What I've Had Enough Of
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| Also listed in: Eau Claire for Health Care | Had Enough? |
I've had enough of incumbent legislators who tout their so-called "records" on issues when they haven't really done squat. Or those who have been in office for many years, yet keep promising "this is what I'll do next term." Well then, why didn't you get it done before? I guess it really wasn't a priority, huh.
Case in point: State Senator Ron Brown (R-Eau Claire) of the 31st Senate District. He's on the committee responsible for bills that would reform our healthcare system. And there were three bills in the committee this past session that would have done so. Now, granted, the bills do need more work before they're ready to pass. But why wasn't the issue made a priority? We have 500,000 uninsured people in this state; clearly, reform is urgently needed. And Brown's answer is that the proposed bills would have cost too much (yes, some of the plans would have had additional expenses at the outset to provide for much greater long-term savings) and that tax-exempt Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and incentives for companies that promote healthy lifestyles are the answer. Yeah, tell that to someone with no health insurance who has kids in school bringing home various germs on a daily basis.
So, you may ask, why would someone with such a poor record on healthcare even bring it up? Well, one, polling says it's a big issue in his district (nearly as big as taxes), and, two, his opponent, Kathleen Vinehout, has made it her number one issue. Which, you know, isn't surprising, since she has a Ph.D. in Health Policy. If you want real healthcare reform for the citizens of Wisconsin (as opposed to what preserves the profits of big corporations), the choice is pretty clear. I hope my fellow voters in the 31st will send a clear message on November 7th that they've also had enough of waiting for real healthcare reform.
Case in point: State Senator Ron Brown (R-Eau Claire) of the 31st Senate District. He's on the committee responsible for bills that would reform our healthcare system. And there were three bills in the committee this past session that would have done so. Now, granted, the bills do need more work before they're ready to pass. But why wasn't the issue made a priority? We have 500,000 uninsured people in this state; clearly, reform is urgently needed. And Brown's answer is that the proposed bills would have cost too much (yes, some of the plans would have had additional expenses at the outset to provide for much greater long-term savings) and that tax-exempt Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and incentives for companies that promote healthy lifestyles are the answer. Yeah, tell that to someone with no health insurance who has kids in school bringing home various germs on a daily basis.
So, you may ask, why would someone with such a poor record on healthcare even bring it up? Well, one, polling says it's a big issue in his district (nearly as big as taxes), and, two, his opponent, Kathleen Vinehout, has made it her number one issue. Which, you know, isn't surprising, since she has a Ph.D. in Health Policy. If you want real healthcare reform for the citizens of Wisconsin (as opposed to what preserves the profits of big corporations), the choice is pretty clear. I hope my fellow voters in the 31st will send a clear message on November 7th that they've also had enough of waiting for real healthcare reform.
The voters need to understand the difference. I'm doing everything I can to get that message out but amany people haven't even heard of the referendum yet. I need everyone's help to get that message to as many voters as we can.