Mr. I. Weiss got off these quick comments in reaction to those in my Wednesday column about the Obama bashers who oppose health care overhaul because "anything the government touches is a failure."

These people who attack all forms of government use the air traffic controllers when they fly and the interstates when they drive. They eat food that is healthy to eat, thanks to the USDA, and they consume medication that is proven to be safe and effective, thanks to the FDA.  In general, they support mandatory jail terms, governmental monitoring of child sex offenders, and the death penalty, all of which are expensive government programs.  One government program they seem to utilize rarely is the public library system, as they seem to get their viewpoints not from reading and critical thinking but from daily infusions of right-wing rhetoric from what has become the compost heap of talk radio.
 
I am reminded of the expression that used to be used, and perhaps still is, by the United Negro College Fund. They closed their advertisements by saying, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Unfortunately, most of these right-wingers have minds that they fail to exercise with critical thought, and their brains are seriously atrophied from only sporadic use.

Now, this is not to say that every government program works nor that no government program is wasteful. 

Some stupid liberals said in regard to prior elections, "If that evil Republican wins, I will leave the country." They didn't.  I haven't seen any mass exodus of conservatives to other places either. The fact is that, all told, this is a great country to live in, despite the faults that we have.