To the Editor:
In the last week, there have been numerous letters about Rep. Tim Walz voting with his party rather than voting the will of the people he represents. We need to remember there are two other people who represent the people of Minnesota in Washington. They are Senators Klobuchar and Franken.
I watched the news recently as the Senate brought the health care bill to a vote to debate it. They needed to have the 58 Democrats and two independents vote yes to be able to accomplish it - and they did.
The last senator to vote yes was Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. As I listened to the various interviews, it came out that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had negotiated a $300 million Medicaid supplement to the state of Louisiana for Katrina victims. Since when does the Senate Majority Leader have the power to write out checks to certain states for their vote, on the backs of taxpayers across the nation? If this is the case, where is the deal for Minnesota? Why aren't our senators dealing for us?
As the afternoon went on, there were various references to backroom deals and horse-trading to ensure that when the final bill comes up - later this year - the votes to pass it will be there. This is what is wrong with our government today and has been for a long long time.
The bill will be paid for by increased premiums, fees on businesses that produce medical devices, taxes, and a $400 billion reduction in Medicare. When Chris Wallace interviewed Sen. Spector and asked "Has there ever been a Congress that has cut Medicare since its inception?" Sen. Spector admitted that no Congress has ever voted for that. If this is the case, then the $400 billion savings will have to come from some place else. This is the old "bait and switch" tactic - tell the voters one thing and then do something else. If there will be no Medicare savings, then the real cost will be well over $1.2 trillion.
Another aspect of this bill is that most of the Medicaid will fall back onto the states. Our state, like many others, is on the brink of bankruptcy. This would push us closer to the edge, but it would help the federal cost of this massive atrocity become more deficit neutral. It is just robbing Peter to pay Paul. In the end, the people who can still pay taxes are the losers. Within this current health care bill are many "pork" additions that have little or nothing to do with health care.
If this becomes law, the taxes, fees and deductions will start in 2010, but will not pay out until 2013 - right after the 2012 elections.
We have an opportunity to contact the two senators who represent us and let them know our true feelings about this bill that will socialize our health care.
Our country was founded on government "Of the people, for the people, by the people." I fear, at the end of the debate, a health care entitlement bill will pass. It will be a bill "Of the liberal party, for the liberal party, by the liberal party." Choices are ours - the voter.
Dorothy Behne
Sherburn