Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The misrepresentations on the recent health care legislation by the White House continue to amaze me. As examples, you never heard the phrase "universal health care" in the days leading up to the vote because that would have killed it. But immediately after it passes, the president loudly proclaims "We are on the way to universal health care."

We also heard the repeated proclamation that nothing would change for those with insurance, but we know that isn’t true. Then, how this will save money and lower the deficit yet just a couple of weeks after passing this "deficit lowering" bill, we hear talk of the "value added" tax being considered to help cover health care costs. And now, the president does a recess appointment of the Medicare Boss (being blocked by Democrats) to avoid public discussion of the appointee’s strong "one provider" bias.

While these misrepresentations border on criminal, the real crime is how poorly they have been covered in the press, especially the Daily Press. Our health care is going to get worse and our taxes are going to increase. That is the basis of the health care bill in particular and the recent Democratic policies in general. Yet the passage of the bill has been hailed by the press as a great American victory when it is truly a great defeat. There were reasons we were the greatest country in the world with the world’s strongest economy by far offering opportunity well beyond that of any other country and we are seeing those reasons evaporate before our eyes and the press is keeping their eyes shut and their presses silent.

Tom Bernard

Zanoni, Va.