Each month, The Pilot reprints the letters judged to be the best from the previous month.

Long Struggle Ahead

In Health-Care Debate

FROM MARCH 24: It’s bad enough that those of us who opposed the health-care bill are mocked and vilified daily by the president, who was going to bring us all together. Now we learn from a March 24 letter that even Jesus is against us.

My wife and I worked hard all of our lives, saved and invested for our later years, raised a family, paid taxes to support social programs, supported our church, gave to charities. We mistakenly assumed this entitled us to an opinion on this issue, never really understanding that the need to help others trumped the cost, unintended consequences and sleazy process associated with this bill.

We are still looking for that guidance in the Bible about helping the needy by borrowing from foreigners and letting our children pay the tab. It’s meaningful that all societies that have moved toward socialism have become mostly secular. Only in socially conservative societies does Christianity flourish today.

If what we are observing on a personal basis is accurate, the letter writer’s prayers of reconciliation will go unanswered. This is not a fight between “haves” and “have-nots” but between the “producer” class and the “entitlement” class, now in about equal numbers. Half the population takes from government but pays essentially no income tax. This is only the opening battle in this struggle, and unfortunately the truly needy in our society will suffer the most casualties.

I do agree that God values all human lives equally. How would you explain supporting the expenditure of trillions of dollars on this program when millions of people — mostly young — die annually in the Third World from lack of basic nutrition and sanitation?

Personally I think some of Jesus’ best opinions were those he expressed about church leaders.

Jim L. Martin

Pinehurst

Why So Little Compassion?

FROM MARCH 26: I believe virtually no member of the U.S. voting public (including myself) nor our run-of-the-mill Congress has anything resembling even a most modest understanding of the just-passed medical legislation.

Those who probably do have some knowledge are mostly local and national physicians, hospitals, drug and hospital groups — which, of course, should have direct interest. They favor the legislation.

Nevertheless, it seems that groups of “know littles” have chosen sides and availed themselves of the senselessness of joining opposing groups intent on hurling profanity and epithets and shaking fists at one another in abandonment of rationality and good taste.

What strikes me is the apparently undenied fact that 32 million men, women and children in this country are without medical insurance coverage. Most of these adult folks are working yet cannot afford outrageous premiums. Many other citizens are beset with policy exclusions or pre-existing illness conditions.

One would think a wee amount of compassion would overwhelm the selfishness of those against the legislation because they have fine coverage (as do I) or those who do not have insurance who are overcome with the usual propaganda blather of pseudo-patriotism, socialism, government takeover, etc., that was used to fight Social Security, Medicare and other social programs that they now revel in.

Charles McCormick

Southern Pines