Unhappily, I'm willing to give Obama a chance

We woke up Wednesday morning having to face the fact the we now have to say, "President Obama." I for one will have a hard time saying that, as I fear we have installed a socialist "Manchurian candidate" into the White House.

But, fortunately, I am a Reagan conservative, which puts me head and shoulders above any liberal Democrat because I have respect for the office if not the officeholder. Therefore, I am willing to give the man a chance and will look forward to seeing if he can make this country a better place.

This is something liberals cannot understand, and the proof is that for eight long years, President Bush has been hammered day after day, with lies and false accusations. This is one example of why conservatives make better Americans. Did anyone notice the Black Panthers intimidating voters at the polling place in Philadelphia? What a fine example of Democratic strategy and excellence at work.

Mr. Obama will have to take responsibility for such actions because Mr. Bush was held to such standards. Let's see what Obama "truth squads" have in store for all of us.

ROBERT C. FAULKNER JR.
East Carnegie

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Senseless policy

Republicans are saying the Democrats are the party of "tax and spend." I say the Republicans are the party of "borrow and spend" -- proof being our $10 trillion debt.

It doesn't make sense to make tax cuts that have actually benefited mostly the rich and then borrow to make up for the lost revenues. This has been the tax policy of the Republican administrations under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Eight years of Reagan deficits nearly tripled the debt and it appears the same will be true of Mr. Bush's eight years.

Remember Bill Clinton's surpluses.

BILL SUVAK SR.
Turtle Creek

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Welcome to socialism

Well, Barack Obama is now president of this country.

You can look forward to having your taxes raised, your 401(k) seized, your sacrifice, hard work and success redistributed. You can look forward to having a president who sees our Constitution as flawed, full of negative liberties and essential constraints put there by the Founding Fathers that said what the states and the federal government can't do to its citizens but not what they must do on your behalf, which he has a problem with.

You can look forward to a civilian security force as powerful as the military reminiscent of what they have in places like North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and China. You can look forward to an all-out assault on the freedom of speech of opposing opinions and the 2nd Amendment.

Never have so many been duped by so little as the promise of getting someone else's money which they did not earn.

I would like to personally thank Democrats like Barney Frank and Chris Dodd for magnificently orchestrating the economy to fail as it did. Their timing was superb, their strategy flawless.

We have a new president. Welcome to the USSA, the United Socialist States of America.

Instead of redistribution of the wealth, how about redistribution of the work ethic?

You wanted it, you got it, now live with it.

Welcome to the Obamanation!

VICTOR K. HRECZKOSIEJ
Sewickley Heights

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Simply 'American'

We have elected an American to be our president. Let's eliminate the words "colored" or "African-American" from our vocabularies. We are not defined by our skin tone or nationality but by our behavior and kindness to one another.

We all deserve to stand up and be counted as Americans. We all live in this great country. We are so very blessed.

JAMES J. GABELHART
Bridgeville

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The start of our role

President-elect Barack Obama's election was, in many ways, amazing! I'm sure he feels the same way at times.

A new day has dawned, perhaps. My fear is that those of us who elected Mr. Obama will now relax, leaving it up to him to fix a nation that badly needs healing. He cannot fix us. We need healing, not a fix. That needs to come from within. I believe this is what Sen. John McCain was saying in his most gracious concession speech. We need him to play a key role in the healing. And we need those who voted for him as well as those who didn't vote at all.

Do not let us use Mr. Obama and his election as a way to sit back and relax, unwilling to even acknowledge that this is our mission, not simply Mr. Obama's or his Cabinet's or Congress'. I must play the part God has created me to play. A small piece of that was helping to elect Mr. Obama, but that is merely a small, albeit important, beginning.

The very mess we are currently in is due to our forgetting that democracy entails far more than voting. We must continue to be a part of moving this nation in the right direction. We must be a part of the healing or no real healing can happen. It is "we the people."

It is time to take back America and Mr. Obama can help us -- help us, please, by telling us that we must do our part, especially now, after the election.

REV. J. DAVID ELSE
Director Emeritus
Center for Spirituality in Twelve-Step Recovery
Pleasant Hills

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Stay put, Ms. Palin

My biggest fear before the election was that Sarah Palin would have one-seventh of a chance, statistically, of ascending to the presidency during John McCain's tenure.

Now my biggest fear is that she and her yahoo husband will not disappear back to Alaska never to be heard from in any meaningful way again. (Apologies to the beautiful wolves and polar bears that have died or will die under her governance.) The thought that we, in the lower 48, might be stuck with her presence in some way, shape or form, for years to come, is a bitter pill to swallow.

Perhaps now is the time to pray for deliverance from this perceived nightmare.

LAWRENCE PEARSON
Baldwin Borough

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Ugly article

I was embarrassed that the Post-Gazette would publish the Oct. 26 Forum article by Seth Kantner ("Sorry About Sarah") and give it top billing.

I read most of the PG's letters and editorials, but this is the most vindictive and disgraceful article about anyone that the PG has ever published.

Politics is a dirty word, but this came right out of the garbage can and that's where I put it. Next time, have someone read the story before you publish it.

I think Mr. Kantner is better at catching salmon than at trying to assassinate someone's character.

NORMAN J. DOERSCHNER
Shaler

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Single-payer health care makes sense

I agree with John B. Mallon's Nov. 3 letter that UPMC is not serving our area well. He suggests that it fund free health care with its excess earnings ("Use Excess for Care"). But I think I have a much better idea.

I am a senior at City Charter High School in Downtown. I, unfortunately, have many health problems, so I take health-care issues very seriously. Over the past few years I have found myself to be very ill at times and have needed many surgeries to fix the problems. Without having health insurance, I could have died from not getting the proper treatments; 18,000 Americans die every year solely because they cannot afford health insurance, and many of those who suffer and die are children and infants. Without the proper health care, one small problem can cause many others and maybe even death.

When my boyfriend lost his job, he lost his health insurance. He also has bad asthma. I started researching low-cost health-care plans for him, but there is no such thing as affordable, low-cost health-care plans for people who are out of work. I ran across a bill that is before Congress called the single-payer health care bill. This health insurance would cover all uninsured Americans living in the United States with no out-of-pocket costs.

There would be a 3 percent tax increase that would cover each taxpayer's health-care needs, even the co-pays. Single-payer health care pays the doctors, hospitals and other providers of health care from a single fund, avoiding duplication and paperwork costs. The policyholder would have his or her choice of doctors and hospitals. Single-payer would cut out all the insurance companies by using just Medicare as the main health-care payer. No longer would health insurance companies get to take your money and raise prices.

I encourage you to support H.R. 676 and to let the new administration know that this plan would provide quality care at low cost to all Americans.

NICOLE HAMM
Brookline

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