TO THE EDITOR: THE NORTHFIELD NEWS NO ONE IS better at dividing our country than our government. Our political parties, Democrat and Republican, are equally responsible. I know that disagreeing with Mr. Obama has caused some to call me “un-American”. This tactic is being used most effectively in the healthcare debate. If you disagree with the president or any of the Democrats, you can be called racist and un-American, simply because you have a different idea.

Some of the points of disagreement with Mr. Obama regarding healthcare include his presentation of partial truth, and not telling the whole story. In one of his many prolific speeches, he stated that the AMA and AARP were supporters of his healthcare reform. Before I go any farther, I believe that healthcare reform is needed and necessary. I do not believe that government take over of the healthcare system is the way to achieve reform, nor is it Constitutional to force the People to submit to government control. The biggest fallacy being spread around is that healthcare is a right, granted by our government. We do not receive our rights from the government. You will find this both in the Declaration of Independence and in the Preamble of the Constitution.

Mr. Obama said that the AMA backed his proposal, which was the truth. What he didn’t say was that the AMA is comprised of only 17% of the doctors in the United States. Those doctors belonging to the AMA are primarily administrators and educators, who do not deal with patients. Over 60% of practicing physicians do not agree with Mr. Obama. This is what I call a “partial truth”.

In that same speech Obama indicated that he had the support of the AARP. This would lead one to believe that all the elderly agree with Obamacare. Even Jim Leddy, AARP Vermont State President, agrees and feels that Obamacare is a matter of social justice. In a recent article appearing in The Northfield News, Mr. Leddy wrote, “While I understand that we can’t spend our way to recovery, neither can we cut our way to economic health unless we are prepared to cut the bond between our values and our bottom line. There must be balance, to include consideration of new revenue.” Mr. Leddy also must have listened to Mr. Obama’s many speeches regarding “Hope”, since hope is what is needed, that is, hope that we will somehow get the money necessary to fund this endeavor in these incredulous times. The hope we need is that our government, state and federal, stops spending and stops taxing us, and the hope that we don’t get a massive intrusion into our lives, our health, and our money, that this monstrous healthcare bill will impose upon us. Seniors know this, since over 60% of them oppose Obamacare.

What a majority of seniors, including me, do not believe is that taking $500 billion out of Medicare will make our healthcare options better. Obama is trying to convince us that he is going to be reducing fraud and waste from the system by taking $500 billion away from us. That doesn’t even make sense. We have known for many years that there is fraud and abuse in Medicare. Since this is a problem, work on fixing THAT problem, don’t take money away from senior citizens. That equates to taking money away from the poor to insure 30 million people who don’t have healthcare.

My suggestion is that the government get out of the way of the people. Create an atmosphere where real jobs are created, not just government jobs, and more people will be able to buy their own healthcare insurance. Our government should work on principles and ideas that are American instead of encumbering us with massive governmental policies that we can’t afford.

The biggest fraud that is being perpetrated is bipartisanship. We are represented by 100 senators, 2 from each state. For the past year, there have been 58 Democrats, 2 Independents who vote with the Democrats, and 40 Republicans. For a bill to pass the Senate 60 votes are needed. The Democrats have that majority. In the House of Representatives, there are 434 members. The breakdown is 256 Democrats, and 178 Republicans. For a bill pass in the House, a 218 vote majority is necessary. The Democrats also have that.

We have a Democratic president, a Democratic controlled House and a Democratic controlled Senate, which is known as a Super Majority, and the TOTAL controlling power of our government by party breakdown, is by the Democrats.

We do have bipartisanship in our government. That bipartisanship is OPPOSITION to the so called healthcare legislation that they are trying to, in desperation, jam down our throats.

Is the Republican Party the party of “NO” ? I certainly hope so. It is a noble thing to oppose and say no to a monstrosity of a bill.

ANTHONY VACH

Northfield