Saturday, December 19, 2009

Response to Senator Cornyn's latest scary email about health care reform legislation

A few days ago Senator Cornyn sent out a scary email making a series of spurious claims about the health care reform bill now being debated in the Senate. Refuting it point by point here is useless but I would ask a few questions about what he and the rest of the Republican Party are doing to improve the bill.

Senator, why haven’t you worked to make certain that the reform bill requires insurers to cover pre-existing conditions and prohibit rescission for any reason? Since you’re so certain that competition is the best solution, why haven’t you demanded that insurers loose their anti-trust exemption? Since competition is so useful, why haven’t you demanded that Americans be allowed the opportunity to purchase lower priced imported medications?

Since you are so concerned about the millions of Texans without insurance coverage why don’t you demand that employers either be required to offer insurance coverage to their employees or expand Medicaid to allow low income folks working for companies that don’t offer insurance plans to have medical coverage and at the same time also feed, clothe and house their families? The point of health insurance is to spread the risk so that no one looses their home or life over huge medical bills because we all share in the cost, why haven’t you worked to force insurers to use community rating rather than allowing them to rate individuals so that people with medical problems can find affordable insurance?

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Cornyn's hypocrisy knows no bounds

Senator Cornyn sent out a mass email today touting his co-sponsorship of an amendment to the health care reform bill that have effectively eliminated insurance coverage for all abortions claiming “millions of taxpayers will be forced to fund procedures that go directly against their beliefs and convictions.” Senator Cornyn fails to mention that he has also voted against the health care reform bill that would save the lives of as many as 5,000 Texans every year and improve the health of tens of thousands more.

Senator Cornyn also has nothing to say about his support for the war in Iraq that goes against the beliefs and convictions of millions of Americans. He also doesn’t bother to mention his ongoing support for fossil fuel subsidies that goes against the beliefs and convictions of millions of Americans because their use contributes to ongoing climate change that will flood coastal Texas and other parts of the U.S. and the world in coming decades. So if Senator Cornyn were really concerned with the beliefs and convictions of millions of Americans he would change his tune on a host of issues but then that’s expecting an awful lot from a corporate shill.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Afghan surge and taxes to pay for it

December 4, 2009

The Honorable Henry Cuellar
336 Cannon H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515
phone: 202-225-1640
fax: 202-225-1641

Dear Congressman Cuellar,

I believe that we should immediately begin a phased withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan because we are aggravating a situation that is well beyond our ability to control. Since it appears that we will instead increase our military engagement there the war must be paid for without mortgaging our future and to do that we must raise taxes.

I know that you, a proud Blue Dog, understand how important it is that government operates in a fiscally responsible manner, it is therefore incumbent upon you and your Blue Dog associates to demand that we either withdraw from Afghanistan or raise taxes to pay for it. It is my understanding that it costs approximately $1 million to field one soldier for one year and since we’re soon to have 100,000 troops on the ground then $100 billion in taxes must be raised. Only the House can raise taxes so you and your Blue Dog colleagues are the nation’s best hope for prosecuting this unwinnable war in a fiscally responsible manner. I urge you to demand that all Afghanistan War funding be put into the standard military budget bill rather than in special supplements that hide the true cost of this war.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,