Correspondence from my congressman and my reply

Dear Ms. Calm:

Thank you for contacting me regarding my vote against H.R. 3590 - President Barack Obama's health care reform bill. I understand we disagree on this issue, but I hope you will allow me to explain my position.

Please know that I believe health care reform is needed. I am committed to reigning in health care costs, keeping the government from interfering in your medical decisions, and strengthening our health care system to ensure that better quality, more affordable care is available for all Americans. This legislation was simply not the answer.

I voted against H.R. 3590 for many reasons. First, I simply could not support a bill that does not include adequate protections to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to pay for abortions. The bill also included an unconstitutional mandate for every citizen to have health insurance, as well as $569 billion in job-killing tax hikes on small businesses that are already hurting. It cuts Medicare by over $400 billion and raids Social Security to grow the size of government and pay for a new entitlement, and it may impact medical care for veterans and their families. Furthermore, it is estimated that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will need to hire 16,500 additional employees to enforce all the new taxes and penalties in the government takeover plan.

America simply cannot afford this bill. Our public debt is already near $13 trillion and this Congress and Administration have amped up the free spending ways of the previous Administration and are running annual deficits of over $1 trillion. Unfortunately, with a price tag of over $1.2 trillion, this bill will only add to the already heavy public debt burden placed squarely on the backs of future generations of American taxpayers. This is not the right way to reform health care in this country.

Thank you again for contacting me about this bill. If I can be of service on other federal issues, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Walter B. Jones
Member of Congress


Dear Congressman:

While I do not want to belabor a point, I find it of utmost importance to explain to men, whether they be politicians, husbands, or clergy, that a woman's decision-making capabilities have always been very strong and have not degraded through the years.

It is true that women have had the cards stacked firmly against them for too many years. But that has changed as both men and women have become more educated and, therefore, more informed regarding matters that concern women's issues.

In the United States we can more than afford the Health Care Bill if we dismantle Bush's wars NOW! We should not have heartburn over federal funds for abortions--doesn't the Hyde Amendment cover that? It seems to me the abortion issue was thrown in as a disingenuous distraction.

Did you know that most insurance policies cover Viagra but not birth control? What do you want women to do: go back to using coat hangers?

I think the time has come for men to take more responsibility for their penises and leave women alone to do what they have always done...take care of business.

Your response disregards the scoring by the CBO and the misbehavior of our politicians at the C Street Frat House. It seems to me there are more serious problems to consider than the self-righteous viewpoint of so many hypocritical politicians.

Respectfully,

Dot Calm