Kenneth Gough’s column (“ ‘Useful idiots’ will be made to pay for Obamacare”) in Sunday’s paper was highly successful in expressing a negative opinion about the Affordable Care Act, but failed completely to explain the reason. With all his anger and frustration, Gough simply forgot to share why he does not support the health care law beyond vague statements about how “idiots” will pay for it.Surely, a law as complex as the ACA, made doubly complex with its new and future effects on the complicated economic system of how health care services are delivered in the United States, would come with legitimate concerns and drawbacks. Gough, however, was only able to muster a rather incoherent rant about “useful idiots,” the Titanic and Chinese naval history. And also, idiots. He really, really hates idiots.If his opinion piece was meant to persuade the reader that the ACA is bad policy, then perhaps Gough should have spent less time researching the captain of the Titanic, and more time researching the actual health care law he was talking about. His piece would have been more effective, and the reader would have been better served by it.The only thing made clear by his column is that Gough really hates the Affordable Care Act, but doesn’t know why.IAN WATSONJohnson City
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