LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Understand the real facts

Do you oppose government-run health care? If so, raise your hand. If you are on Medicare, lower your hand. Do you oppose all forms of socialism? If so, raise your hand. If you are on Social Security, lower your hand and forward your monthly check to me.

If you experience an automatic negative reaction upon hearing the word "socialism" or the phrase "government-run," you are likely being played. Congressional Republicans use these loaded words as weapons. Their objective is to evoke visceral, unthinking, unenlightened opposition to proposed reforms in the very people who stand to benefit from them. They employ rational thought and psychology to short-circuit critical thinking in their target audience. Could they be any more cynical?

Sure, I'm a liberal. But unlike radical Republicans in Congress, I respect truth and the power of reason. President Obama's health reform will lead to euthanasia? False. A public option will lead to government takeover of health care? False. You'll be forced out of your current health plan and won't be able to see the doctor you want? False.

Are you being manipulated by cynical politicians, cable "news" and insurance industry-sponsored advertising? There's only one way to know for sure. Get the facts, think critically, decide for yourself. Your self-respect demands nothing less.

DENNIS BRADDY Little Rock Snyder wants power

A few weeks ago, Congressman Vic Snyder unexpectedly encountered a group of unruly peasants who weren't impressed by the Democrats' health care proposals. How dare they treat a member of the ruling class this way?

At his second forum he said he'd never been a big fan of this public option but if there is some kind of public-plan option, absolutely no one should be mandated to be in it. Nobody is proposing to force anyone to accept the public option. What people fear is that the Democrats will rig the rules so that it's much cheaper to buy the public option, and this will drive the insurance companies out of business.

Snyder has said that the problem is with the insurance companies. He's right, but government caused the problems. Lawmakers, particularly at the state level, have imposed so many expensive insurance requirements that they can't offer inexpensive policies. Since the legal requirements vary by state, the insurance market in a given state is small and not very competitive. If the politicians got out of the way and let the insurance companies compete, have a greater choice of policies, prices would be lower and we could get the coverage we want.

Snyder is a knee-jerk liberal who wants to concentrate power in Washington, D.C. and limit our options. We will lose more of our freedom and are likely to get poorer health care to boot. Such a deal!

RICHARD STRICKLAND Little Rock Two opposing views

Recently, you had an interesting pairing of commentaries.

On Voices, we have Gene Lyons talking of fear in reference to the health care debate. He sees the folks in these town halls taking their representatives to task as fearful and "scared witless." Thing is, as Thomas Sowell points out on the Editorial page, those of us protesting do have our wits about us. We have wits enough to stand up when our representatives lie to us so flagrantly. We also have our wits about us to be aware of the consequences of many of the desires and corruptions of those who would administer this health care.

Sowell points out the euphemisms, validating what Sarah Palin and others have stated. The protesters have wits enough to look at the background of some of Barack Obama's advisers on health care and see the consequences of having Dr. Ezekial Emanuel interpreting the words in the proposals.

Lyons talks of confidence and fear. We fear the unknown, and Sowell allays those fears by revealing the mischief within many of the health care proposals. I am not afraid of the health care that Obama advocates. I am aware that it is a boondoggle of the first water. I do have confidence in Sowell to be honest and assuage any niggling fears with his own knowledge. I have confidence that Lyons will see things that aren't there and ignore things he ought to see.

CHRISTINE KELLER Lincoln Focus on other tasks

I find it silly in this time of tribulation that the leaders of the U.S. House pushed so hard to punish Rep. Joe Wilson for his outburst. Yes, he was wrong. He knows it, I know it and anyone with any respect for the office of president (whether we agree with the president or not) and for the House and Senate knows it.

He apologized many times. When has "I'm sorry" for a silly faux pas like this not been enough? He didn't commit a crime. No one was harmed. He was only speaking what a large number of Americans feel, even if the timing was inappropriate. There are things that are almost criminal that are ignored simply because the House leaders want them to happen.

This [formal reprimand approved by the House] was simply a spiteful act and should have been dropped. The House of Representatives should get on with doing what is important. JEFFREY BERRY Sherwood Truth hard to handle

Will they never stop? There were two of them recently-letters to the editor whining over the less than flattering treatment of Saint Kennedy by this paper's editorial writer.

It makes me want to yell, as Col. Jessup did to Lt. Kaffee in "A Few Good Men," "You can't handle the truth!"

The truth is that Sen. Ted Kennedy should have served hard time and been kicked out of the Senate for his crime. But he was a Kennedy and the "incident" happened in Massachusetts.

BILL CURTIS Hot Springs Village Writing hypocritical

I guess our extinguished editorial writer is trying to get another Pulitzer in the fiction category. His alternate history editorials impugning Democrats and liberals in a straw man argument style surely deserve honorable mention in the fiction category.

It's a shame that the Southern gentleman has morphed into the Southern hypocrite, attacking imaginary events and people to refrain from criticizing the morally repugnant actions of real events and real people. The Inky Kvetch prefers to promote a fantasy about his foes rather than deal with the nightmares of his friends.

To paraphrase Jean Petit-Senn, loud indignation against imagined vice often stands for virtue in the eyes of small-minded bigots.

JAKE TIDMORE Little Rock Times have changed

Recently, as I was entering the post office, a man opened the door for me. Needless to say, I was touched and I thanked him. We live in a day when men don't always open or hold the door for ladies. I've even had men slam the door in my face.

We need to get back to basics. We need to go back to using good manners and etiquette. We need to be kind and considerate of one another. Children also need to be taught good manners.

Re the letter from Bill Burke of Rogers, I am not a product of the 1950s. I do not remember Howdy Doody or Buffalo Bob, but I do remember the "Bozo" show with occasional guest appearances of Cactus Vick. I grew up watching "Mr.

Roger's Neighborhood," "Captain Kangaroo" and "Sesame Street." Growing up in Memphis, we also watched "The Mr. Magic Show." All were good role models for children, and there wasn't half the violence you see on TV today.

Growing up in the '70s, we watched reruns of "Leave It to Beaver," "The Brady Bunch," "Little House on the Prairie," "Happy Days," "Adam 12" and "Emergency." I learned so much from watching "Emergency."

Times are so different and TV shows are not like they used to be. At the end of sitcoms, they would have a moral to the story or a final joke. TV is just not the same anymore.

JANET WAGES Jacksonville Dump the politicians

Both political parties have career politicians who only care about being re-elected to office.

John McCain, a.k.a. the great compromiser, co-sponsored the McCain-Feingold law, which limits freedom of speech during national elections. He wants to help Barack Obama pass a totally unneeded national health care bill. We already have one. It's called Medicare/Medicaid, with insurance companies paying most of the cost. Just repair it.

Then we have Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. He started as a Democrat, then became a Republican for years, and is now a Democrat after seeing polls running against him.

Charlie Rangel writes our tax laws and is a slick talker who tells the Internal Revenue Service to clamp down on tax evaders who claim a misunderstanding of tax laws. Guess what. Charlie has just been caught again, this time for not reporting $600,000 of his income.

Then we have Obama, who admitted that his friends at college were radicals. B.O. has anointed 30 to 40 czars who are unaccountable to anyone but B.O. He has transferred the 2010 census to the White House from the Commerce Department which has handled it since 1902. This is very dangerous.

Dump them all.

DAVID H. BUCKNAM Holiday Island Use of anger vexing

So Mike Ross has announced that he will oppose the public option in any health care bill.

Of course, he fell back on negative feedback from the public forums. Excuse my cynicism, but when Ross pushed for the vote to come after the congressional break, my thought was that he knew what would happen at the public forums and he planned to use the outrage, spontaneous or staged, no matter, to justify his position. Should it bother me that shouting at public forums counts as reasoned input by Ross? Cynicism continued, I see his sitting at the forums with head in hands like a school child being scolded as an act carefully planned beforehand.

Will Arkansas ever get congressmen who lead? Will it ever come to pass that we can disagree with their positions while nonetheless agreeing that they have well-argued rationales based on all the evidence, not cherry-picked evidence to support their positions?

I am 68. Can I hope to see the day when our congressmen will vote for the best for Arkansans and Americans rather than voting for their contributors? Currently, we have a single such congressman. A thank-you to Vic Snyder. May his numbers increase.

LARRY COLEMAN Little Rock Feedback Poor word choice

As a person who has mild disabilities and works as a volunteer with kids who have developmental disabilities, I am outraged that you would print a story with a headline referring to a "retarded killer."

The R word is an insult to the many Arkansans who live with developmental disabilities, so why can't you use people-first language when writing a story about people with disabilities? For example, instead of "confined to a wheelchair," use "wheelchair user." Don't use words that demean people with disabilities in your stories or headlines. Thank you.

MICHAEL THORNTON North Little Rock Image unflattering

I think you could have found a more flattering picture of Sen. Blanche Lincoln to run on your front page recently. Photos of the senator normally show a woman not unattractive, but in this one she looks like one of the Rolling Stones.

DALE WALDROP Fordyce