Yes, we all have the right to free speech, so I would like to take this opportunity to tell the Kirkland Reporter how much I appreciate the Obamacare Stew cartoon published in the March 31 publication. So much so, that I cut it out and will be framing to hang on the wall in my office.

Higher Taxes, Bigger Deficit and Bigger Government are the ingredients of this stew and more ingredients are being added as we speak! People need to wake up in this country! Not only is the American tax payer being “cooked,” but the heat is being turned up on small and big business alike. To name a few – big companies, such as John Deere say that Obamacare will cost it $150 million. Caterpillar claims it will lose $100 million. AT&T weighed in with a $1 billion charge from the law’s change in health care reform. Accounting rules say companies have to recognize the financial impact of the new legislation immediately, yet it will be three years before the “free health care” benefits are rolled out. How’s that for change! And how do you Obamacare cheerleaders think that is going to impact the economy?

The fact is, there is no such thing as “free health care” because someone has to pay for it and that someone is you. The Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendork recently told reporters that his agency is considering an implementation of a European Style VAT (Value Added Tax) as part of its “strategic planning” for the future – which all of America is going to pay into. I guess Obama didn’t really mean it when he said taxes are only going to be increased on those tax payers that make over $250,000 per year!

Progressive soup: A “pinch” of an already Bad Economy, with a “dash” of Reckless Spending. Mix in two cups of Higher Taxes, a cup of Increased Unemployment, a tablespoon of Increased Interest Rates and a “smidgen” of Record Deficit Levels – sounds like a recipe for disaster!

As Nancy Pelosi said, “We have to pass the (health care) bill so that you can find out what is in it.” So this tasty dish is served with lots of sides that you are sure to find out about, but can only be digested if it’s jammed down your throat.

Chris Kramer, Kirkland