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Reader supports universal healthcare DEAR EDITOR: Last summer, in 2006, I visited my family who live near Swainsboro. My family has lived near this area almost their entire lives while I left about 20 years ago. I live in a small German town, similar in size to Swainsboro, which is why I was particularly struck by the differences in small town America and small town Germany (not to mention most other western European countries). First, let me say that I am not anti-American. I believe that Americans are honest, hard-working people that will help anyone if they can. I love to see other Americans when abroad because they are friendly polite people who always have a smile. This is why, that, after returning to the U.S. and seeing the lives of the people there, I was absolutely sick and disgusted. Folks, you are being taken for a ride. It is criminal that over 45 million of you do not have insurance and have no access to preventative health care. That is not the case in other western nations. I have lived in Canada and Germany, and in both countries I could feel comfortable that everyone was being taken care of. I could rest assured that the grandmother down the street could have a mammogram or a cancer patient nearby could receive good treatment without being bankrupted. You and your family deserve the same. The insurance industry will tell you that health care in countries with nationalized systems is poor and the waiting lists long. That is not true. I have never experienced this and neither have any of the Canadians or Europeans that I have spoken with. They consider health care to be a right of citizenship, like a highway system or education. The other thing that disturbed me when visiting your town was the almost total lack of community facilities, convenient and affordable to all citizens. Where is your swimming pool, tennis courts, walking trails? If they were there, I couldn't find them. It was August and, though incredibly hot, there was no pool in which to cool off. Most towns of similar size in Germany have very nice swimming complexes, both indoor for the winter and outdoor for the summer. There are many organized festivals for every season, sports clubs and other associations, all actively supported by the local government. It is unfair and outrageous that you don't have the same. Life is about much more than working; you need places and events where you can meet your fellow townspeople and spend, not a little, but a lot time enjoying your lives. Another glaring difference that I noticed between the U.S. and Europe was that, in the U.S., there is so little access to public transportation. Anyone living in Swainsboro is, unless they have access to a private vehicle, stuck in Swainsboro. Why is there no network of buses that can take the elderly, poor or non-drivers to other towns and cities where they can have access to specialists, art venues, etc. What do your neighbors without access to a car do if they need to go to another town? Americans, you are being sold short. Every citizen deserves access to health care, public transport, community facilities and time off of work to enjoy life. If the governments in other countries can provide this for their citizens, so can the American government. Do not be fooled when politicians tell you that your standard of living is the best in the world; they are lying so that you accept shoddy service. As citizens of a democracy you have the right to demand that your politicians stop pandering to special interests and spend your tax dollars to help you, not big business. Demand better because you deserve better. DEENA ABABNEH Griesheim, Germany | |||||
