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Jan. 15, 2010 1. DO THE JOB YOU HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO DO: Represent your constituents. That doesn’t mean just the people in your political party, it means ALL of your constituents. In my opinion, the moment you became a Representative or a Senator, you became a representative of all the people in your district or state. I vote for the person, not the party. I expect my elected officials, no matter what their political affiliations, to 1) vote on specific issues exactly as they campaigned that they would; 2) on all other issues, to carefully consider the matter before them and to vote according to what they honestly believe to be the best vote for all constituents. Those considerations should come before and take precedence over any consideration of what the President is demanding or what the leadership of your particular political party is demanding. The President was elected to be the head of the Executive Branch; you were elected to participate in the Legislative Branch. You were not elected to rubber-stamp his agenda; you certainly should listen to his vision of what he believes should be done, but Congress as a whole is expected to fairly consider, discuss and debate all aspects of any issue before them and to legislate as a body according to what the people of the United States want and according to what they sincerely believe is the best vote for America. They are expected to not cave in to political strong-arming or bribes ---and since the President seems to forget that he is the Executive Branch and not in the Legislative Branch of government now, perhaps Representatives and Senators should remind him of that and agree to meet with him only as a body or at the very least as a group with representatives of all political parties present, not as a party faction behind closed doors. 2. KNOW EVERYTHING THAT IS INCLUDED IN ANY LEGISLATION BEFORE YOU, AND CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE MEASURES BEFORE YOU CAST A VOTE. Health Care Reform, for example ---Yes, the great majority of Americans believe there needs to be health care reform. That does not mean we want health care reform passed to meet the President’s deadline. That does not mean we want ANY health care reform as opposed to MEANINGFUL health care reform. Right now, the actions of Congress are reminiscent of the actions of a school district going through a teacher strike --- it is amazing how those issues which were so divisive suddenly are resolved at the last possible minute which still allows the school’s sport teams to participate in inter-scholastic sports competitions! Stop trying to pass health care reform in order to meet the President’s deadline of having it done, initially by the end of the year, or now, by the time of his State of the Union address. 3. DO NOT ACCEPT OR DEMAND A BRIBE (e.g., Nebraska and Louisiana) IN ORDER TO GET OR GIVE A SPECIFIC VOTE. It is absolutely abhorrent that any Representative or Senator would stoop to accepting or demanding bribes in order to get the desired vote on any particular legislation. I expect you to demonstrate integrity and diligence and to exhibit ethics of the highest order. When you engage in “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch your back” tactics, I expect you to only “scratch” those issues which are in complete line with your values and which do not compromise the position you would have taken otherwise on a specific issue. 4. REGAIN YOUR COMMON SENSE. Again, using Health Care Reform as an example, listen to the majority of American people. Yes, we want health care reform. No, we do not want health care reform as the President is trying to get it passed. In contradiction to Nancy Pelosi’s assertion to the contrary, the fact that the American people elected a majority of Democrats to the House does not mean that we want the Democratic plan for Health Care Reform. Regardless of the makeup of the House or Senate, I expect Congress to stop all the bipartisanship on issues and look at any specific proposed legislation based on the merits of that legislation and what is best for the American people as a whole. I expect input from all Congressmen, regardless of party, and I want that input debated, discussed, and considered. And you should not even consider attaching to any legislation the stipulation that it cannot be changed by action of a future Congress. You have no cornerstone on what the future holds or how needs may vary in the future. . . so do not try to tie the hands of a future Congress who hopefully will be trying to meet needs before them in a responsible, thoughtful and ethical manner. A FINAL NOTE ON HEALTH CARE: Several articles and news sources refer to Medicare fraud, waste and inefficiency and to existing insurance fraud. Instead of pushing through a reform plan which is overwhelmingly opposed by the majority of Americans, why are you not beginning health care reform by attacking the fraud, waste, and inefficiency which already exist? Why are you not considering the pros and cons of allowing insurance companies to offer plans across state lines?
PLEASE - you have been given the opportunity to serve our country in an honorable position. Do so with honor and integrity.
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