Letters: Public option not as good as it sounds
To the Editor:
The Chronicle has in recent weeks included several articles and editorials on proposed health care reform legislation. I recently received a brochure mailed from Congressman Bill Foster listing what he said are his “10 principles on health care.” Curiously, it failed to mention whether he supports a public option in legislation for health care reform. President Obama and the Democratic leaders emphasize that a public option is important – many say essential – to promote competition and choice in health insurance and is needed to keep health insurance companies honest.
This idea of creating government agencies to compete with private businesses in order to provide competition and choice – and to keep the businesses honest – sounds desirable to implement in the economy generally. Take, for example, the important electronics products field, on which consumers and businesses spend huge amounts of money. Recently I read about a privately owned company that is a manufacturer of entertainment and architectural lighting systems, providing lighting materials for theaters and other businesses that impact consumers’ wallets. The customers of this historically very prosperous company (some would call it an example of “corporate greed”) currently have no public option electric products manufacturer to provide competition and choice for their benefit, and to keep the company’s pricing honest.
A public option company competing with this private company would not be motivated to make profits, so it could price it products more reasonably and thus not gouge its customers. Also, the public option company would not have any borrowing costs if it needed money for expansion or plant renovation; it would have unlimited taxpayers’ money for that. In general, the public option company would be run for the benefit of the people, rather than trying to make a profit at the people’s expense. Surely Congressman Foster, President Obama and the Democratic leaders would enthusiastically support such a public option company.
The company in question is called Electronic Theatre Controls, with headquarters in Middleton, Wis. The company was founded by, and is or was owned substantially by, two brothers named Fred and Bill Foster. The latter brother lives in Batavia and represents, in my opinion, rich tort lawyer groups, big labor union groups, permanent welfare recipient groups and illegal immigrant amnesty groups in the U.S. House of Representatives.
James Cullen
Geneva
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