Letters

Raise your voice

It doesn’t take much intelligence to realize that the recent act in the Republican Congress to “Modify our Health System, and ‘help?’ seniors get their prescription drugs” is a ploy to destroy Medicare as we know it today.

Bush’s plan is to induce seniors to join HMOs and give insurance firms the ability to charge for prescriptions.

To date, I have never heard about any insurance firm going out of its way for the benefit of clients. But we do hear about the ungodly salaries and bonuses that their top executives receive.

Since this “new plan” wouldn’t come into existence until 2006, my advanced age (86) may not see me survive to face this debacle. But for “Baby Boomers” et al, it will spell much trouble.

The second “Bush Plan” to give billions to energy corporations is yet another example of where our moneys are being misspent. Surely, these energy firms are not lacking in funds. Their CEOs too, go home with millions in salaries and bonuses.

President George Bush has often suggested that “he planned his moves along the same ways Ronald Reagan did!” This I agree with him. For example, he has authorized a huge defense budget (“because we need to fight terrorism!”). President Reagan also warned the public about an “Evil Empire” (USSR) and spent some four hundred billion dollars each year. Problem? I guess readers can recall that the Defense Department spent $400 for hammers, $600 for toilet seats, a 16-foot aluminum ladder, all of which could be bought at Sears et al for about $100 instead of costing many times that. The excuses always were that these items had to have “special features” — and after Reagan left office, we were left with a four trillion dollar debt. That figure has risen over the years because of interest to at least “a couple of trillions more.”

And daily, to our sorrow, we hear about yet more young American soldiers being killed in Iraq. Sadly, children will grow up without ever having had the joy of seeing their biological fathers.

It is most imperative that people speak up re: all of the above. Often I am told that “One man cannot change the world.” (But, ask yourself this, can you think of ONE person, who DID fight against the greatest empire of HIS day, and HIS work created a great religion.)

We can make the USA the truly greatest nation in the world, for others to follow our examples, but that will only happen if we all raise our voices.

Gerald Samkofsky
Chestnut Hill

A sonnet of Thanksgiving

How blessed we are to live within this time,

This eye-blink eons after ancient slime

Began to stir and then gave birth to life

That fought its way through nature’s storms and strife

To bring us where we’re now, upon this place,

Itself a bit of dust in endless space.

And whether this be due to someone’s God

Or evolution’s course o’er ages trod,

Or other force beyond our narrow ken,

Take pause, reflect, and give yourself to sense

The wonder of your mind, your consciousness.

And then, whatever be your trial or pall

Be humbly grateful that you’re here at all.

William Will
Chestnut Hill