Faxed to Congressman Baron Hill and Senator Evan Bayh.

The letter below has been initiated by House members Jared Polis and Chellie Pingree. I will let its content speak for itself. We are in whole-hearted agreement.

This is the right thing to do for America.

The American Middle Class is being destroyed by a Congress that has failed to act to correct our failing health care system. This letter points out two key facts. One, the so-called ‘public option’ enjoys overwhelming support among the American People. Two, true health care reform including this option is the strongest means of lowering health care costs and reducing future deficits.

That the members of Congress continue to act as hypocrites and ignore this, while shoveling billions and trillions of dollars of tax payer money down the rat holes of corrupt Wall Street bankers and hedge fund managers and housing bubble lenders, to prop up and save their businesses, while ignoring the dying Middle Class, is a travesty and a tragedy, a blot on America, and a disgrace for those serving in Congress.

Sign this letter. Insist on reconciliation in the Senate. Support TRUE reform, not sham reform that simply reinforces the blood-soaked profits of a private industry more interested in money than health care through legislation that would force poor Americans to buy junk insurance they cannot afford.

The performance of Congress this past year is destined to go down in the history books as a climax in course of this nation. Right now, the outcome is not looking good.

The sad thing is that Baron Hill continues to count himself among the despicable Blue Dog Democrats, who seem more interested in serving the corporate masters of the New American Oligarchy who have taken control of this nation, than in serving his constituents, the Working and Middle Class, who are suffering through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The same goes for Sen. Bayh, Mr. Republican-Lite, one of the turncoat members who repeatedly have failed the Democratic party of which he is supposedly a member. One wonders with each passing day how much more out of touch with reality he can get. He certainly has lost our votes forever.

This has been posted to the web site http://keepamericafree.com

Yours Truly,

Ronald D. and Carol Edge

January 27, 2010

The Honorable Harry Reid
Office of the Majority Leader
United States Senate
S-221, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Majority Leader Reid:

As the Senate continues to work on health reform legislation, we strongly urge you to consider including a public option.

Here are the reasons for this request:

1) The public option is overwhelmingly popular.

A December New York Times poll shows that, despite the attacks of recent months, the American public supports the public option 59% to 29%. And a recent Research 2000 poll found 82% of people who supported President Obama in 2008 and Scott Brown for Senate last week also support the public option. Only 32% of this key constituency is in favor of the current Senate bill – with more saying it “doesn’t go far enough” rather than it “goes too far.”

Support for health care legislation started to fall as popular provisions like the public option were stripped out and affordability standards were watered down. The American people want us to fight for them and against special interests like the insurance industry, and it is our responsibility to show them that their voices are being heard.

2) The public option will save billions for taxpayers, speaking to the fiscally-responsible sensibilities of our constituents.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the public option will save taxpayers anywhere from $25 billion to $110 billion and will save billions more when private insurers compete to bring down premium costs. The stronger the public option, the more money it saves.
By including the public option, we can simultaneously reduce tax increases and the deficit. This is a common-sense way to temper the frustration of Americans who question whether Congress is spending their money wisely and fighting for the middle class.

3) There is strong support in the Senate for a popular public option.

It is very likely that the public option could have passed the Senate, if brought up under majority-vote “budget reconciliation” rules. While there were valid reasons stated for not using reconciliation before, especially given that some important provisions of health care reform wouldn’t qualify under the reconciliation rules, those reasons no longer exist. The public option would clearly qualify as budget-related under reconciliation, and with the majority support it has garnered in the Senate, it should be included in any healthcare reform legislation that moves under reconciliation.

As Democrats forge “the path forward” on health care, we believe that passing the public option through reconciliation should be part of that path. We urge you to favorably consider our request to include a public option in the reconciliation process.

Sincerely,

Jared Polis
Member of Congress

Chellie Pingree
Member of Congress

Text above as published here: The Public Option may live again!

A report on the letter can be read here: House Progressives Push Reid To Put Public Option Back On Table