Policies of good ol’ days wouldn’t work today

Mr. Wagner yearns for the “good ole days” of small government (Aug. 8). I remember when a doctor would come to our house for $5 and be willing to accept payments. They don’t do that anymore, but deaths and paralysis from polio are virtually no more either. Minimum wage used to be $2/hour, but I suspect that Mr. Wagner could not live on the $7.50 currently, no matter how hard he tried.

Progress is always relative and an equation. Just like the rest of life, small government would be good, if only we did not have to give up so much to return to it. Actually, where health insurance exchanges have been established, Obamacare has reduced health care premiums quite significantly.

“Phony scandals” was referring to the Republican exploitation of the deaths. Which was worse: four killed in Benghazi or 200 Marines in Lebanon during the Reagan administration?

By the way, “no new taxes” is a George H.W. Bush campaign promise (almost 20 years before Obama). You can probably take care of yourself; but what about the working poor? What about the millions who cannot afford current health care and bury our ERs daily driving up health care costs for everyone? Should they be just left to die? What about the Grey Panthers whose retirement was wiped out by the Enron and Madoffs of this world? Wander into your local fast food restaurant; take a look at the shift in numbers from blond haired employees to gray haired ones.

Many things of yesterday were terrific, but what would you give up to return to those days?

James Prescott

Schaumburg