Is This Why You Have No Town Halls?

Sent to Senator Bill Nelson

You recently stated that you supported the public option. Could you not have stood up this summer and looked your constituents in the eye and stated and defended your ideas? Good ideas, if they are good, will stand on their own merit. Could you not have then listened to and addressed the opinions and concerns of your constituents? Someone who is willing to face a dangerous journey into space should be willing to face the people they represent. I am really disappointed in you.

Signed,
The Electorate

Better No Reform Than Bad Reform

I really believe that we need some common sense health care reform. We need to increase competition by being able to purchase insurance across state lines. Our health insurance needs to be portable. We need to prevent exclusions because of preexisting conditions. We need true tort reform – not a study of tort reform.

This does not appear to be the type of health care reform that Congress is willing to deliver. Every proposal seems to be overly expensive and more concerned with increasing government size and power than it is with improving health care. We tell Congress we do not want a government takeover of health care. Congress does not listen. Congress wants what Congress wants and does not care what the people want.

The latest poll shows that 40% of people think the government’s top concern should be jobs. Another 25% think the top concern should be reducing the deficit and spending. Only 13% believe that health care reform should be the top governmental concern. Yet Congress is devoting most of its time to health care. Can Congress adjust its priorities to coincide with the people’s priorities?

I would rather have no health care reform than have the health care reform that is being proposed. There is an old adage. Nothing is so bad that the government can’t make it worse.

Signed,
The Electorate

Health Care: Cadillac Plans

Congress is considering funding health care reform by taxing what they refer to as Cadillac plans. Unfortunately, these Cadillac plans have now become Kia plans. Beginning in 2013, an excise tax of 40% would be levied on these plans. It would be applied to plans valued at $8000 for individuals and $21,000 for families. Most work health care plans would fall into this category and would be taxed at 40%. The cost of these plans would increase. Soon these plans could no longer be offered. Less expensive, inferior plans would be offered instead.

Is the purpose of health care reform to lower the quality of health care? Does Congress seek to eliminate the good, but not spectacular, health care plans that 85% of Americans now have only to replace them with cheaper, inferior plans that could be offered to a slightly larger segment of the population? Can not this country do better than that?

Pledges were made to maintain the quality of health care. Were these empty promises? Your vote will answer this question. When you next run for reelection will your slogan be “I support lousy health care for all”?

Paying for Health Care, Part 2

The question is really quite simple. Is Congress willing to pay for this health care reform, which the majority of Americans oppose, with unfunded state mandates, massive cuts to Medicare, taxes and fees on the middle class, and taxes and fees on businesses both small and large?

Does Congress really want to provide health care to others by cutting health care to seniors? Every year more and more baby boomers are entering the system. Congress says it can provide better care to an increasing number of seniors while cutting costs. This is unrealistic.

Unfunded state mandates must be paid for by additional taxes, fees, and fines on individuals and businesses on the state level; so, essentially everyone will be forced to pay twice to fund this flawed plan.

The middle class is already overtaxed. We can not afford more taxes. Democrats pledged that 95% of Americans would not see their taxes increase by a single dime. Will that pledge be honored?

If taxes, fees, and fines are increased on small and large businesses, they will be forced to cut their work force or increase product or service costs. Probably both will be done. Taxing insurance companies and companies, who produce medical products, will result in higher premiums and higher costs for medical products. Almost all health insurance companies make a profit of less than five percent. This is not excessive. Congress stated that health care reform was needed to reduce costs and make it more available. Why is Congress proposing legislation that will raise costs?

Congress needs to go back to the drawing board and review their priorities. This is not a wise use of taxpayer money.

Paying for Health Care Reform

After all these months no one has found a good way to pay for a large health care reform bill. We can not borrow more for we are drowning in debt. The government’s uncontrolled spending has already trashed the dollar and has increased the strain on the already sagging economy. Few want to loan this country money anyway for we are a bad risk. If we print more money, the dollar will be further devalued. The only remaining way to fund an enormous spending bill is to raise taxes.

Raising taxes during a recession will only deepen and prolong the recession. Yet the latest health care proposal is filled with taxes and fines on individuals and corporations. Corporations will pass their taxes along to consumers in higher prices. Individuals can not pass along their taxes. We can not afford any more taxes. We are hanging on by our finger tips now.

Congress plans on increasing the number of people eligible for Medicaid. States are responsible for almost fifty percent of Medicaid’s cost. The federal government then only has half the cost of new benefits included in its projected costs. Isn’t this a neat bookkeeping trick? Of course, the people are still entirely responsible for all the costs, but it sounds better. These are UNFUNDED state mandates unless you live in Nevada, Oregon, Michigan, or Rhode Island. The federal government will pay their share of the new Medicaid costs. Apparently they are special.

Congress needs to scale back their plans for health care reform. Reform the obvious. Allow us to buy insurance across state lines to increase competition. Follow the Texas example and enact real tort reform. It has lowered costs there and will lower costs elsewhere. Make it illegal to deny health care insurance because of a pre-existing condition. These three items will not affect our budget. Then provide scholarships for primary care doctors and provide premium subsidies for those who truly can not pay for insurance. These last two items will have a cost - but will not cost the trillion dollars that other plans will. Do not punish citizens with higher taxes or push this country over the financial precipice by significantly increasing the national debt.

Where is Common Sense?

I wonder if Congress ever stops and listens to what they are actually proposing. In what world does what they are saying even make sense? I ask you to actually listen to the proposals and ask yourselves in what third world dictatorship could these proposals actually be enacted.

Congress is proposing a mandate to force all citizens to have health care insurance. Congress argues that car owners are required to have insurance on their cars. Car owners are required to carry insurance to cover the damage to other people’s cars. This is not the same as requiring everyone to have health care insurance. An excise tax would be placed on anyone who does not comply. If this tax is not paid that person could be fined up to $25,000 and be sentenced to one year in jail. Aren’t the jails already overcrowded? Now we will need debtor and noncompliance jails. Isn’t this one of the reasons colonists fled England and came to this land? This is a punitive tax for behavior t hat the government does not approve. It is not constitutional. Did not Congress swear to uphold the Constitution?

It is also being proposed that people who smoke or who weigh more than the government deems appropriate would have to pay thirty percent more for health care insurance. This could be raised to fifty percent at a later date. The Food Police strike again. Wasn’t the main purpose of health care reform to make it more affordable? Over fifty percent of Americans are considered overweight; thus these people would pay significantly more. If they don’t or can’t comply, they could be placed in Fat Jails. Here calories could be restricted and exercise programs be made mandatory. This gives a whole new meaning to forced labor camps.

Does not Congress see how intrusive and even ridiculous these bills would be? The Constitution never gave the federal government power to control these aspects of our lives. It is no wonder more citizens are becoming more and more vocal every day. We are Americans. This goes against everything in which we believe.

Don't Hide The Bills

In the last six months more and more Americans are paying attention to what is happening in Washington. Frankly most of them are appalled. The sleeping giant is now awake. A number of recent bills and policies should be challenged in the courts, because their constitutionality is very questionable.

Citizens now want to know what is in proposed legislation. We want to express our opinions to our congressmen and congresswomen. We want them to consider our opinions before voting. How can we do this if the bills are hidden from the public?

We were promised transparency. Where is it? All bills should be posted online at least five days before Congress votes on them. If they are good bills, the public will approve of them. If they are bad bills, they should not pass. Ours is a representative government. All we ask is that you truly represent us. You can only do this if you inform us and then consider our opinions.

This is especially true of the proposed health care bills. This affects one-sixth of our economy and our very lives. Don’t hide the bills from us. Give us time to read and consider the bills and to voice our concerns. Represent us – not special interests or individual parties.

Signed,
The Electorate