Don't fight your own people

Dear Editor,

In the recent furor over the government's graciousness in bestowing third world medical services on Lewisporte, we most gratefully acknowledge the ENHANCED service that will result, now, instead of a 10 minute walk to the clinic, I get the opportunity to take a 50 minute drive to Gander. I've always wanted to go to Gander! All this to balance the budget. Now you know, and I know that the budget is not set in stone, it can be anything the government wants it to be. As long as the cuts are made in Boondock country, by which I mean places west of the overpass, the Newfoundland masses on the Avalon are relatively unconcerned, but I believe the sacrifice should be shared.

Say for instance, the government decided to relocate X-ray facilities from St. John's to Harbour Grace for example. There would be an outcry and it would never happen. In Lewisporte we are to lose our X-ray facility to Gander, our protests are ignored, we are small and the government powerful, our protests as such are but a Gadfly on the Butt end of progress.

We are being subject to a callous and most disrespectful attack on what we regard as one of our most basic Human Rights, easy access to adequate health care. We are being denied what the Avalon regards as normal.

We have no political voice to speak for us and we only account for few votes, with little in the way of resources, we have no choice but to oppose the governments proposed changes which will mean increased hardship for those less fortunate. Why does our premier attack us in this way?

The big difference between Canada and the U.S. is that we are a caring and compassionate society, adequate Health Care is at the very core of our social system, people get the care they need rather than the care they can afford, unlike the U.S. In the U.S., such fundamentals are classed as socialism which they regard as worse than a sexually transmitted disease. Is this the road Danny wants to take us? Why not abolish government health care altogether, that way the budget could even save more money. Go in for the U.S. system. I am not a well educated man, I left school at 16 and went to sea, but I did do a little Shakespeare at school. It was a boys school and I had a try out for the part of Portia in the Merchant of Venice, I remember some of the lines, something like this, Shylock the Jewish moneylender is on trial in court, the speech goes, "the quality of mercy is not strained, it falleth as the rain from heaven" etc.

How appropriate, where is the Mercy Mr. Oram?

How about "Do unto others as you would have done to yourself".Every day on TV we see MHAs on trial for money they allegedly stole. What a bunch of liars we have, these are the guys we are supposed to trust. They are supposed to be pillars of the community.

No way.

As for the $400,000 cost of operating our X-Ray clinic, why not try to recover it from those MHAs that misappropriated it in the first place.

It will cost millions of dollars to route the power line from Labrador around Gros Morne National Park, millions are given to Nalcor to drill for oil and we must cut our rural health care system. What lunatic system of accounting is this!

If sacrifice is needed, let us all share the burden, let the MHAs give up some of their salary, perks, allowances, expenses, entitlements and money possible gained by more nefarious means. No wonder the public is upset; the antics of the MHAs arouse righteous indignation.

Mr. Oram speaks a load of bulldust!

If these cuts are rammed through, then this government will be engulfed in a whirlwind of protest province wide. Shame on you Premier Williams. Fight Quebec, not your own people!

Yours Truly,

Jack Frost

Lewisporte