“It’s socialism.” A 2010 quote about the health care? No, 1935 Republican quote about Social Security.

“If you don’t stop it and I don’t do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free.” Another 2010 quote about health care? No, Ronald Reagan on Medicare in 1961.

Like Social Security and Medicare, the health care bill signed into law by President Obama was introduced and approved in Congress by Democrats while being fought every step of the way by Republicans, who denounced it stating that its passage would destroy our nation. Seventy-five years after the passage of Social Security and 45 years after the passage of Medicare the absurdity of those statements are obvious.

The same will hold true concerning the current Republican arguments against the new health care legislation. Talk to you in 30 years!

Fred Barlam

Rush to attack police is wrong

Dear Editor:

My wife and I and our children are praying for both police officer Brian Authement and Councilman Michael Johnson in the ordeal regarding the councilman being handcuffed at the scene of a fire. My biggest concern deals with attacks on our police officer.

Officer Authement served our country and protected all of us in Iraq and for the past two years has been protecting our families on our streets. The same rights he fought to protect are the same rights he is being denied, particularly due process. It makes me sick to my stomach the pain he and his family are going through.

Political leaders have already called for his firing – all without evidence or facts. I believe that the public attacks are politically motivated and are meant to discredit him personally. All this is being done to influence the investigation. This young man protected us, and we now have an obligation and responsibility to protect his rights. For the rest of this young man’s career, this issue will hang over his head. And that, my friends, is just wrong.

Councilman Sal DiCiccio