In answer to the letters by Mr. Goodwin, "Don't fear health reform" and by Mr. Cuny, "Medicine in Canada?" on June 24, I once again state, "Socialized medicine does not work no matter how many lies you listen to."

I lived in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and I have family in Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. My sister-in-law is a nurse in Canada and I can honestly tell you that none of them are in the 91 percent who Mr. Goodwin says approve of their system.

I can also assure you that after all the taxes in Canada, their system is not half the cost of ours.

Gas in Canada runs about $5 a gallon, a huge amount is taxes. Sales taxes are from 12 to 17 percent depending on the province you live in. At tax time a person making over $30,000 a year is taxed $300 and up to help pay for socialized medical.

Now, not all the hospital expenses are covered. Patients are billed. Not all prescriptions are partially covered. My sister-in-law pays $200 a month for a prescription she needs that is no longer covered. Those who still have money after all the taxes buy their own medical coverage.

If you leave the country, you are not covered by Canada's socialized medical. You have to buy insurance to cover you and at a certain age you can no longer purchase that medical. Stay home and die.

My brother-in-law died a horrible death by cancer. It took his doctors nine months to determine that he had prostate cancer. They tested him once a month until they found it. By then it was too late.

My wife's cousin had a heart attack and it was determined he needed open heart surgery. They sent him home on the "waiting list." Six months later he had the surgery. By then it was too late.

Hospitals are closing and on long weekends you listen to the radio to see which emergency rooms are open. They can't afford to keep them all open.

In my hometown the hospital will not deliver babies. The mother must travel 70 miles to the closest hospital that will deliver.

Now we have our politicians telling us that although socialized medicine might not work in other countries, it will here because we are smarter.

What you do not hear or read about is that behind the scenes, Canada is trying to figure out a way to privatize their medical. Probably too late. Are we next in line?

Larry Crompton, Scio