VOICE OF THE PEOPLE | OCT. 28, 2009

Congress will ruin health care reform

I agree with the Rev. Jim Watkins in his Oct. 22 letter, “It's time to pass health care reform,” that citizens need more affordable insurance choices, but I doubt that further restrictions by politicians are going to fill this need or be just.

Insurance companies do not currently compete for anyone's blessing except for the tax collectors, meaning politicians, and employers, who already decide what type of health insurance can be offered and to whom.

This is, in part, due to laws that mandate what is included in insurance packages and who consumers can buy insurance from. Also compounding the problem is the rising cost of liability insurance, driven up by ambulance-chasing lawyers like John Edwards, who like to perpetuate a something-for-nothing mentality.

I am unsure as to why Watkins thinks it is OK for politicians to steal. This is what they do every time they remove choices from citizens and take it upon themselves to decide who gets what in the name of power. Let's put a cap on liability lawsuits, allow insurance companies and private co-ops to compete for our dollars and remove the mandates that limit the types of plans offered.

If there were not so much corruption, taxes or meddling laws, perhaps I would still be a Democrat instead of a Libertarian. But I live in the real world, where government is often the problem rather than the solution.

Jennifer Schulz

Fort Mill

Let children use park to play softball

When Hargett Park was built, I thought it was being built for the youth of Rock Hill. A few men from Rock Hill raised the money to get the project started to honor the memory of Ronnie Hargett, who really supported youth sports in Rock Hill and was respected and admired by anyone who came in touch with him.

What has happened is the city has decided to use Hargett Park for adult softball and will not allow the kids to play. They say you can schedule a time to play, but if the adults need the field, your event will be cancelled.

We should, as a city, encourage kids to play sports and give them the venue to do just that. Let the kids dream big, not the adults who are still chasing a dream they couldn't find when they were younger. The city has many fields, but I guess the adults can't use those because of gang activity. But the recreation department has no problem sending youth teams to these fields to practice.

The department should learn to run its programs before deciding to add more. The velodrome is a prime example. Who in Rock Hill requested this? Maybe the adults who keep kids off Hargett could use the velodrome and race their Little Rascal scooters. I know softball brings in a lot of money, but it shouldn't be more important than kids playing sports in Rock Hill.

Maybe they could change the name of Mighty Casey at Cherry Park to Mighty Dollar.

Jody Hager

Rock Hill