Claire McCaskill, one of the one of the two Senators from Missouri. Notice I did not say Missouri Senators, as we do not have Senators in this country who actually listen and represent the wishes of their constituents. She didn’t listen much to the town hall meetings that I read about. If she had she would not have sent this ridiculous email. Here is the text I received:
Dear Friend,
Tensions are running high in Washington as the debate rages over health insurance reform. started out as health care reform but they had to change it because as I said everyone hates insurance companies…screw them.
And I get it. I do not think you do Health care is such a personal issue. Access to good quality, affordable care – or the lack of it – can change your life. mmm hmmm
So we can't get swept up in the negativity that Washington interest groups specialize in or close our minds based on fear and misinformation, really, she might as well have said, “do not think for yourself, and certainly do not listen to the CBO, and whatever you do do not read any independent analyses, and for Obama’s sake do not watch Fox News. or draw imaginary lines in the sand. What does that even mean or refer to? We’ve got to keep our heads. and our Money
I owe it to you, my bosses in Missouri, to tell you where I'm at in this debate. Many of us have been and did in August, and yet here you are again telling US what YOU are going to do. Here are my top priorities for healthcare: It is not your job to provide me more choices. Your job is to level the playing field and let the market provide choices. You cannot be both a referee and a participant in the game. you cannot stretch the general welfare clause to mean that it is the Government’s job and certainly not the Federal Government’s job to mandate, control, require, force, coerce, or provide “choices” or “options” for something that you are not legally authorized to do. You cannot stretch the General Welfare clause that far, to do so would be carte blanche to do whatever the Fed wanted…oh wait…you already think that.
- Provide you more choices – don’t want em.
- Bring down health care costs (read more) I will believe this when you can demonstrate in a white paper one (1) program where the Government’s involvement led to a savings in a straight up apples to apples comparison. Till then you can keep your Ocean Front Property, your Bridges, and your inheritance from your rich relative in Zimbabwe.
- Deliver better outcomes for patients Take a pain pill and call your undertaker. The Government could not run a successful rebate program on cars, and now you want to tell Doctors how to dispense medical care…I will pass, thanks. Hey, work on this, deliver a better outcome at the DMV, the post office, in our Kids classrooms or one of the other many areas you have meddled with and made worse. Quit plowing new ground. You can focus group and market test this from now on, you can call it “a public option” and when we still don’t buy it, you can call it “options” but we know
- Make sure it doesn't add to our debt OH COME ON…you cannot be serious.
I invite you to send me your priorities for insurance reform.
Claire, here are my priorities. Just keep drawing your salary, but what I want you to do is take a nice long vacay…ok? No pesky work for you until you come up for re-election. Just relax, take a load off. You have been working so HARD. You deserve it. We Americans can not afford much more of your efforts at making all our poor ingnorant lives better. We know you are so much smarter and benevolent than the rest of us…but please… we are begging you to just come home and watch Oprah and MSNBC for about four more years.
I'm representing Missouri the best way I know how – by looking at each issue on its merits and coming to an independent decision. Really, I have seen stats where you are listed as a rank and file party line voter, you mavericky maverick you! But I'm convinced, now more than ever, that we must get a bill because the price of doing nothing is way too high. This is just Obama rhetoric. Medicare and Medicaid is what is going to break us when they start running a deficit NEXT YEAR. And I know there is no such thing as the “trust fund” and there is especially no money in it. So do not try to convince me that the salvation is ANOTHER Government intrusion into my pocketbook.
None of the bills proposed have been perfect, and they're all likely to change significantly before the end. It is all part of the shell game we in Washington use to try to muddy the waters. When will you people learn it is not the fact of what is in the Bill…it is the fact that there IS a Bill? It is not the delivery of the message that we do not like, it is the message itself. You cannot spin this fast enough to get us to like it. It is a stinker. There is not enough Botox in D.C. to take the wrinkles out of this pig.
And with so many proposals now up for discussion, we have to remember there is so much agreement on most of the reforms we're considering. Finding agreement on everything won't happen, but I'm optimistic we will make a meaningful difference in healthcare and health insurance reform this year. Yep… Meaningful difference, as in much…MUCH worse care and Way Way higher prices for all. So for all your work you are prepping us for the disaster it will be, because once it came out of full committee it was a crappy product of groupthink.
Tell me your thoughts on healthcare now.
I give you my word that I'll keep fighting for what I think is right, and for Missourians like you.
And that last line says it all…Tell me what you think…but I will keep fighting for what I think is right, because my mind is made up.
…and Missourians like YOU Claire…won’t be using the public option…you will be using that sweet Fed Government coverage. What do they call that…”the office of the attending physician?” Or I as I call it, “Free Healthcare for Hypocrites”
All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill
-Kook
