The Herald’s Sunday editorial about “this nation’s shamefully broken health-care system” used the appropriate word “audacity” to describe our president’s proposed “fix.” Webster includes among its definitions:
Over-bold; bold in wickedness; imprudent; shameless; unrestrained. I could argue that “health-care system” is a misnomer; probably should be called “sick-care system.” But let’s not waste time on semantics.
The proposal to pay for the “fix” by taxing the top 2 percent of income earners is just another example of taking from the producers to give to those who government thinks are more deserving. The top 2 percent of income earners already pay a huge share of the cost of government and the bottom 40 percent pay almost none. These top income earners are the people who create jobs. What incentive is there for these people to work harder and create more jobs if they know that the government is just going to take the added income away? If you work for $25 per hour and the company offers you a chance to work overtime for $5 per hour, what do you think your response will be?
Now let’s get to the root of the problem. Most of our chronic health problems are a result of lifestyle choices. It is projected that by 2030 nearly all Americans will be overweight or obese. This lifestyle choice of eating too much and moving too little is a major contributing factor to the epidemic of diabetes and to the No. 1 and No. 2 killers of Americans, heart disease and cancer.
We are going to burden our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren with the cost of paying for those who irresponsibly choose not to change their behavior to save their own lives.
Move more! Eat less!
Fred C. Howard
Snohomish
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