To the Editor:

Where will it all end? The line has become blurred between freedom and getting stuff for free. It appears that we are now a nation focused on the latter. That is very sad and will be our undoing. But for arguments sake, lets take a look at what Americans have a right to have.

Lets assume that all Americans have a right to free health care. After all, we are the wealthiest nation in the world, right? Shouldnt we make sure that all of our citizens and all who come to visit have full and free access to health care? Well just tax the wealthy. They can afford to pick up the tab for the whole United States. Using that argument and utilizing the same rules and regulations that the insurance industry will have to endure under the Health care Reform Bills in Congress, lets take it a step further.

Food is the most basic of all human needs and there are hungry people in America. Dont all Americans have a right to eat? I mean, it is scandalous to think that there are hungry people in America, the worlds richest nation. Since a few are hungry, we should change how the entire country is fed, making food more affordable for all.

So, should the government set up grocery stores next to privately owned grocery stores? The privately owned grocery stores would not be allowed to operate in multiple states, as is the case with the existing laws for health insurance companies. Competition would be greatly decreased and prices would go up. The government run grocery stores would not have to be profitable, so they could undercut the prices of the privately owned stores.

Plus, the privately owned stores would not be allowed to sell food to any new customers; they could only sell to those who had existing Rewards accounts. Soon, there would be only the government stores. But wait when you shop at the government store, the government would have the ability to approve or disapprove of your diet and control what you buy. If you want to hunt (assuming they still let us have guns) and grow your own food, you would be taxed for not using the government grocery store.

And how are we going to pay for all of this increased government? I know well tax the not-quite-as-wealthy-anymore folks. They can still afford it.

And how about clothing? Doesnt every citizen have a right to be clothed? After all, that is also one of the basic human needs. There are folks right here in America who cant afford to buy clothes or shoes. It is unconscionable that we have that problem in the wealthiest country in the world.

Okay, lets take care of that and make clothing more affordable for all. The government can open clothing stores around the country. They can oversee what we are wearing and make sure it is acceptable to the folks in Washington. Existing clothing stores would not be allowed to operate in more than one state, so access to clothing would be very limited and prices would go up. No catalogs, no national chains, just government run stores to make certain all of our citizens and visitors are properly clothed. If the government doesnt like what you are wearing or you want to make your own, you will be taxed a percentage of your income. But, who is going to pay for all of this? Hey, we can just tax the not-wealthy-anymore folks. Somebody has to pay for this.

I dont think we should stop there. Everyone has a right to shelter. I mean, good heavens, folks, there are people living on the streets right here in America. We have to do something about that. Its not fair that some people live in big beautiful homes, even though they have worked hard their whole lives and saved their money to buy their homes, and some people are on the streets. We cant have such a thing in America.

I say that we put Washington in charge of our housing and make it affordable for all. The bureaucrats and the unions can build our houses because the existing building contractors would not be allowed to build houses for any new clients. Now, we can all have a place to live so that one house is just as nice as the next. But who is going to pay for that? Uh oh. The wealthy arent wealthy anymore. Now what?

Do you think the aforementioned scenarios cant happen here? Well, I never thought socialized health care would happen, either. I never thought I would have to be afraid of my own government, but I am now very afraid.

So, what rights do Americans have? I think we should have the right to keep our own hard earned money. We should dance with the one who brought us.

It was the free market that created the wealthiest nation in the world. It is what brought us to the dance. We need to let it work and open up the competition across state lines for health insurance companies. It keeps prices down in every other category so doesnt it just make sense that increased competition would decrease the price of insurance policies?

Get the government out of our business and out of the doctors offices and let them go about the business of taking care of their patients health.

It is truly essential that we help those who need our collective assistance with food, clothing, shelter, and yes, health care. We have government and private citizen programs to give a hand to those in need and we should continue to fine-tune those programs that feed the hungry, give clothing and shelter to those who have none, and to give medical care to those who cannot pay.

I believe with all my heart that we should help those who need a hand up. But lets focus on helping those folks. Helping them does not require us to restructure the business of the entire nation and allow the government to control our lives. After all, this is America.

We are the most generous nation on earth and we can take care of our own through our volunteerism, private donations, and very limited, focused government assistance.

Let the government create incentives to the private sector that encourages helping those in need rather than Pelosis plan to eliminate charitable tax deductions. We do need health care reform, but lets not replace the whole engine when we have a flat tire.

Cheryl Every