It was certainly enlightening to attend the recent Health Care Reform meeting. A standing-room-only crowd turned out with no parking for blocks around the Coupeville Recreation Hall. It was quite obvious that the opposition outnumbered the supporters by a large margin.

The town hall meeting, sponsored by the Whidbey Island League of Women Voters, put a panel of eight, including U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen and State Rep. Barbara Bailey, before the throng. The league’s claim to be non-partisan and unbiased was thoroughly dashed since their panel consisted of seven supporters of the proposed health care reform and only one in opposition, Barbara Bailey.

Barbara’s arguments were well stated, common sense statements based on the fact that when government usurps private sector activities, the results are 3 to 5 fold higher costs, lower quality, loss of freedoms and failure. Rick Larsen skirted many questions and seemed to be obsessed with defeating the “status quo,” to ad nauseam.

If the status quo persists, and it doesn’t everywhere, it’s because liberals have blocked many measures designed to improve the health care system, which would have led to a far better outcome. Instead liberals drive to socialize it. Their real goal is not so much to improve health care, which they don’t, but to gain control of our resources and our lives to our detriment.

Sherwood Minckler

Oak Harbor