Tony Moschetti (letter, June 17) says the premise of my May 21 letter regarding future increases in Medicare enrollments is a ''fallacious argument of the left.'' He then cites recent statistics to support this claim.
Regarding Medicare, approximately 33 million Americans are now age 65 or older; this figure is projected to reach 40 million by 2010 and 53 million by 2020.
Regarding the 1990-1993 school lunch program, he says participation increased
.03 percent while spending increased 26.7 percent. Actually, participation increased 3 percent.
He doesn't mention inflation, but from 1990 through 1993 the Consumer Price Index rose 15.6 percent.
This program provides free lunches to children living below 130 percent of the poverty level, reduced-price lunches to children living 30 percent to 85 percent above poverty and a supplement to schools for lunches purchased by all other children.
The program's 1993 cost, per lunch, for these categories was $ 1.84, $ 1.44 and 30 cents respectively.
If liberalism is viral, as Moschetti suggests, its primary symptom is the willingness to look at complex issues like Medicare and poverty compassionately, honestly and from all perspectives.
Joe Fulfs
Greensboro
News & Record
July 9, 1995
