The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

March 18, 2010

Our Readers Speak — Friday, March 19, 2010


Rahall urged to do what is right



Rep. Nick Rahall represents himself as a compassionate man, a gentlemanly statesman who represents his constituents well. I’d really like to believe him, but his image, along with Rockefeller’s, is looking a little shaky at the moment.

I want to appeal to the soul of the man, who started his career representing the people of the Third District 30 years ago. We the people of the district do not feel like he cares about us any more. We don’t feel like he listens to us. We feel like he gets his total feel for the wishes of the people in town meetings where organized groups, like the unions, taint the apparent sentiment of the people.   We feel like his staff is unable to divorce themselves from the political dogma and relay our feelings without the filter of their progressive eyes and ears.

We are not the incompetent and helpless children that Washington wants us to be. Especially now, that we have seen the devastation that Congress has brought on the economy, and their willingness to just throw freedom away.

Who knows if and how much Rep. Rahall has contributed to this loss of freedom, loss of rights, and abandonment of the American way. But to whatever extent he has helped grow the scope of government and steal the power of the people, shame on him. He needs to understand that history is never kind to those that enable the onset of tyranny.  And in time, that is exactly where the progressive movement will take our great country.

We have gone from a free market economy, where the people owned the money making machine, to a place where we are looking at a government takeover of over 50 percent of the same in under two years.  This is not a party issue, there are progressives on both sides of the political isle, and they are a cancer to freedom. When they control the health care, education, money and food, they will control us. Don’t be mistaken, this is what’s at stake.

Again, I appeal to Rep. Rahall to do what’s right. Do what the majority of your constituents want — protect our freedom. Vote no on the health care reform legislation that was approved by the Senate.



Scott Griffith

Beaver



Health care bill will save lives, money




Sincere appreciation is due to Congressman Rahall for standing up for the health care of West Virginia working people. He has withstood a flood of misleading ads paid by  insurance companies and a blizzard of misinformation by the Republican Party and its media partners.

The health reform legislation will bring health coverage to over 200,000 uninsured West Virginians, almost all of whom are in working families, and it protects the health benefits for those of us currently insured. The bill includes policies to promote quality, increase medical professionals in rural areas and reduce waste. It will save West Virginia lives and money.



Craig Robinson

Beckley