Once again I am writing this letter in fear that our great country is being flushed down the drain. The current administration and congress are trying to take over completely and it seems that they are unwilling to listen to the American people. If you agree with the Obama administration, you are considered grass root citizens. If you disagree with the administration, you are Astroturf, brown shirts, mobsters, and un-American.

This government is trying to push down our throats a government-run health care system. President Obama and congress, it seems, do not know what they are talking about. They cannot give the American people a clear and precise way how their health care plans will save money and give better health care to all Americans. In Oregon, they have a state-run health care system. Last year, there were reports about a 64-year-old Oregon-resident by the name of Barbara Wagner was in remission, but then the cancer came back. She went to her doctor and was told that she needed a certain drug that would help her prolong her life. She went to the state-run health care system and was told that they were not able to supply the medication because of cost. The letter she received stated that they would be able to give her comfort care or help her with assisted suicide. How would you, as a patient or family member, feel if you received such a letter? That can very well happen with government run health care in this country.

It is happening at the Veteran's Administration. They have a 52-page booklet that the VA doctors are instructed to hand out. This booklet is given to all returning wounded war veterans along with veterans from previous wars called, "Your life, Your Choices." This booklet was banned by the Bush Administration in 2007 because they did not like the way it dealt with complex health and moral issues. It was brought back to the VA by the Obama Administration in July of 2009. You can obtain a copy online, and when you read it your hair will stand.

In England, they have 1.4 million people employed to run the English Health Care System. Most of the people employed are managers, not doctors or nurses. There are long lines to see a doctor and if you are elderly you are put at the end of the line because you are expendable. It was said by an English Government Official by the name of Daniel Hannan that many elderly people are put into hospital wards and left there to starve. A woman in England had to have her baby on the pavement because they would not send an ambulance to pick her up.

In Canada, the health care system is falling apart. Thousands of Canadians have had their surgeries cancelled because the government does not have the money to perform these surgeries. Is this what Obama and congress want to give the American people? Maybe the president wants to employ 1.4 million people in this type of system to lower unemployment. What will the cost be for such a system? Why do you think our politicians are looking for a trillion dollars? That figure is probably much less than what they really need. The government can't run probably much less than what they really need. The government can't properly run the cash for clunkers program, so why do they think they can run government health care? Obama stated that government health care would not take away free market health insurance. He compared UPS and FedEx with the United States Post Office. UPS and FedEx are both making profits and the post office is losing billions of dollars. What is this man thinking? I think he should just continue to use his teleprompter.

Obama is giving $2 billion to an oil company in Brazil named Petro Bras to help them with off-shore drilling. This company made $18 billion last year selling their oil to the Chinese. Why is this administration giving money to foreign countries, which are certainly do nothing for us? Why not drill off-shore in the USA and create jobs for the American people? This would also lesson our dependency on foreign oil. What is Obama thinking, and who is he listening to? He put in his administration a man named Van Jones in the position of what is called a Green Czar. Jones is a known communist and was also in prison. These are people that our president surrounds himself with. Warren Buffet stated that America will turn into a Banana Republic if Obama continues his spending spree and printing money. Inflation will run rampant if he continues on this course.

As stated before, the Obama administration is looking to take away $500 billion from Medicare. AARP should speak out to the Obama administration. They should tell them to fix Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and certainly by taking such a vast amount of money from Medicare, this is not the way to fix it. Remember: the U.S. Government is running these programs. It is costing the American people billions of dollars. Correct the problems, end waste, fraud, and mismanagement, and don't try to re-invent the wheel. Seniors, keep your eyes on AARP because it is possible that they are in bed with the president.

All Americans should stand up and speak out and tell Obama and Congress to slow down and do not pass any bills that the American people are telling them they do not want. Remember, they are working for us — we are not working for them. Obama and Congress, stop trying to push these programs down the throats of the American people. We want quality health care, not rationed health care.

Joseph R. Zankl
Pine Bush