Healthcare Reform achieved

After decades of attempting to reach healthcare reform, Congress has finally done it! A lot of people are throwing a lot of accusations about the bill, but lets just clear the air about what this bill does and doesn't do. First, despite what Rep. Randy Neugebauer of Texas thinks the bill is not a “baby killer”. The executive order that President Obama signed guarantees that federal monies that are spent in the bill will not be used to fund abortions. Second, this bill will help save jobs, not destroy them. Small businesses will be able to cover their employees thanks to the subsidies that this bill provides. Not only that, but with everyone having insurance, people will receive low cost preventive care which will save consumers money which they can now spend on other essential items such as food and housing. Unfortunately there is no public option, however the federal Office of Personnel Management, which administers federal employees' health insurance plans, will contract with private insurers to offer at least two national health plans on the exchange, at least one of which would have to be a non-profit plan. There are some big lies about the bill that are being spread by conservative activists. To learn about the worst lies about the healthcare legislation just read this Newsweek article. To learn some of the basics about the legislation, including what was in the original House and Senate version, click here.

What truly concerns me is the hysteria that has been created about healthcare. In the past month, many public officials have been threatened. On March 23rd the brother of Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) discovered that the gas line connecting a propane tank to an outdoor grill at his home near Charlottesville, Va., had been severed. A local tea party group had posted the address online (thinking that the address was the Congressman's) saying that their members should “drop by”. Obviously the Republican leadership is in no way responsible for the acts, but it doesn't help when Sarah Palin tweets “Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!" To the conservatives who now feel the backlash of the conservative activists who are committing these acts of vandalism I say “You reap, what you sow”. For years the Republicans have been using fear and hate as a motivational tool, and now you see the consequences like someone at a McCain rally holding up a stuffed monkey with an Obama sticker on it, or the tea party protesters holding up racists signs at rallies. Not only this, but apparently an organizer for the tea party group doesn't feel it is his responsibility to tell protesters not to hold up racists signs. Despite all of this, I still have hope. Recently, religious leaders from the extreme left and right got together and signed a Covenant of Civility. Progressive and Conservative leaders alike signed the agreement which states “put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” We should all take a minute to reflect on this. The fact is the world will not end because of this healthcare bill, just like it didn't end when the Bush tax cuts went into effect. Sometimes leaders in political parties like to say things to get their constituents all fired up. It is almost like a professional wrestling match. A lot of the anger and malice you see when political leaders make their speeches or argue during debates is all calculated political theater. It is all designed to keep you interested, to get you to donate and/or volunteer. I think most Americans are fed up with these kind of tactics. People in the other party are not our enemies, the problems we face as a nation are. Terrorism and Poverty are things we are fighting, not each other. So the next time you are getting into a heated argument with a friend or a family member, just remember that you may have different opinions but you are both on the same side.

Wall Street v. Main Street

Our nation is facing an economic crisis that we have never witnessed before. Of course, you already know this. These tough times may have even affected you directly, whether it has been losing your job, not finding work, or even having your house foreclosed. Unlike Congressmen Mack, I feel your pain. Just recently my bank informed me that they intend on foreclosing my house, where I have lived for many years. The reason for this is simple, many of the small businesses that were my clients have gone under over the past year, which has severely reduced my yearly income. That is why I feel so strongly about supporting small businesses in America. According to the United States Small Business Association, small businesses have generated over 60 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years and small businesses employ over half of U.S. workers. It is time we started developing more tax incentives for small business and stop pandering to wall street. But how is that even possible without campaign finance reform?

Lately, the Republican party is trying to claim to be a reformist party. That if they are elected, they are going to change Washington. How does this make any sense when they want to hand over the reins of power to special interest groups and lobbyists! Last January, the Supreme Court handed down a decision which essentially allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money in political advertisements, telling voters that they should vote in favor or against a political candidate. Basically it does two things, any legislator who wants to enact real reform is going to have a giant target sign on their back, and any legislator who is willing to do the bidding of special interest groups is going to have a job for life. When this radical decision was announced, RNC chairman Michael Steele said "Today's decision by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC, serves as an affirmation of the constitutional rights provided to Americans under the first amendment," But what about our representative, Congressman Mack? Surely he would never support such a radical interpretation of the Constitution, right? Unfortunately, this is not so. The following is a quote from a press release that his office sent out shortly after the Supreme Court decision; "Today's decision by the Supreme Court is a win for freedom, individual liberty and democracy and a blow against burdensome government interference in free speech." What Congressman Mack doesn't understand, is that the American people are not behind him on this. A poll conducted by ABC and the Washington Post found that 80 percent of Americans opposed the decision and over 70 percent support the idea of legislation re-instating the restrictions the court recently lifted. It doesn't take a Constitutional Law professor to know that this Supreme Court Decision is horrendous. If you believe that protecting the integrity of our elections is more important than a radical interpretation of the Constitution, I ask that you support me to replace Connie Mack in Congress. Click here to learn how you can help!

Healthcare Reform Now!

Healthcare in our country is on life-support. Though attempts to reform healthcare were made during the 90's, the special interests pulled out all the stops and killed it. Now it seems as though special interests are at it again, but this time they have a new ally; Connie Mack. During the last election cycle Congressmen Mack accepted over $25,000 in contributions from Political Action Committees in the healthcare industry. So as new negotiations for healthcare reform take place in Washington, who do you think he is representing?

The Republican party was in control of Congress for many years and not once did they ever offer any real healthcare reform. And why is that? It is because they want to maintain the status quo. According to them, healthcare is business and the government should leave business alone. To the people who believe that kind of neo-conservative mantra I categorically say, "No!" To those who disagree with me, I suggest they read about Christina Turner . Last year Christina went to a bar in Ft. Lauderdale and woke up the next morning along the road with cuts and bruises. As a precaution Christina's doctor prescribed her anti-AIDS medication. A few months later when she tried to get a new insurance plan the insurance companies denied her simply because she took the anti-AIDS medicine. They said they might consider covering her in a few years if she was still AIDS free. We need to stand up for people like Christina. When I go to Congress I plan to support healthcare reform that does not allow big insurance companies to act so immoral. But how does Congressman Mack feel about covering pre-existing conditions? Well he was asked about this very issue face to face, which you can read here. A Naples woman asked what she was to do about the fact that insurance companies wouldn't cover her because she was diabetic. “Who helps us? Who helps me? Where do I go?” she said. Congressman Mack told her that there were programs to help and asked her to meet with his staff after the town hall. Funny that Congressman Mack couldn't actually recall the name of the programs in front of the audience, because I'm sure there are thousands of Americans who would love to hear about them. But what Congressman Mack doesn't realize is that we can't all meet with his staff one at a time. We need a real plan to help thousands of people who are being denied for a variety of reasons from being diabetic or even because they were victims of rape. Like his Republican colleagues, Mack isn't giving us real answers.

Now Congressmen Mack might tell you that Republicans have their own plan for healthcare. You might have even seen some Republican members of Congress waving it in their hands when the President addressed Congress last year. But was that a sincere plan to reform healthcare, or just political theater? Consider this, one of the accusations that Republicans made about healthcare reform was that Democrats were going to use taxpayer's money to fund abortions. Not only did the final version of the House bill prohibit funding of abortions the in public option, but as that bill was being negotiated Politico discovered that for over 15 years the Republican National Committee was offering elective abortion coverage to their employees!

We need real leadership in Washington. That is why I'm asking you for your support in both the primary and the general election so that the people of Southwest Florida can have a Congressman they can be proud of.