Is John Boehner an ostrich or an extraterrestrial?

The Honorable John Boehner
H-204 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4000
Fax: (202) 225-5117

Dear Congressman Boehner,

You’ve been quoted as saying "I'm still trying to find the first American to talk to who's in favor of the public option, other than a member of Congress or the administration". Assuming that you’ve quoted accurately and you weren’t being facetious you must have your head in the sand. More than 60% of Americans favor a public option and I’m one of them. You will probably never meet me in person as I don’t reside in the Beltway or your home state but I find it hard to believe you haven’t encountered Ohio citizens that favor the public option which leads me to ask as Congressman Barney Frank did, “On what planet do you spend most of your time?”

You should step out of your insular community and actually meet with constituents that don’t agree with you from time to time. You’ll find it an enlightening experience and you’ll be able to get rid of those silly ostrich feathers.

Sincerely,

Letter to Congressman Cuellar urging support for strong public option in health care reform legislation

August 30, 2009

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

Dear Congressman Cuellar,

Thank you for speaking out in support of HR 3200, I urge you to take the position that you’ll only vote for a reform bill that includes a strong public option right away. It should include the following concepts:
Everyone is eligible.
Pre-existing conditions won’t disqualify anyone.
It must also be transparent and accountable to Congress and taxpayers.
It has to be nationwide to pool risk most efficiently.
It has to be nationwide so it has the clout to negotiate with all forms of health care providers.
It has to be nationwide so that it is portable when a citizen moves.

Your constituents have far more to gain than they stand to lose by such reform. HR 3200 would:
Prevent 620 health care-related bankruptcies in the district
Properly compensate health care providers in the district who currently provide $47 million worth of uncompensated care
Cover 244,000 of the 267,000 people in the district who are currently uninsured
Be deficit neutral through increased efficiencies in Medicare and Medicaid and a surtax on one half of one percent of the population in the district.

Sincerely,