An open letter regarding health care reform

From: A United States Citizen

To: Every politician in America!

Re: That proposed health care fiasco you've all got in the works back there in Washington D.C.


Hi Folks,

Let me set the record straight at the "get-go" here... I'm a normal, well educated blue collar guy who has absolutely no political party affiliation... just contempt and disgust for the politics of the day.

You politicos are making us, your fellow citizens, your "constituents" the most recent victims of your political shenanigans. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being lied to, cheated, deceived and taken for granted. Take your political crap elsewhere, you're ruining our lives here!

I'm a mid 50 yrs. old Washingtonian. I'm a son, brother, uncle, husband, friend, father and grandfather. Like my father and several brothers before me I served our country as a soldier the United States Army. I was and still am very well aware that my health would always be one of those priorities in life. I knew I had to provide for it's care. I also learned early on that our U.S.A. citizenship everyone of you politicos seem to want to trade off or give away nowadays is an earned citizenship and should be respected, cherished and protected by everyone who possesses it. It should not, cannot, will not be handed out willy nilly or traded off for political favors or future votes.

It needs to stay that way!

Anyways, back to this health care thing you got brewing back there in ol' D.C. land.

When I married in the mid 70's I took on those shared responsibilities associated with marriage, family... life. I've always worked... from the age of 13 years old through today I've always had a job of some sort. I've always willingly participated in a health care plan offered by any of my several employers. I sacrificed financially in other areas of my life so I could afford those health care premiums. That was my choice. Most of the time those "sacrifices" were nominal... including foregoing certain unnecessary "perks" such as premium cable t.v., coffee, "sin" comforts (cigarettes, candy, soda, etc.), fancy cars and trucks, season tickets to sporting events, recreational vehicles, vacations, gourmet meals, fine wines, trendy clothes, etc. to ensure I had the money to pay the necessities for my family. My wife and I both contributed to the cause of raising and providing for our family since we married over 32 years ago.

I've lived with, befriended and otherwise witnessed those who, unlike us willingly chose to forego some of those same "necessities" in life like health care in favor of some of those life's perks I previously mentioned. At times I've seen them scramble to sell what they can, to liquidate some of their "toys" just to make a medical payment of one type or another for medical services that resulted from some unexpected mishap or illness. Now more-so than earlier in life... attribute that to age and health. I watch as they now sacrifice what we sacrificed for years and realize they made the choice, the decisions earlier in life that brought them to where they are today... older with poor or no health insurance coverages and having those pre-existing conditions they never thought they, themselves would ever have.

I want to feel sorry for them and help them but then again I think about the overall situation they're in and realize they're the reason they're having the health and medical issues that they're having. They made bad choices earlier and now the results of those choices are difficult if not impossible to turn around.

I've made several bad choices myself over the years but I've learned to account for them, learn from them and adapt however difficult it was. That's part of what I thought being and American was all about… the freedom and ability to choose, to negotiate hardships and to reason and succeed, or fail if you so choose. I do believe in helping my neighbor but I don't believe in giving up what I know works and what I've sacrificed to maintain just so those who want what I have can have it without making the same sacrifices I've made most of my life.

I'm certainly not alone.

They see the care we've paid for all these years and now they want it too...

Let it be known that we have "free" clinics, medicare, medicaid, mandatory emergent health care requirements imposed on health care providers, reduced rate health care options, co-pay options, veterans care, etc. available for some of the best health care in the world. People who cannot afford or choose not to subscribe to private health care plans regularly utilize these "free" or reduced fee social health cares.

I truly don't want to see the health care that I've contributed to and participated in all of these years be taxed out of existence or otherwise rendered defunct because our federal government wants to socialize the whole health care system in this, our fine country. I don't want my neighbor paying for my government proposed health care simply because that fine neighbor took certain risks that I wouldn't take earlier in life and generated an income greater than $250,000.00. I don't want to have others carry my weight for me. I can do it on my own as I have for the past 40 or so years. I've planned ahead and realize I'll still have to make some sacrifices in life to maintain adequate health care coverage for myself and my wife... not to mention those in our family who aren't able to yet. I don't want to see our existing health care be reduced to another government boondoggle. I don't want the government making medical choices for me or my loved ones. I'll pay the premiums and I'll accept the service provided by my current provider but I surely don't want to see government interference in the care that we currently have.

I'm not in favor of the health care reform as it exists. You're all moving way to fast! You haven't convinced this taxpayer that you know what you're doing, you aren't being "fair and unbiased" and you certainly aren't looking out for what's best for us, the citizens!

Finally, I recognize health care in one form or another... primarily emergent health care should be available for everyone in this country when the need arises for that emergent care. However, I will not vote for any public servant who insists general, socialized health care paid for by the very citizens of this country should be available to those who are in this country illegally or without citizenship status.

For what it's worth politicos, I'm urging you to vote "NO" against this proposed health care reform. Democrat-Republican- I don't care! Lose the partisan politics crap and think about us, the voters, this country's citizens, your employers for once! This health care reform bill... it's a boondoggle and it's a very, very bad idea!

If reform's necessary (and in many ways I believe it is) then let's slow down, study it and do it right. I don't want to be force fed another federal government mess and I sure as heck don't want my children and grandchildren left to carry the water for me and others. It's a matter of practicality, principle and pride... not to mention knowing what's right from wrong.

Wake up, do the right thing and abandon this plan. It's a horrible plan and will surely cost us more than we can afford collectively as a nation!

Thanks for reading this. Hopefully it will be supported by scores of thousands of others who share the same or similar thoughts or beliefs.

Sincerely,

A proud, voting, blue collar, tax paying citizen of the United States of America