Knoxville —
To the editor:
My grandfathers were farmers. Before Pearl Harbor, they lived on unimproved roads without electricity or indoor plumbing, but they had plenty to eat, no debt and little money. They raised chickens, pigs, milked cows and butchered their own animals for pork and beef.
In 1942, one of my grandfathers was told that his heart was bad enough that he should be in a hospital. He had no means to pay for this, and the son who had helped him on the farm was then working at a defense plant near Washington, D.C. His aged mother-in-law broke a hip and came to live with them. My grandparents struggled to get the old lady to an upstairs bedroom. In a short time, both my grandfather and his wife's mother died.
Then, doctors would make home visits. People complained about gas prices. My grandfather wished that he could use the oats that he raised to run his car. He grew most of their food, but had to have enough money to pay property taxes.
Now, in an election year with the Supreme Court considering the Constitutionality of the health care law, there is much uncertainty. We need both political parties working together to give consideration to the people who elected them. I am tired of hearing the word “socialism” in the present political issues. I have benefitted from the use of the VA since 1946. The post office, Social Security and Medicare are all socialistic. Americans should have a choice between a single-payer health plan and one run by free enterprise. Let people choose one or the other. Our country's future may depend on a good measure of public and private programs.
Robert Holdefer
Knoxville
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