Leaders oblivious to Americans in crisis

In regards to the current debacle we call health care reform, our Washington cronies are truly oblivious to the American citizen in economic crisis.

While respected statesmen, such as Gov. Bill Richardson and former Gov. George McGovern, have quietly advocated extending Medicare coverage, a sensible plan that might require some reform, Congress is forming a complicated bill from which we may never recover - a kind of health-based No Child Left Behind mess that will prove disastrous.

If you are losing your home because of job loss, how in the world are you going to pay for health insurance?

I remember when President Barack Obama compared health insurance to car insurance, and I would like to tell him about the uninsured driver who left me with a $500 deductible the day I got downsized from my job.

The truth is, people of all ages are moving back home, juggling two or three jobs, retiring early and desperate. What absolutely boggles my mind is how a representative of the American people can pass punitive legislation regarding health care. It breaks my heart. Indeed, if the new legislation passes, I doubt if my poor heart will ever recover.

Corinne Stanley

Iowa City