Re “Shutdown illustrates how public is conditioned to depend on government” (Oct. 31): A letter writer recently implied that people in the U.S. either should not or must not rely on government. Well, what else do we have? May we rely on our next-door neighbor? Do we rely on our family? Do we just grub for ourselves exclusively? Humans gather together for stability. Anthropologists and archaeologists can confirm that fact/theory.
The U.S. government has always sought to stabilize humanity. We all rely on our government to help guard us from the effects of weather, wars, economic difficulties and calamitous events. We all gather together to ward against a myopic point of view.
We can stunt negative effects by promoting a proactive agenda. One worry that should be taken off the table is health care.
— John H. Borja, Chula Vista