Relying on government for health care

Two opinion guest columns on health care reform in last Sunday's Gazette provided a stark contrast.

First, “3 real-life examples of why we need health care reform,” by Des Moines doctor Richard Deming, told the stories of his patients who are dealing with mountains of medical bills, medical statements and calls from collection agencies while dealing with the pain of cancer. He said health insurance reform would help folks like them and even save lives in the future.

Then there was “Obama's interpretation of Scripture,” in which a coldhearted Cal Thomas invoked the name of Jesus as justification to deny (government) health care to people. He said it is a “ludicrous claim” that someone in America dies every 10 minutes because they lack health insurance.

Thomas said the message of Jesus is that charity is “private, not corporate.” Why not both? Government is where we, the people, come together to handle massive projects on a massive scale. We rely on big government, not charity, for national defense, to build roads and bridges and administer Social Security and Medicare - why not health insurance?

Thomas claimed Jesus would be against “government taking from the productive and giving to the non-productive.” Is he talking about the same Jesus who lived his life among the poor and said a rich man has no chance to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

Are only the lives of “productive” people in our capitalist society the ones worth saving?

Barbara Lingner

Cedar Rapids