I find it interesting that the number of uninsured, per letter writer Nathan Kirby (“Obama health care is win-win situation,” Aug. 24), is now up to 50 million — while the Census Bureau figures are in the 40 million to 47 million range. However, he gives no references to back up his figure.

Fortunately, the former Congressional Budget Office director and director of the Center for the Study of Business and Government at Baruch College, Dr. Jane O`Neill, looks much deeper.

In a study for the Employment Policies Institute, it was found that almost half of those saying they were uninsured had incomes at least 250 percent above the poverty line — about $65,000 per year. I would call this voluntarily uninsured. About 30 percent had rejected their employers’ programs, and others who were qualified for Medicaid weren`t enrolled.

Remove the criminal, illegal aliens (about 10 million to 11 million), and the real number of uninsured is in the 5 million-to-6 million range. If you choose to not get insurance when you have the means, don`t come whining to me and ask me to provide it . Same if you are here illegally.

We should and must provide help to those who are truly needy, but not to the illegals, freeloaders and those who choose to be irresponsible.

Someone else said the insurance companies were in it for profit. No kidding! A company has to make a profit to stay in business. Government doesn`t have to — it just confiscates more of your money.

Do you really think the government — which runs the Post Office, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid or Amtrak at horrible losses and inefficiencies every year — can be trusted?

You tweak the system and get rid of the government interference, not destroy a system that 80 percent of the people are happy with.

Remember, the government can`t give something to someone without first taking it by force from someone else. The government produces nothing — it only consumes.

Bob Warner
Aiken, S.C.