CNN iReport

Name:  Carl E. Barkema

Age:      44

Rank:   TSGT/E6 (RET)

Primary Concern:  Health Care

Q: How long have you been part of the military?

Barkema:  My father was in the Air Force for 30 years.  It was the only life I knew.  My brother was in there for 27 years.  I retired after 20 years to help care for my wife as she neared the end of her life.

Q:  What is your biggest concern for our country right now?

Barkema:  The state of this country and the rapid state of decline concerning individual freedom.  There are socialist ideas that the current Administration is considering implementing, the main one being government controlled health care such as exists in Britain and Canada.  These types of ideas...this government control will not and should not work in the United States of America.  At first glance, citizens may think it sounds like a great plan, but if they would look into it at a deeper level, they will quickly realize they won't be happy with it.

Q:  Why would they not be happy with it?

Barkema:  It takes away so many choices.  You will be on waiting lists.  Although it is worded different in the health care plan, what is proposed is known among many as "death panels."  It goes by the more proper name of "end of life counseling."  This type of counseling concerns pain management, whether or not you should continue fighting for your life if you are going through an illness, and whether it is worth it to you to choose treatment to lengthen your life or if you would like to stop treatment.  I personally would like to live on this earth for as long as God wants me to and not have the government involved in that decision.  End of life counseling is something that should be strictly kept between a doctor and his/her patient.

Q:  The government has a lot of resources, so why wouldn't it make sense that they could provide doctors and people with the best decision when it comes to health care?

Barkema:  The first purpose of President Obama's health care reform plan, as listed by the Administration on the White House website [http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care] is to "Reduce long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government."  Businesses and government.  When it comes to determining whether or not you're worth treating or wether you can live longer if given specific treatments that may be expensive, do you really want your doctor and/or insurance company to base their information on government provided CER [comparative effectiveness research] to determine what information you are given about decisions at the most critical points of your health care?  Will giving health care control to a government which has the stated goal of keeping health care costs low for themselves really be a wise decision on the part of Americans?

Q: What can the people of this country do about this?

Barkema:  Pay attention to what is going on and in cases like the new proposed health care reform, say no!  Remember the phrase "of the people, by the people, and for the people?"  That's what my life has been about.  That is what my entire family has tried to help upkeep for this country.  That is what has kept the United States a strong and stable part of this world, and that is why every citizen of this country should now be alarmed.  We're faltering in the "of the people, by the people" department and need to get back on track. The first step to that is to clearly let the government know that we, the people, do not want to convert to a socialist health care system.

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Carl Barkema is currently located in Del City, Oklahoma, where he lives with his current wife and five children.  Like many other veterans, he spends his days raising his family, looking for work in a country where the number of decent paying jobs are few and far between, and hoping that the future security of health care will remain affordable for veteran families.  He alaso hopes that when it comes time to make the final decisions about his end of life care, his freedom of choice will still be intact.