Bias rampant in  Rep. Fitzgerald survey

To all 39th Assembly district voters who received Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald's 2009 Spring Survey in the mail I would like to point out that every single one of the 10 survey statements contains a built-in bias.

  No reputable statistician could or would use the responses to compile valid data.  I believe the phrase is "garbage in, garbage out."

I suspect that Rep. Fitzgerald knew that his survey was filled with half-truths when he mailed it.  Half truths work with voters who aren't paying attention to the facts and are perfect for producing knee-jerk, shortsighted outrage.  More importantly, half- truths demonstrate Rep. Fitzgerald's willingness to mislead and manipulate his constituents.

If he didn't know the survey statements were half truths then it is clear that Dodge County needs a representative who is better informed and more knowledgeable than Jeff Fitzgerald.

— Margaret J. Slez

Beaver Dam

Government-run health care is not the answer

The English language is most interesting. Words can be twisted and statements and numbers can be most misleading and sometimes even false. I wanted to clarify some definitions before responding to a letter to the editor and the healthcare "reform" issue.

Single-payer is a term used to describe a type of financing system. It refers to one entity acting as administrator, or "payer." In the case of health care, a single-payer system would be setup such that one entity—a government run organization—would collect all health care fees, and pay out all health care costs.

Webster's II defines socialized medicine: "Provision of hospital and medical services at nominal cost by means of government regulation of health care services and subsidies derived from taxation." And for sake of clarity, capitalism is: "An economic system characterized by open competition in a free market and by private or corporate ownership of the means of production and  distribution."

I do not dispute the health insurance industry needs to be redefined. However, I do not believe reform should include another government takeover of another private enterprise and additional taxation. This government has "acquired" a controlling interest in more private industry in less than six months than any other administration and the Congress voted without reading the bills.

Jack Theis wrote a letter that stated "A single-payer system? Why that's socialized medicine." He leads one to believe American rankings in the WHO are a disgrace. Yet when investigated, in fact, the U.S. ranks 37th in health care systems, 30th in life expectancy, and 24th in infant mortality out of 191 countries.

Theis writes: "Employers would be able to compete on a fairer scale with the world because they would not have to pay for health care of their employees." Who is going to pay for it then? Where do you think all this money to pay for the "service" is going to come from? Can you say Cap and Trade? Can you say value added tax? Can you say tax on health care benefits? The Feds need to tighten their belts like the rest of us! They can't manage the programs they already have!

Oh, wait - Obama said he would not raise our taxes. Was that the "hope" or the "change" part?

I will share a quote with you again. "…The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of a nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." — Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931-2005

Do  not believe everything you hear from politicians. Remember, they live by different rules than we do. And don't believe everything you hear in the mainstream media or read without investigating the sources. If you think health care is expensive now, just wait till it's free.

— Patricia L. Frinak

Randolph