Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Look me in the eye…

Dear Elected Official,

I would like to remind you that you were voted into your position by the Citizens of the United States. A majority voted for you to be our voice and to act in our best interests. Your job is to make sure that all of our voices are equally represented and that the laws and policies that are put into place are good for us as a whole.

From what I have seen in my very short 14 years of adulthood, you, the elected official, act in your best interest and only your best interest. Please do not vote on laws and policies based on how it is going to benefit your re-election campaign.  

Please keep your religion out of the political arena. I do not care if you are Catholic, Presbyterian, Muslim, etc. I do not care if you are against abortion because your are Catholic – you represent persons of all different faiths. Can you look a rape victim in the face and tell her that she has to carry that baby to term against her wishes? Simply because it goes against your faith? Can you look a young woman, who was molested by a family member, in the eye and tell her that she has to carry that baby to term? Would you tell your own daughter, granddaughter the same?

I would like to ask all elected officials – Republican, Democrat, Independent, etc. to do the following when deciding how to vote on a bill:

Begin with an open mind. It does not matter what party presented the bill that you are about to vote on – if it is good for the citizens that elected you, then it is a good bill.

Prior to your vote, ask yourself this question, “Can I look every single voter in my district, personally in the eye, and tell them that I am voting against this bill because it is in their best interest.”

Ask yourself – am I just voting for/against this because I am playing follow-the-leader with my party?

To make this more specific and personal – can you look me in the eye and tell me that we do not need health care reform? I only ask because my husband and I have both been laid off, cannot afford COBRA or private insurance and have three children to care for. I only ask because I do not understand why a person that I helped to elect and represents me, has insurance that I, and my fellow citizens pay for. I want the same plan that you have, plain and simple – make it happen. I would prefer to be in debt and healthy, than be in debt to a war and be sick. So, if we have to be in debt due to heath care reform and a war – so be it. Maybe you should have your salary cut to help balance the budget. Maybe during your term, your salary should reflect the average median income of those you are elected to represent.

You are not perfect, I do not expect you to be perfect. You have the right to change your mind – but when you do, make it public and state the reasons why you changed your mind. I will respect you, maybe not your decision, a whole lot more, if I knew that you were willing to take the time to understand all of the facts.

I am able look at myself in the mirror everyday and know that the decisions I make are based on information. I don’t care if a Democrat or a Republican proposes a health care reform plan – if it is good for me, my family and fellow citizens – then pass it.

Sincerely,

Proudmama


Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 8 Comments

8 comments

  1. proudmama

    This rant has been rattling in my head for a while. Written rants are almost as fun as verbal rants and definitely more satisfying than internal rants.

  2. HappyinVT

    today.  He told of rushing Malia to the emergency room because she was having an asthma attack and of waiting to see if Sasha would recover from meningitis.  He remembered wondering how they would have coped if they had not had insurance.  He also retold the story of his mother fighting with insurance companies as she was dying of ovarian cancer.  He reminded his colleagues that they have similar stories in their pasts as well.

    For some (most?), though, I don’t think it matters.  He saw videos of Coburn and Grassley telling constituents to get over it.  Get their neighbors to help.  Or, ironically, apply for government assistance.  There is some segment of Congress, and the American people, who figure if you cannot afford something like health insurance you just aren’t working hard enough.

    How is John McCain, who has had government (even socialized via the DoD) health care his entire life supposed to understand how the rest of us feel?

    I work with a woman who doesn’t believe she should be required to pay for someone else’s health care.  I asked her why I should pay for the schools her daughter will go to; the roads she uses; the library in her town, etc.  She didn’t really have an answer.  (Of course, my voice got kind of high toward the end so she might have wanted to beat a hasty retreat.)  How is it acceptable for minimum wage people to be denied health care?  Should a server who we need in order to enjoy eating out be forced to go without health care because the job he/she has chosen doesn’t pay enough?  That kind of attitude just floors me.  It’s the “I have mine and it sucks to be you” attitude that has become waaay to prevalent.

    Hmmm, I guess one rant led to another.  ðŸ™‚

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