Dear editor:

I am a British citizen and live in Moultrie. I am a member of a conservative party back at home. As an advocate of more people contributing to the political process, I am very happy to see that most of the population have been contributing to a national debate via different ways. During these debates you witness the worst and the best ideas of how to solve the health care problem in the USA.

This can only show the world a healthy democratic process which is taking place in the USA, which should be the envy of most countries. However, I wished people had done the same thing when Bush pushed successfully for one of the biggest Medicare expansions, when he handed billions of dollars back to stimulate the economy [twice], when he backed TARP with President Obama, or after immediately becoming president when he introduced protectionist measures against European steel as Obama has done with the Chinese tire industry.

I don’t want conservatives to be angry with me arguing these points, but they need to be angry with themselves if they supported any measures above and kept quiet about it because of their partisanship.

I don’t believe that a conservative leadership (albeit neo conservative leadership), introduced and voted for one of the most “socialistic” pieces of legislation into a law namely Medicare and the same people insist no action is necessary for health care reform as if there is nothing wrong with the system!

The health care system is so broke in the USA that even I have to think twice of my own principles as a conservative if public option is an option. However at this stage my gut reaction and my belief does not allow me to support anything government- run. I am against the public option, but I am also against it for the same reasons I am against Sonny Perdue running the Atlanta Airport or Georgia Lottery. (Even in the UK, a private American company has been running the national lottery very successfully for the last 15 years.) I am also against the public option for the same reasons I am against the Moultrie City running the electricity business and running TV, video and telephone company.

Why suddenly are we all against a government-run health care? Where is the consistency in ideology of conservative belief?

Limited, small government does not apply only to the federal government. It applies to state and local governments as well. How do you achieve a small government?

The first thing is not to let the government run any business. If they are in business running businesses, then make plans to get out of it. The second thing is to eliminate all the regulations, which are antiquated, and hindering people running their businesses such as licensing hairdressers, therapists and even insurance agents. Let professional organizations run their own business groups with law and ethical guidance. Thirdly, concern yourselves as a government only to protect your people, and make laws to allow your s to be able to “pursue their happiness”?.

So as you have gathered, my grief is not with Democrats. My grief is with conservatives as a conservative. So if you want to get elected again, admit you made mistakes if you supported and voted the Bush administrations left wing policies as explained above, and look in the eye of the people and say we conservatives have still got the best plan, and just do not oppose Obama for the sake of opposing Obama, and come out with the best solutions for the US public. As Mr Lowry, the administrator of Colquitt Regional Medical Center said at the Rotary/Kiwanis meeting for healthcare reform, “Our system is broken.”

Let’s not miss this opportunity to do something? Don?t support the status quo and take the initiatives from the Democrats for the health care reform. Stand up and get a leadership going in the Republican Party and clear the party from people who recently criticize the president of the USA for flying the flag for his city (even if we believe, the city is run by crooked politicians) to bring the Olympics to the USA. We do not want people putting their party before their patriotism, and I can assure you nobody needs these people in their parties, right or left. Do all this and let us show everyone the real conservatism at its best.

Hal Turkmen

Moultrie