In his last column (

“Conservative critics are looking for commies under the bed,”

Jan. 23), Greg Kesich tells us, “We don’t need to get all worked up over things that will never happen.” His implication is that we who worry about the direction of this country are a little paranoid.

We shouldn’t worry that the government recently took over 18 percent of the private economy via the Affordable Care Act. It’s going to make insurance “more affordable,” he says.

So far, that’s not the case. We are already seeing more regulatory burdens on businesses, increased taxes and yes, increased premiums to cover the new health mandates. What the ACA gives us is more bureaucracy in a sector of our economy that is overburdened with bureaucracy already. This devastation is indeed happening now.

We should, however, be afraid of “slow economic growth,” he tells us, but not, ironically, about the national debt — even though this same kind of uncontrollable spending and resulting debt has devastated the economies of several European countries. Mr. Kesich’s answer to our slow growth? More investing in welfare, education and research, “even if those things add to the deficit in the short term.”

And we should be afraid of guns — very afraid. But don’t worry about the erosion of our constitutional rights. The problem of gun violence is the guns themselves, he proves. Fewer guns will solve the problem this time — even though that has never worked before.

And paranoia is somehow rational if it is about climate change. Curlicue light bulbs and windmills are the prescription for that anxiety.

However, when it comes to the very real assaults on our rights, our freedoms and our pocketbooks by our government at both the state and federal level — don’t worry, be happy.

Jonathan McKane of Newcastle is a former member of the Maine House of Representatives.