LEAVE IT
TO PEEVER
Keeping
up with the mail
– Bumper sticker of the week: A politician is someone who will
lay down your life for his country.
– Quote of the week: "Republicans liken universal
health-care to socialism, but I bet not many of them pass up Social Security or
Medicare, both reliant on government, which Republicans swear up and down to be
socialism if the government is involved." The Peever
– Answering the E-mail:
Dear Peever: You support universal health-care. Isn't relying
on government for health-care a socialist idea? And wouldn't it be too
expensive? Lois
Dear Lois: The answer to your first question is yes, but so is
Social Security and Medicare, and farm subsidies, and bailing out Wall Street.
The government is us, as you might remember. It represents us, and exists for
our pleasure. Government needs to be involved in health-care. Probably over 60
million people are without health-care. Regulation is sorely needed. The AMA,
doctors, insurance companies, will not regulate the industry. That's why I
recently saw a 30 day prescription cost someone $500. It's pathetic. As for too
expensive, so is the war in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and the bailout of Wall
Street. But somehow we found that money. I am suggesting that the American
public get no better a deal than our politicians in Washington get. When our
health-care matches theirs, I'll shut up.
Dear Mr. Weik: What three things would you say Galesburg needs
to do to get back on track? Ron
Dear Ron: I would first of all suggest we need to relocate,
although I realize that might be pretty difficult. Next, I would suggest that
we elect, by write-in, Warren Buffett as our mayor. And finally, I believe it
would be to our best interest to get rid of all the churches and open a few
more bars.
Dear Mr. Peever: Do you support medical marijuana? Carol
Dear Carol: Yes. I also support decriminalizing marijuana. I
also support growing hemp. And no, I didn't inhale.
Peever: Any comments on the Obama detractors? Lee
Dear Lee: Yeah. They're all nuts. They would sooner promote
their right-wing ideology and misguided Christian nonsense than help someone
straighten out America. And they call themselves patriots. I call them fools.
Dear Bruce: In a violent world, how can you promote
nonviolence? Mary
Dear Mary: I stay indoors a lot.
Dear Mr. Weik: What about the recent vote of allowing people to
carry weapons across state lines? Lee
Dear Lee: It is beyond me why someone other than a gun
manufacturer would want people to carry weapons. It is a dumbfounded notion
based on fear. They'll shoot someone they love, or themselves, long before they
shoot a criminal, which more than likely will end up being them.
Mr. Weik: A new library! Give me a break. Don't you think we
have more pressing needs? Amy
Dear Amy: We have a lot of pressing needs, the most important
of which is probably not a library. On the other hand, a library is an
important social institution. Malls have taken over much of the social function
that libraries once filled, but we have seen how that worked out. Galesburg
probably had one of the top ten public libraries in the country, prior to it
burning down. While it would be foolish to think we could replicate that effort
with today's inflated building prices, it is not foolish to remember our past
and attempt to recreate the memory. The courthouse presents the same situation.
Both the library and the courthouse have historic significance beyond just
Galesburg. Both institutions have always been at the center of cities
throughout our history. If we are a city that does not want to forget its past,
we will save the courthouse and build a new, modestly spectacular library in
the downtown area. We are looking for something to hang our hat on. Perhaps
these two issues present us with an opportunity to weave together our past and
our future.