Dear Senator Hagan:
On November 24, 2009 I wrote your office asking questions about the health care bill. I received a reply that was a brush off saying we will get back in touch with you. I have since sent a second letter that was not replied to either.
According to news reports you are going to continue to support and vote for the health care bill that came out Friday night. I would like to express my opinion on the bill and I would like for you to answer the questions directly. No talking points, no put offs, no BS. Just straight answers. Can you do that?
This letter is not about the health care in the bill. I don't, for the purpose of this letter, care how much money it will save or cost. I don't care how many people it will insure. Right now they are the least of my concerns.
President Obama promised us that we would be able to see this debate on CSPAN. That we would be able to see who is making deals and the whole process would be open.
Question 1. How many closed door meetings were had by the Democrats to put this bill together?
Senator Landreau of LA got what is being called the “Louisiana Purchase” for her vote. Senator Sanders of VT crowed about getting additional Medicaid funding for 6 years and $100 Billion for community health centers. Today it seems that Senator Nelson got the state of NE out of paying for additional Medicaid not for 6 years but FOREVER. These are bribes. I don't care what color rosy glasses you put on, they smell and people should go to jail for selling their votes, even if it is to get something extra for their state. What happened to the part of the Constitution about what one state gets the others shall also.
Question 2. Do you reject Senators having money and other favors put in a bill to secure their vote, ie pay up or I vote no?
Question 3. Will you introduce amendments to remove these bribes from any bill that come before the Senate?
Nobody saw this bill until it was rolled out late on a Friday night hours before you were asked to vote on it, on the Saturday before Christmas, when Americans had so much more on their minds than what is Congress trying to do behind their backs. There is no way you or your staff could go through it and figure out what is there. It breaks the promises of our leaders to be open, honest, to debate on TV, to put things on the internet for all to see, and it's full of pork and pet projects.
I don't care if this was the best bill ever written. The people, not only of NC but of America, don't like the way it was done and the timing of hiding it in Christmas. What's the rush? It doesn't take affect for 3 years it's not like another 60 or 90 days will change anything.
Question 4. Even if you agree with every word in this bill, will you vote no on it until, it can be gone through section by section and debated on CSPAN so we the people can see what is being done in our name, like we were promised?
I have posted a copy of this letter on my blog for others to see and to see how you respond. Please take a minute to answer the 4 simple questions to explain how you are taking care of the people of NC.
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blucey
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Black Boots
snarkychaser
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Christine Macdonald
Salon.com
Comments
The fact that they play games like you co-sponsor/vote for my bill and I'll do the same for your's is nothing new. But these are straight up bribes. Also we are not talking about a million dollars for someone who makes toy arrows, we are talking about billions and billions of dollars that go on not for a year or two, but forever in the case of NE.
Al is probably right that there is much more of this that goes on than we probably ever know.
I'm sure there is a lot of it that goes on. The question for us is when do you just say enough is enough? For me, the forever funding for NE that the rest of us will have to pay for, that was it.
a href="http://open.salon.com/blog/mcgarrett50/2009/12/20/obama-comics_the_ben_nelson_negotiation">Obama-Comics: The Ben Nelson Negotiation
Obama-Comics: The Ben Nelson Negotiation