Healthcare a proper concern of government

To the editor:

The other day a friend and I had a not-very-friendly conversation about SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program). She said "That's socialized medicine!" which is what the Republicans, including Randy Kuhl, have chosen to call it.

Had I been a little quicker mentally, I would have replied that if she wanted to refuse all the government services, which used to be privately provided, she would certainly lead a difficult life. At one time there were no police forces; people had to hire their own protectors. Fire departments were private companies. Homeowners had to pay them in advance to come in a fire emergency or they would only watch the fire from the sidelines. There were no public schools. If parents had money, they sent their children away to a private school, hired a tutor or banded together with neighbors to pay a teacher for a few months of the year. Other children grew up to be illiterates with little chance to prosper. Roads would be unpaved mud holes. People would drink contaminated water from private wells due to the untreated sewage.

"So" I would have said, "if your house is robbed, don't call the police, if you smell smoke don't dial 911 for help, we'd better close the schools, stay home because the roads are impassable and for heaven's sake don't drink the water!"

Why can't we face the fact that some large public problems and needs would be better served by our government than by undisciplined private companies for which profit is much more a concern than service? The cost of health insurance has reached a level at which it has become a public concern that can only be eased by government. Representative Randy Kuhl seems to represent his contributors much better than his constituents.

Ruth Davis Penn Yan,