The Great American Health Care Bill - My Response

Of course, I had to respond. So over the next 4 days, I penned my well thought out response:

Mr. Warner,

Thank you for contacting me. I would like to think it was a personal response, so I'll respond as if it were.

Unfortunately, the only thing signing the Health Care Reform Bill did was to insure that every American will have to purchase insurance, whether they can afford it or not, and the fact that it's a blanket promissory note to all insurance companies, guaranteeing them more business. I have read a good part of this bill, which is something I'm sure most of your colleges and constituents cannot say, but I stopped when it started making me sicker and sicker reading it.

My conclusion on who wins in this: Not the American people, but the insurance companies. Maybe you are familiar with the Former Medical College of Virginia, now the VCU Medical Center. They accept everyone, turning no one away, taking payment only if the admitted can afford it. They have done so forever. They help the homeless, destitute, and jobless. No matter the circumstances. There are thousands of "Free Clinics" around the nation, operating on grants but mostly the hard earned money of those who donate to them. People work in these hospitals and clinics, not to become wealthy, but to do their part helping people. Why not write a bill that support hospitals and clinics like this, rather than forcing insurance on those who cannot afford it so the Insurance companies can make more money?

I would like to express the fact that there was a time I wholeheartedly supported the Democratic party, and one of my proudest moments was being invited to Chuck Robb's house and meeting him. The "New" Democratic party (Post Clinton Progressives) now have big business and big insurance so deep in their pockets which makes them no better than a Republican. That's why our elections are mostly 51% to 49%. There is no distinct line separating the parties. It's a shame. Not saying I'm a Republican in any shape or Form, I am an American, I have served this country honorably in her military, and now I'm a civil servant because of my love to help people. This Bill has not helped the American people in need of insurance. It has helped the insurance companies by guaranteeing them business. Explain to me why insurance prices have increased significantly since the bill signing. Why have they gone up? Because now they will be guaranteed money.

What saddens me the most is this bill alone makes the administration and the congress that passed it no better than anything GW Bush and his cronies did because it will negatively effect our nation for many years to come. You Sir, being known as the "Business Governor" should know what the only "Business sense" this bill makes is for the Insurance companies, not the American's without insurance.

But, with the VITA/NG debacle that you and your administration created (with the blessing of the current administration in Virginia of course) costing Virginians and their the agencies more money than before, causing disruptions in service, poor service, taking months instead of days to get anything done, we should expect you to support the Insurance companies over the people. The cost for IT services for the average agency increased 4 fold. What does this mean? If an agency was paying 1 million dollars a month in IT services they are now paying 4 million a month. Maybe you are all about business and not the American people. Shamefully, what you did in Virginia alone makes one wonder.

I hope to remind you sir, you are working for Virginians and her people. The wool has many holes in it now, and the truth is starting to shine through. Too bad there are too many clouds blocking the beauty that was once a great nation and a great Commonwealth alike. We will either return to the beauty it once was, or we will fail, and the path we have been on for the past 4 years guarantee us that this great nation will fail! It's time to turn in a better direction for the sake of America.

In January you were all abuzz because you were introducing a bill that would cut trillions from our deficit. Smoke and Mirrors. You want to make a difference for the people of Virginia and the American people? Introduce a REAL bill to save the US trillions of dollars. Not some smoke and mirror act that tries to close up the holes in the wool.

1) End free rides around the county or the world for all members of congress. Make every member of congress pay their way back and forth to work, whether it's from their state to DC or around the world, just as every American has to do. (Travel tax write-off instead of US paying for it, just like all Americans).
2) Get rid of the Congressional retirement plan and afford them the same retirement as every other American. Social Security and retirement for the time spent in congress.
3) Limit Terms of members of congress (but this will only work if #2 is enacted)
4) The Health Care Reform Bill is so great? Get rid of the Congressional insurance plan and make every member of congress join in with the rest of the country in this "Great" health insurance reform. You could be one of the few to do so and that would REALLY show that you are thinking of the American people and the people of Virginia, and not for yourself.
5) Recall the disgrace that is the Health Care Reform Bill and write one that supports hospitals and medical facilities that are struggling to get supplies and medicine so they can continue to provide free services to those who need it. On top of that, manage it like HMO's do (maximum payments for services), and not the price gouging way Medicare is administered;
6) Pull us out of the 2 previous wars completely;
7) Admonish our current president for involving us in a 3rd war and finally pass a bill that takes the right from any president who thinks he can start a war wherever and whenever he wants without Congress' blessing, unless directly protecting an invasion of our borders or our allies borders, as promised in diplomatic treaties;
8) Close Gitmo as promised and stop the US once and for all from being the police of the world;
9) Close all the bases outside our nations borders;
10) Acknowledge that Illegals of all nationalities are in fact here illegally, and Deport them Immediately.
11) Deny any and all federal support for any state (i.e. California) that affords illegals services of any type. Fine states in which illegals receive better services than it's own residents (Californians).
12) Demand that Iraq give us 1.5 Trillion dollars worth of oil out of their 12+ Trillion dollars worth of oil for all our soldiers who lost their lives FOR THEM;
13) Allow any business that is destined to fail, to fail. (No more bailouts). You want to help "Spread the Wealth" you can do so by allowing a company to fail, rather than providing them with the means to give huge bonuses to those who drove them into the ground;
14) Consolidate programs across the nation. Don't give each state a separate chunk of money to do a program on it's own. Have a federal commission that makes a program, administers and allows every state to tap into one service. For example; A single police agency database that provide information to all, A single Unemployment Insurance applications for filing UI and Job Service claims and submissions, A single application for submitting Terror threats.
15) Put a 2 year hiatus on Foreign Aid. giving money to every country we are currently funding (i.e. India, Pakistan, Mexico, Russia)
16) Enact a Balanced Budget Agreement, stating that no lawmaker nor the president shall be paid as long as there is budget deficit. Have Congress and the President put their money where your mouth is, as they say.

I would like to reiterate something you said months ago... "Put up or Shut up"
I can only hope that your silence on the issue recently doesn't mean you have shut up.

Respectfully