Workers cannot afford health care hikes The government released some deeply troubling statistics for working men and women in our country this week. While wages in our country have barely risen at all, the cost of health insurance premiums in the United States for the average American workingman and woman rose by an astonishing 78 percent. Is there any doubt that we have to find a long-term sustainable solution to the health care crisis in America? Surely if we do not, the system will collapse around our very ears. It is not possible for Americans who experience 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 percent annual wage more are carrying significant shares of the costs of their health care to absorb 78 percent increases in the cost of that health care. It simply does not work. Whomever you vote for in November, I urge that you only vote for a candidate who has provided us with a sustainable, effective and realistic policy to deal with the health care needs of our nation. Chip Gerrity President NJIBEW Hightstown