Balanced reporting welcome on U.S.-Venezuelan relations
Thank you for the piece on Venezuela and Chavez. It’s very hard to find balanced reporting in American newspapers on countries and leaders our capitalist political leaders dislike. The history of US-Latin American relations is a record played over and over. We support the wealthy groups, whether landowners or business leaders, and oppose any attempt by the general population to secure a portion of the profits generated by their work.
But that is also the story in our own country, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.
I have a friend whose son was crippled in an auto accident a year ago. Both parents work for employers who don’t offer health insurance. They cannot afford a private health plan. The son received one month of physical therapy paid for by Medicaid. That is all he was “eligible” for. The physical therapist said he COULD regain the use of his hands with the proper kind of long-term therapy. So this 20 yr old sits in a wheelchair, unable to even scratch his nose or pick up the phone. And this in “the richest country in the world” as we like to view ourselves. In Canada or Venezuela, that young man would be using his hands and getting job training in order to become useful to his society again.
In Toronto, I saw early childhood/parenting centers in shopping malls. Yes, right between the jewelry store and the shoe store. That’s how important it is for them to make sure pregnant women and new moms get good advice. These parenting centers are staffed by trained child development professionals and available whenever the mall is open. That’s how much our neighbors to the north value their children.
The next to last paragraph in your article could just as easily describe the US. Have you driven through Huntleigh? Town and Country? Try the neighborhood just north and west of the Clayton/Baxter Rd. intersection. Then come on out here to Franklin County and meet the people living in their cars and trucks.
Again, thank you for your article which is the most objective I’ve seen on the topic in a major city paper.
And, no, the idea of an American invasion of Venezuela to get its oil is not “ludicrous.” Start with the Spanish-American War and follow the pattern through the 20th century. And pity the poor Iraqis. Their only crime was living on top of the oil we want. There’s a “revolution” bubbling up in America, but it’s happening on the internet and in electoral politics.
Soon it will be too large and important for the mainstream media to ignore
Susan Cunningham
retired teacher of American history
Pacific
(5 votes, average: 2.6 out of 5)
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The problem I’m having with the young crippled boy story is that the other person’s auto insurance didn’t cover it? Or was it his fault for driving drunk, talking on the cell phone or reaching for a CD? The one thing I do know is that socialized healthcare would not pamper the boy as you hope. He will not get the specialist he needs but only the general care to keep him alive. The care you speak of in Canada didn’t happen over night either. It took baby steps and everyone’s participation not to milk the system. Even with Canada’s “great” system special cases get sent to the US because we can still do them cheaper and more effectively. If the US does something similar who will we go to?