Open Letter to the Senate

This is the letter I sent to 20 Senators tonight. I got a list online of the ones who may be influenced to vote against the Health Insurance Reform Bill. I don't know how accurate the list is, in terms of influence, but I feel I did my part. I sent each one personally addressed, and faxed it, so it was more likely to be read before it was deleted out of an inbox. Feel free to use it to contact your own senators. Don't wait!!! I'll also post the list to whom I sent it below.

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The Honorable Ron Wyden
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Wyden,

I am a 28 year-old Oregon resident. I have a Master’s Degree that I have never used in the workforce because I have opted to be a stay-at-home mom. I am blessed that I am able to do so, but it has required certain sacrifices on behalf of my husband, children, and myself. We are on a tight budget, but we do provide for our children and ourselves. In short, you could pretty much label us as the average American family, trying to stay out of debt and do the right thing.

Unfortunately, I feel that my elected officials continue to make this more difficult. You also provide a very poor example for living within one’s means.

The choices this congress is making go so far beyond the scope delegated to it in the constitution. And in commanding that power, you are sentencing this country to continued financial difficulties, if not destruction. Already, in the decisions made by this congress, we have spent much more than we can afford. And now there is consideration for spending much much more.

The health care bill, in any current form, is one more brick in the path to financial ruin for this country. No matter how the numbers are crunched and then spewed back to the country, we do not have the money to pay for this. Even if there was a possibility that a federal government program could save the taxpayer money in the long run, or even stay within its original budget (you’re welcome to inform me of any instances of this happening), the fact remains that the country is broke. Adding any program at this point could be devastating.

This is before we touch on the outrageous length of the bill. With a piece of legislation that is guaranteed to impact every single American, there should be no rush to push it through, or create such sweeping change in one bill. Nor should it be anywhere near the length and scope of what it has become. The only purpose for this is pork-spending and special-interest legislation, at which I am appalled given the state of the nation currently.

Is change needed in health insurance? Absolutely. Should it come in the form of a monstrous bill that the average citizen (and most elected representatives) can’t even read? This seems like a gross misjudgment of the responsibilities delegated to you in the Constitution. In fact, the Constitution does not even allow for the Federal Government to enact such programs at all. This should be left up to the states, and the states alone.

Now, if you want to do something really worthwhile in reforming the health insurance industry, the federal government could lift restrictions on getting insurance from across state lines. That’s a good place to start. Once that has brought costs down substantially, there are other effective reforms that will not cost the taxpayer nearly as much, if anything. I’m happy to share those ideas, and would, if I felt that my letters were ever adequately read and responded to, to even make typing it out worth my time. Perhaps if the bills that are being pushed through congress were limited as to the size and scope (instead of being 2000 pages), our congresspersons would have more free time to dialogue with their constituents. As James Madison said:

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is today, can guess what it will be tomorrow. Law is defined to be a rule of action; but how can that be a rule, which is little known and less fixed? (Federalist Papers, No. 62, p. 381).

I plead with you for the sake of our nation, for my family, and even for your own job security. Do not pass any health care bill of the size and scope that is currently being considered. I am convinced it will have devastating and long-term ill-effects on all parties involved.

Sincerely,

Karli Winters

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SENATE CONTACT INFO

Mark Begich (D-AK) 202-224-3004 – fax 202-224-2354
email(http://begich.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm_)

Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) 202-224-4843 – fax 202-228-1371
email(http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm)

Mark L. Pryor (D-AR) 202-224-2353 – fax 202-228-0908
Email(http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/)

Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) 202-224-4041 – fax 202-224-9750
Email (http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact/)

Thomas Carper (D-DE) 202-224-2441, fax 202-228-2190
Email (http://carper.senate.gov/contact/)

Bill Nelson (D-FL) 202-224-5274
Email (http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm)

Johnny Isakson (R-GA) 202-224-3643, fax 202-0228-0724
Email (http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm)

Evan Bayh (D-IN) 202-224-5623, fax 202-228-1377
Email (http://bayh.senate.gov/contact/email/)

Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824, fax 202-224-9735
Email (http://landrieu.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm)

Susan Collins (R-ME) 202-224-2523, fax 202-224-2693
Email(http://collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenato
rCollins.EmailIssue)

Olympia Snowe (R-ME) 800-432-1599, fax 202-224-1946
(http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorSnowe)

Max Baucus (D-MT) 202-224-2651, fax 202-224-9412
Email (http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue)

John Tester (D-MT) 202-224-2644, fax 202-224-8594
Email (http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/index.cfm)

Kent Conrad (D-ND) 202-224-2043, fax 202-224-7776
Email(http://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm)

Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551, fax 202-228-0012
Email (http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact-me.cfm)

Ron Wyden (D-OR) 202-224-5244, fax 202-228-2717
Email (http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/)

Jeff Merkley (D-OR) (202) 224-3753, fax (202) 228-3997
Email (http://merkley.senate.gov/contact/)

Herb Kohl (D-WI) 202-224-5653, fax 202-224-9787
Email (http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm)

Robert Byrd (D-WV) 202-224-3954, fax 202-228-0002
Email (http://byrd.senate.gov/contacts/)

Mark Warner (D-VA) 202- 224-2023, fax 202-224-6295
Email (http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact)

Tim Johnson (D-SD) 202-224-5842, fax 202-228-5765
Email (http://johnson.senate.gov/contact/)

Want a little ISM?

Nick and I have recently started a nine-month course on the US Constitution and our founders. It has been an incredibly eye opening experience. We have departed so far from our founders' original intent, and the government has seized far more power than should ever have been condoned, all in the name of "helping." This cartoon below is from 1948, but illustrates the principles which are still applicable today. More updates to follow on what we're discussing in class.

How American Health Care Killed My Father - The Atlantic (September 2009)

This is by far the best article on Health Care Reform I have ever read. Please share it with everyone you know. It is non-partisan and uses a down-to-earth common sense approach. It investigates what's really wrong with our health care system... not just the symptoms that we are experience (like high prices and lack of health care insurance). And after focusing on what's wrong, he provides great solutions.

How American Health Care Killed My Father - The Atlantic (September 2009)

I'll be honest, it's a really long read. The first five pages are simply to establish his rationale. I think they're important to read, but if you want to just skip to his solutions, read page 6.

Shared via AddThis

Rules for Radicals

Larry Elder : The Other 'Hispanic' Nominee - Townhall.com

Larry Elder : The Other 'Hispanic' Nominee - Townhall.com

Shared via AddThis

I. Am. Astroturf.

I went to the David Wu Townhall in McMinnville on Monday. There were seats for 126, and when we got in line 30 minutes early, there were 500 people in line in front of us. A majority of the people at the front of the line had all come together, and were wearing "Yamhill County Democrats" stickers. We obviously didn't get in, but we stayed outside the whole time, taking in the scene. The only people with professional signs were Pro-government health care. The rest of us were little pockets of people that had come with their friends and their handmade signs on tagboard. It was something else! I decided I could officially be counted as Astroturf, as I organized a group of my friends (2 of them!) and "bussed" them down to McMinnville in my minivan.

It was pretty hard to tell who had more people there. Once they closed the doors, a lot of people left. I did see a woman walking around trying to hand out Pro-Government Health Care signs, and wasn't having a lot of luck. She had a whole stack she couldn't get rid of. I would say that the majority of people there were against government health care, but not everybody had signs. Now, the majority of people that made it IN to the meeting were on the left, because they had the whole group there early. BUT, we pulled aside a guy on our side who was in it, and he said that because they pulled the names out of hat for who got to answer questions, that our side got a pretty decent change to ask questions. Nothing too raucous though.

The real travesty was at the Portland meeting today. My friend went with her two kids that are 4 & 2. She got in line about 2 and 1/2 hours early and was about 16th in line. The organizers told her that there were 80 seats set up, but they were only going to let 60 in because they needed a lot of room for the press. I couldn't believe that at a time when people want to have their voices heard, that they reserved 1/4th of the seats for the PRESS!!

My friend ended up waiting in line and getting the 3 tickets, and then handing them to people she knew who were on our side, as her kids were melting down. Pretty good deal... I suppose if that's what they mean by stacking the deck and "Astroturf" then, we're guilty as charged.

This is my absolute favorite sign from the rally. Mostly, because I agree with it 100%.

"Next November, let's INCREASE unemployment by 535"

How Obama Got Elected

The video below is almost 10 minutes, but you can watch only a few minutes of it and get the basic gist. But if you're like me, you'll want to watch the whole thing. :)

This is part of an upcoming documentary, entitled Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Sarah Palin Was Targeted, by John Ziegler. Seriously scary. As I've said before, I don't care what you're views are, just make sure you know WHY they're your views.



For more information, see the website at http://www.howobamagotelected.com.