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Political bickering doesn’t solve anything

After reading Mehul Patel’s column, “Health care plan not a ‘takeover,” on Monday, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Oh man, here we go.”

With his not-so-friendly remarks about the Republican party, and his comparison of 9/11 to, well, anything, I knew some angry conservative was going to respond the following day.

And not just respond, but have something irrelevant and overly emotional to say about his 9/11 comparison.

Glad to see Robert Masino didn’t disappoint. I can’t help but wonder “What is wrong with these people?”

The two major parties spend more time engaging in school yard trash talk than discussing what can actually be done.

Patel had a great point about the value of a life, and that a death is a death, no matter the way you spin it.

And that we’re willing to drop $1 trillion on a war with unfounded claims, but that we can’t be bothered to spend the money on any type of health care reform.

Too bad his point is diminished when he resorts to trashing the Teaparty movement (a recent movement that actually originated from grass-root organizations in opposition to the bailouts, but, was quickly swallowed up by the GOP, a common practice from the two big parties), suggesting the movements attendees can’t read and suggesting a pro-life party can’t be bothered to save lives.

Not that Masino’s response was any more helpful, suggesting Patel was trying to trivialize the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks (seriously?), claiming no Democrat understands economics, and that the party loves taxing people.

Do you really think your party cares about the income of the middle class any more than the other?

It’s frustrating that this always happens: there’s a problem that needs a solution and legitimate debate about an important issue in America and members of the two major parties spend more time squabbling than getting anything done and we end up with a middle ground “compromise bill” that doesn’t address the issue from either side.

As soon as the two big parties in America can wake up and realize the harm they’re doing this country, maybe we can actually get something done around here.

In the mean time, I’ll keep looking forward to the government taking too much of my paycheck and needlessly spending it, and the corporate sector doing whatever it can to rip me off.

Adam Bascle
Sophomore, Loganville
History

Principles of a free economic market at stake

I found Mehul Patel’s column on 8/31 to be rather full of flaws and misleading arguments. Notably, he failed to realize that health care is a service, and as such it does indeed belong in the same market as iPods and laptops.

What he also failed to realize is that the private sector is not one entity that needs government competition, but actually many companies already competing with each other. However, a government “public option,” kept afloat through taxation and borrowing, can easily outlast any private company, which has to provide quality service or risk losing profit, the indicator of a company’s quality as well as success. As such, a government institution can easily “crowd out” the companies in the private sector, resulting in an industry takeover.

Whereas he accuses the tea party protesters of not understanding English, Mr. Patel himself apparently does not understand the principles of the free market.

Basil Syed
Freshman, Alpharetta
Economics

Column’s language is reason to oppose its case

When I opened up your Opinions page on Monday, I was pleased to see an article titled “Health Care Not a Takeover”.

I’m no expert on the health care debate, but any time the government gets involved as a competitor in private industry (using tax money), it gives me pause. I was hoping this piece could provide me with facts supporting government health care.

Instead, Mehul Patel demonstrated a misunderstanding of the war on terror (it was not waged to avenge 3,000, but to protect 300 million) and uses an immature, unoriginal insult (teabaggers?).

Also, Mr. Patel should know that I can read (a requirement for law students), but I also know a program doesn’t have to call itself “socialist” in order to be so. If this editorial is representative of the Democrats’ case for public health care, then it should be no secret why so many Americans oppose this expensive statist program.

Steve Faivre
Graduate Student,
East Islip, N.Y., Law

Health care policy already ‘undermine[s] recruiting’

I am writing in support of Dr. Kristin Boudreau’s open letter to President Adams, “University needs to reconsider health plan.”

As a faculty member who currently advises Masters and Doctoral level graduate students in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, I can confirm that the unconscionable changes to our graduate students’ health plan have already begun to undermine recruiting.

Would I currently advise a student to attend graduate school at UGA? Well, if he or she has a medical savings account of $10,000 to draw on, absolutely. Otherwise, not so much; it’s a risky gamble, and you’ll be betting your life.

David Schiller
Associate Professor
Hugh Hodgson School of Music