Nancy McReady and I certainly have different perspectives and positions on many issues. However, I commend her for frequently speaking up while many stay silent and specifically for speaking up in her last letter about the ineffectiveness of partisan politics, the need for excellent, well-thought-out health care reform, and for the need of our elected representatives (and indeed, all of us) to work together.

Theodore Roethke wrote, “In a dark time, the eye begins to see.” All of us need to open our eyes to the disastrous decisions made and directions taken in this country over the last 30 years and recognize we each have a part in that. We need to admit the people we have voted for have often messed things up pretty badly out of fear, greed, lust for power and reelection. We need to get out from behind our dug-in trenches of opinions (often uninformed), talk to each other and talk to them, letting them know we’d like to see some intelligence, thoughtfulness and statesmanship in their decision-making with respect for the constitution, the values this country was founded on, and the common good.

One definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.” We have clearly seen that entrenched partisan politics does not work. Nor has electing politicians who just want “pork barrel projects” for their small piece of the United States and who toe the party line regardless of the consequences for our country. We do not need more evidence that giving tax breaks and lowering income taxes and capital gains taxes to benefit the wealthiest individuals and corporations has decimated our federal and state budgets, while broadening the gap between the wealthiest one percent and the rest of us. Our own Governor Pawlenty is a textbook case of toeing the party line for his personal ambitions without regard for the good of Minnesota…and we pay the cost.

Health care reform is desperately needed and long overdue as we lag seriously behind most industrialized countries. Many elected Republicans have bragged about their determination to defeat health care reform at any cost and the rest toe the party line, so the process has been an embarrassing boondoggle. It’s the average citizen and business owner who is and will continue to pay the cost of inadequate, expensive health care while those elected have Cadillac health care policies.

A pharmacist friend of mine who is well-acquainted with the proposed health care bill despairs some unnecessary and expensive components, given as concessions in efforts to reach compromise. She also suggested we should “start from scratch” but in regard to Congress…that “maybe we should just send them all home and start over.” At times, they do seem to forget who they’re working for.

Dark times bring challenges which present the opportunity to slow down, reassess, and apply our intelligence and creativity to come up with new solutions to improve present and future conditions. The alternative is continued insanity.

Betty Firth

Ely, Minn.