Leif Skyving: Government Doesn't Fair at Everything

Friday, December 4, 2009

Idaho Press Tribune, Dec. 4, 2009 by Leif Skyving

Government doesn’t fail at everything

On Nov. 25, Deborah Zastrow wrote: “The majority of people do not want the proposed health care programs.”

Her letter represents the belief that her views are that of most, or all Americans. She states: the healthcare proposal is “frightful to all of us” and that “we think there must be a hidden agenda.”

A Nov. 17 CBS News poll found that 51 percent of Americans wanted a health reform bill with a public option, 16 percent without a public option, and only 26 percent wanted no bill at all.

A CNN/Opinion research poll found 56 percent of Americans favor either the House-passed version of health care reform or believe it doesn’t go far enough.

She argues that “Everything the government touches fails.” I disagree.

I’m proud of our military, a government institution. Other government programs I wouldn’t want to do away with include our interstate highway system, state, county and city roads, public libraries, police and fire departments, Medicare, Social Security, and yes, the post office. The next time you want a letter delivered to Alaska or Maine in three days for 44 cents, try having Fed Ex, UPS, or one of the airlines do it.

I don’t know where Ms. Zastrow gets her misinformation, but it troubles me that her statements emulate the rhetoric of right-wing shock jock entertainers like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly, celebrities who care more about ratings than sound public policy.

Are all government programs unassailable? Of course not! But I wonder if Ms. Zastrow would like government to give up regulating her water, gas and power bills and turn that over to Enron or Halliburton, Lehman Brothers, Citicorp, AIG, Goldman Sachs, Bernie Madoff...

Common sense and informed debate, not inflexible political ideology based on emotion, should determine government’s role.