For those opposing health care reform and afraid of having a public option: This has nothing to do with capitalism vs. socialism.

Are we stuck in an 18th-century fear of government? I thought we lived in a democracy where we are not the ones who need to be afraid, our politicians are!

The police, fire department, schools, libraries and the U.S. military are all socialized, so how does health care not fit in? Doctors and hospitals will remain private, the public option will streamline the insurance process and cut out the middleman, who takes billions of dollars in profits each year and pays his chief executive officer millions of dollars in salary while denying our critical health needs.

So why would we not want to do this cheaper? Those who choose the PO will pay into one pot and more than 95 percent of that pot will be used to pay our health professionals. Those who enjoy their private coverage can choose to stay out.

Like Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., asked [MSNBC talk show host Joe] Scarborough, "What do insurance companies bring us?" We could save more than 1 million people from filing bankruptcy due to medical reasons.

For the letter writer who doesn’t want some rich person paying his insurance, but said he will provide it for his family when he gets out of the military ("‘Free’ health care isn’t free," Aug. 26): Good luck with providing as much as $1,500 a month in premiums (this is going up).

We are already paying for others when they end up in the emergency room and can’t pay the bill. Instead, they will be able to get the help they need from their family doctor and save us all a lot of money.

So, will it be a government bureaucrat or a Wall Street bureaucrat?

Jeff TeeselinkKaiserslautern, Germany

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