Readers Write 9/7

ECONOMY

Recession brings people back to their senses

It’s amusing for analysts to grab for every single tip that shows the recession is ending! Yet, some top economists predict it will last into 2010, and maybe beyond. For those who stay solvent, a continued recession could well be good. As my mama said back in the Great Depression, “A setback is good in the long run. A recession is always a ‘laxative’ to the economy.”

People who have been flying too high should be brought back to their senses. Unbridled growth can never continue without controls, and our current depression is that control. This financial crisis — as experts predict — will bring our investment community back to reality. And, many religious leaders say it will arouse much of the public to the pursuit of spiritual values.

I believe our outlook is changing from “what’s in it for me,” to a more basic, common sense attitude in life. Maybe this financial crisis will continue for a short time because, if we roar back to our previous high living, everybody will eventually suffer.

Denton Harris, Atlanta

HEALTH CARE

Reform begins at home — with diet and exercise

I’ve heard a lot about fixing health care, and what are we really doing? We are treating the symptom, and not the problem. We need to start taking responsibility for our own health. We live in a country where everybody wants it now. Our kids go to schools that have machines loaded with junk food. People are still smoking. Is it any wonder health care is so expensive?

Problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure can be diet-related. We cannot afford to let the government bail us out of this one, too.

Stand up and be proactive. That means educating yourself about what’s healthy to eat and what isn’t, and getting outside and exercising. Even walking a little bit each day can help. If we don’t do this, we are digging the ditch faster than the government can throw the dirt back in it, and it will only get worse. No matter where you stand on this issue, do your part — if only for yourself and your family. That is “change we can believe in.”

Mark Brisby, Bethlehem

HEALTH CARE

Government allows you
a voice. Insurers do not

To my anxious, angry fellow Americans: You would think you live in the old Soviet Union, instead of a vibrant democracy. It is true — whatever health care bill finally passes will not be perfect. But you will have a voice in shaping and improving that new service. When was the last time you had a chance to shape your private insurance? No one states this more clearly than Jay Solomon (“Are government bureaucrats worse than insurers?” Opinion, Aug. 28).

I have experienced health care under both “government bureaucrats” and private “insurers.” The military medical services provided by government bureaucrats have improved dramatically since my husband was first commissioned. Medical services provided by our private insurers (through civilian jobs) have declined dramatically. Why? We had a voice with our elected representatives, which we exercised collectively and loudly. We have never had a voice with the private sector. Your power as citizens begins with health care reform. Kris Taylor, Roswell