. Do you ever shop around for the best value in medical care? No, you have to go where your employer’s “insurance” company says to go, and you don’t worry about price because you think it’s free. Sorry, but it’s not free.
We need to abolish the system FDR saddled us with during World War II. Health care needs to be opened up to market forces. If you don’t trust the market, then go to the grocery store and try to count the items on the shelves.
You can get a 20 types of orange juice in any supermarket, but if health care passes, Obama and Warner will tell you to take two aspirin and drop dead when you get old.
Patrick Evans
Staunton

Bill takes shot at right to bear arms

You thought it would never happen here. Well, here it comes: HR 45, the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sales Act of 2009.
It is very important for you to be aware of a new bill, HR 45 introduced into the House.
This bill would make it illegal to own any rifle or pistol with a clip unless you:
n are fingerprinted,
n supply a current driver’s license,
n supply your Social Security number
n and authorize the release of your medical records.
Each update or change in ownership through private or public sale must be reported, and that will cost you $25. If you don’t do this, you’ll lose your right to own a fierarm and be subject to a year in jail.
To find out more, go to any government Web site and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009.
It is lengthy, but worth reading. Call your congressman and tell him or her to vote no on this bill.
Harry Ritenour
Waynesboro

Browns make their point on Acorn

We want to thank you for the printing the well-written column by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown, “Acorn kid shames Big Media.”
Our only complaint is should have been on the first page instead of the fourth page.
There is still hope for our nation when we have people like James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles.
God bless them and God bless you for printing the column.
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hall
Stuarts Draft