Everyone deserves affordable medical care

In response to Pete Merritt’s anti-socialism letter:

In 1967, while in the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany, I went on leave to Denmark. While there I see an old man in downtown Copenhagen collapse onto the sidewalk. I found a police officer and brought him to where the old man was (this took about a minute) and he was already being loaded into an ambulance.

A year later in downtown Sacramento, I saw a man lying on the sidewalk and being attended to by a woman. I asked if she needed any help. She said, “no, an ambulance is on the way.” Going back by 20 minutes later, I saw the man still lying on the sidewalk and no ambulance in sight.

Which place would you rather have your heart attack or stroke? I tell you this story because many have a problem with socialized medicine.

Denmark has a socialized healthcare system. I and millions of vets get socialized health care via the VA. Most if not all police officers in this country, all those serving in the U.S. military, Republicans in Congress, all federal and state employees and most county and city employees get socialized medical/health care.

Are you saying, Pete, that our veterans, and those in the military, should be denied the socialized health care they currently receive?

Mexico has socialized medicine.

While in Oaxaca I came down with salmonella poisoning. On the bus back to Mexico City I became violently ill. An ambulance took me to a hospital in Puebla. I was given an EKG and several tests. The ambulance/hospital only cost me $500.

LEE SANTA

Sandpoint