Larry Knapp says: “If you look at other developed countries that have government supported health care, such as Canada and most of the European Union, you would see that they all provide better care for less money than our current broken system. What more proof is necessary?”

What proof does Larry Knapp have about his pompous proclamations? I don’t know about all other countries, but as a former Canadian with relatives and friends still living in Canada, I know that the Canadian system has many flaws. For example, I have a friend in Vancouver, Canada who was told by her doctor that she would have to wait over a year to have radiation treatment, and advised her to go to Bellingham for treatment as her life was on the line. I understand from our Canadian relatives and friends that it is impossible to get a doctor’s appointment under three month’s time. Consequently, emergency facilities are flooded with patients, and most patients have to wait anywhere from two to eight hours for attention.

I personally experienced the Canadian system recently on a trip to Calgary, Alberta. After a medical concern I phoned the local hospital and was told to check in with a “clinic,” since I would have to wait between two and eight hours for my turn to see an emergency doctor. When I arrived at the “clinic,” which was full of waiting patients, I was told I would have to wait until my number came up, which could take up to two hours or more. As a result of all this my husband and I decided to cut our vacation short and return to Kirkland where we can see a doctor any time.

Phyllis Swaffield, Kirkland