U.S. lags former enemies

I was struck by your story on Sean Stanelun, who is hospitalized by flesh-eating bacteria (Voice, Oct. 29) and the letter the same day from Paul Swanson, who is “disturbed.”

It is ironic that the two evil empires we defeated in World War II cover all of their citizens at half our cost. Their health systems are entirely private, but the government pays insurance for the unemployed. The real crooks in the USA are CEOs who profit by employing lifetime caps, denying treatment and coverage.

Nobody in Germany or Japan enters bankruptcy because of health costs, which are the leading cause of bankruptcy here.

I wonder if Mr. Swanson or his relatives went to public school, use public libraries, roads, radio, TV, the Internet or electricity, all of which are funded with stolen money, according to him. Taxes in the USA are at an all-time low. They could be even lower if we can get a handle on health insurance bandits.

I wonder how long Mr. Swanson would survive if he renounced the use of all government-funded services like 911, police and firefighters. I wonder how Mr. Stanelun will fare when his private insurance company cuts him off.

David T. Webb

Spokane