Editor: Regarding Scott Hurban's latest letter to the Editor, entitled 'A look at the facts,' published in Tuesday's Press, before commenting on the motivation for this response, I must offer that his first paragraph resonated with me until the word socialism appeared amidst the other 'darker desires' mentioned. It was well written and for the most part truthful, despite my disagreement with the concept of Socialism being 'darker' in and of itself.
In a truly civilized society, there exists a place for socialistic approaches – and contrary to Mr. Hurban's apparent perception, that existence does not belong in a separate, darker categorization. The epistemological connection between the words 'society' and 'socialism' reveals this truth. A truly advanced civilization would recognize the necessity of compassion for fellow human beings that have not been afforded the equitable opportunities as those afforded to some editorial authors – including myself. Health care in a manner of pulling out all the stops for everyone ought to be considered a basic human right, as should clean air & water, and energy to stay warm. Gasoline, and energy for transportation is appropriate in the private sector, however energy as a whole is not.
Offering basic health care to only those who can afford it as prescribed by undergraduate business majors handling the front lines of approval telephone numbers at HMO offices, as opposed to providing the ultimate care for all ailing fellow humans without motivation for profit is a blatant display of greed and exploitation of those in need, and a failure on the part of any government allowing such exploitation.
And now, on to the motivation for this response… I was not aware that 'nations' produce prescription drugs. I was under the impression that global corporations amidst the private sector whose primary motivation is profit undertake such production.
Daniel Wells, Tracy