We need leadership on important issues

When Lincoln was president in 1864 we know there was an awful war going on. He was pressured heavily by his GOP associates to step aside and not run for a second term because of the way things were going, and because of his powerful abolitionist insistence.

A lesser man could have quietly caved in. He had a devastating struggle with himself because he secretly felt that he would lose the upcoming election, but he deeply believed that what the country needed was what he was fighting for.

Fortunately, Gen. George McClellen was nominated by the Democrats and he was forced to take an egregious Ohio congressman who was a Copperhead as his running mate; the term meant a Northerner who was in favor of keeping slavery. The Northern Democrats couldn't accept this. In September, Tecumseh Sherman wired Lincoln that his army was just entering Atlanta on his march to the sea and a campaign devastating to the South. Between the timing of these two events and his willingness to dare to fail in standing on his principles he carried the day and won the November election. This was the kind of leadership the country desperately needed then and needs now.

When Teddy Roosevelt, as vice president, succeeding McKinley in 1901, he had feelings about the growing power of steel, oil and coal trusts. He immediately began his career of trust busting coming into very heated conflict with J. P. Morgan and the coal barons. These people had enormous financial resources and they weren't used to deferring to anyone let alone a mere president of the U.S.

All manner of congressmen and senators were being nicely supported financially by the extremely rich money interests and T. R. was under constant pressure to stop the successful trust busting process. It would have been awfully easy to give up his principles, but pursuing what history demonstrated was a much better way for a democracy to be run was successful in the end. This was real leadership in action.

We are now seeing the crying need for leadership both in the Congress and the executive branches of our government. Immigration and health care control are two very important problems that currently need Congress' concentrated attention.

There are plenty of people who are making a considerable amount of money running health care the same way they have for some 60 years. It is the most heavily lobbied industry in our country. There are serious situations in the changing and paying for services as run by eight huge HMOs which do about 85 percent of the business done by health care in this country.

Nothing will change until our Congress passes laws changing the way health care does business. It's up to you as voters to write your congressman and senators and tell them to change the way health care is run or you will vote for someone else Nov. 8.

Chuck Barr Jr.

St. Charles