Peter Shumlin won the popular vote. Presumably, many of us voted for him in part because we support his vigorous efforts to move Vermont to a single-payer system, removing insurance company profits from the equation of health care costs. This is simply an excellent way to pay for health care, for all Vermonters and, indeed, for all citizens of the United States. (Trace opposition to its source: The only losers in a single-payer system are insurance company stockholders, who currently profit from those ever-rising payments we all make, and the CEOs of those companies.) So now, those of us who voted to see this important health-care reform brought to fruition are being told that the governor is “backing away” from single payer. Can I tell you how discouraging this is? We voted for Barack Obama in part because of his support for a public option. He won re-election, and immediately took the public option off the table. I will not cease to vote because of the disappointments in those we trusted to follow through. But I would ask politicians to hold to their beliefs and remember that they won, however narrowly, for a reason. To relent to the minority sacrifices the majority who supported you.
NANETTE DUBIN
East Wallingford