Presenting the facts

I've read two letters now by Marilyn Lee and her plea for government-run health care.

I want to present facts in light of these letters. 1.) The state of Texas has passed real tort reform with regards to medicine. Medical cost in Texas have declined 30 percent. 2.) Based upon your number that 63 percent doctors in the AMA support government run health care, did you know that only 17 percent of eligible physicians are members of the AMA? Also, did you know that 85 percent of the AMA annual revenue comes from sources other than membership? The AMA endorsements appear to favor those that pay. That is why their membership is rapidly declining.

3.) Endorsing Canadian and English health care delivery as a paragon to be followed goes against all logic and reality - space is too short to expound on the nonvirtues of those systems. Social Security and Medicare are both trillions of dollars in debt and are unsustainable. Because of debt, rationing is inevitable and the government will decide who lives and who dies.

Lastly, the choice of government run health care or not, boils down to the Constitution and freedom. Constitutionally the government is not impowered to decide who gets what type of insurance or even provide health care or mandate individuals to purchase coverage.

Your freedom to do with your money as you please is basic to the priciples of foundation of this country.

The right to life also comes into question if the government decides who gets what treatment and when. Freedoms are being destroyed for the illusion of security. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness which were once a consuming dream of men of vision are fading because of ignorance and lack of consideration of what is at stake in this debate. Do we not desecrate the blood of our fallen warriors who fought for freedom by giving the government such power over us?

G.R.Freeman

Florence