9/11 offered 'change'

Hi neighbors. We have survived another Sept. 11. It is a new memorial day when the entire nation places a wreath for lost "family."

I don't feel I'm capable of writing a summary of how the world has changed since the crashing of the Twin Towers. There have been too many comments, decisions, choices and actions made for better or worse by individuals and governments since that sad day for one mind to grasp all the future ramifications involved.

One thing I feel the most strongly about is the sense of vulnerability we as United States citizens had to face. Maybe instead of wondering who did this and why we should have been (and still should be) asking where was our government funded protection and why wasn't it successful.

Since then the overwhelming large and still growing umbrella dubbed Homeland Security keeps telling us that more and more of our individual rights must be sacrificed for the good of all. I think that is a rather obscure (and dangerous) proposition; if not down right rubbish.

Other than keeping transportation of people and goods moving smoothly between states and making trade agreements with other countries, our highly paid government has no other responsibilities except the one about protecting the citizens.

Our federal government doesn't need to bail out companies that are mostly owned by foreign governments anyway. Our federal government doesn't need to provide health care to every citizen and call it a "change". If you want to know what nationally run health care is like, look at other government attempts to organize health care. (Medicaid/Medicare have been reported to be riddled with over 30 percent fraud rates.) See how effective these systems have proven to be here at home and in other countries and how much they cost.

Not only do taxes increases, but the quality of health care stumbles.

I am not accusing the medical profession for over charging, most are barely keeping out of the red; nor am I attacking the coverage offered by many private insurance companies. It remains that there are real problems in providing affordable health care.

There has to be another solution that doesn't include a government run health care system being the single provider for all citizens.

Where oh where has the family doctor gone? You remember the local healthcare provider who delivered your children and will probably deliver your grandchildren. That's the care I'm talking about.

Those of us fortunate enough to live in a small town and who know our health care providers by name and reputation should surely count our blessings.

There are people who need health care coverage: those without jobs or working two or three part time jobs with no benefits are examples. We could all be in their shoes. Yes, they need affordable, dependable insurance. They don't need a federally run health care system that puts them on a waiting list to visit a doctor 100 miles away six months from now.

Maybe before we say an eager "yes" to more government control of our private lives, we should remind them that their track record of doing one of the few things they are supposed to do -- keeping us safe -- doesn't look all that trustworthy.

My father used to tease me when I would ask for "change" and say, "You mean from your hand to mine?" Perhaps we need to remember that "change" is a word that functions as both a noun and a verb.

Let's hope after January we won't be handing over dollars and getting only a few coins of change in return.

Whoever wins this next election must realize that the American people will not tolerate another government failure like Sept. 11 again.

To our Congress, our Supreme Court and our future President we say, "Don't promise us a lot of malarkey and pie in the sky. Just do the job you're supposed to do without stepping on our rights while doing it. You are our government, not our parents. We don't need you to tell us what is best for us. We don't want you to assume you should treat us like children.

Your job is never secure because we are watching you. There isn't one of you that cannot be replaced at the ballot box. American government officials should never see themselves as the citizens "Big Brother." Instead it is us, the American people, who are watching you. Until the next time friends remember, America is perhaps the only country in the world where our government IS what we make it. Vote!