Readers Write 9/24

HEALTH CARE

Start by reforming 
fast food industry

As Michael Pollan, who wrote “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” will tell you, taking on health care reform is needed, but it’s not what needs changing the most. U.S. citizens spend more on health care than any other country by far. It’s because we are an overweight society. The illnesses resulting from being overweight range from diabetes to heart conditions; from cancer to liver problems.

If we could reduce our nation’s weight, we could reduce our spending on health care by over half. Obama and company should try to reform the food industry, but that’s a much bigger task. How can people eat fast food and not see the connection to their overweight bodies? And I won’t even get into fast food restaurants being attached to hospitals. Folks, it may taste good, but it is doing insidious damage to your precious bodies.

Tom Ashley, Chamblee

POLITICS

Tucker should learn from Obama’s example

Cynthia Tucker’s “Unhealthy tone to Obama opposition” (Opinion, Sept. 16) was not helpful. What saddens me is that Tucker sees President Obama much the same way as those she so vigorously attacks: as a black man. But Obama’s genius is his ability to harmonize political desires that formerly remained divided along racial lines. One way he does so is to present skin color as incidental. It is discouraging that Tucker has not learned from his example — arguing that the presence of a vocal, bigoted minority is broadly instructive.

She cites faxes sent to Rep. David Scott as evidence of a pervasive racial undercurrent in the health care conversation. If we are to take informal sampling of one politician’s fax machine as useful analysis, I suggest a review of former President Bush’s inbox over the past few years. As for demonstrations, Tucker seems to have forgotten the constant protests that followed Bush like an odor. Spence Green, Atlanta

POLITICS

Opposing Obama policies is not racist

I am not a racist! Jimmy Carter’s latest outburst regarding Joe Wilson is one of the most unhelpful comments he has ever made in a long career marked by ill-considered remarks. Shame on him! I did not vote for Barack Obama, and I do not support several of his key proposals, but I am proud that my country could elect a black man as president, and I pray for his safety.

Jeff Fisher, Sandy Springs

POLITICS

Name calling limits intelligent debate

Legitimate questioning of Congress and the current administration is our right as Americans. But can we please stop using words like “fascist” or “Nazi” as pejoratives to describe those whose views run counter to ours?

A reader confidently challenged us (Opinion, Readers write, Sept. 16) to look up “fascism,” his word depicting today’s Washington (read: Democrats). Never mind that Congress and the president don’t come close to fitting the working definition. That’s not the point. Complicated issues require intelligent discourse. To those of the vocal opposition, a word of caution: Arguments that invoke civilization’s ugly past are an abrupt shift from civil dialogue, and do more harm than good. Marc Marton, Roswell