Lies are flying about health care reform

Rumors are flying these days about the legislation the U.S. House and Senate are considering for health care reform. Some of it's downright crazy stuff. Most of it is little more than scare tactics by people who oppose any kind of reform.

A caller phoned Highlands Today Tuesday in a near panic that the health care bill had information about seniors, and how the government would give seminars on senior citizens' responsibility to not live too long of lives. She said that information came from someone in a Florida congressman's office.

The caller was upset, wanting a copy of the bill. It was explained that no bill had been agreed upon and that she was misled. There's a lot of misleading going on these days.

We wrote in an editorial on Sunday that health care reform should not be rushed. We still believe that. However, we also believe reform is necessary, and we're not married to any specific method of getting it done. If it's a single government plan, fine. If it's a private industry plan, that's fine too. The point is, all that matters is that all American citizens have access to affordable, adequate health care.

Plenty of politicians and others don't want anything like that to happen, unless it lines their pockets, or the pockets of the special interests who fund their political races. That's what's wrong with so many things in America these days. Our politicians don't fix real problems, they just put the fix in for their campaign contributors.

Now more than ever we must have good information about what's being proposed. We don't need exaggerations, lies, spin or anything else. And we certainly don't need scare tactics. However, we know that won't subside.

It will be up to all Americans to wade through the misinformation, as well as the good information, to get the truth on health care reform. It's our duty to do our homework.