Writing my Congressman

Most Honorable Representative Wolf~

As your constituent, I'm writing to tell you why I'm such a strong supporter of health reform.

Other than for the obvious reasons, which you may deem ideological, I feel that more and more affordable health care for all is something toward which our country should begin to make adjustments in order to move away from where she is at present: on the wrong side of history.

We have a chance to show the world (albeit in an incremental deliberate fashion which, let's be honest, is the manner in which a process of hammering out and implementing any major reform bill has been and will undoubtedly continue to be) that we have the GUTS to do what's right and good for EACH CITIZEN within our union.

Some recent Republican administrative policies, and/or the insufficient oversight of their functions, resulted in a near total crash of our economy. To cite cost as a prohibitive factor for the progress of health care reform is not acceptable to many a discerning mind. The recent CBO figures clearly place this bill's cost well within the realm of plausible consideration, even with the added caveats and potential yet to be encountered real aspects.

The specter of unknown future realities was not so intimidating when ramping up for our long-lasting and ongoing involvement in two major mid-east wars, why is it now such a confounding and looming factor coloring the issue of nominal health and welfare for our fellow American men, women and children?

Congressman Wolf, the campaigns of rhetoric and disinformation (chronically issued from both sides of the aisle) should now be abandoned in the interest of BEGINNING real reform. It bears reiteration that when intransigence gives way to cooperation, progress can be made. History has proven it repeatedly.

There are other potential benefits awaiting a thoughtful and progressive effort toward this end. Our own foreign policy might also gain more gravitas, respect and additional traction with a show of codified compassion within our own government for our own people. The citizens of foreign lands were encouraged by the election of our president, for it exhibited an optimism and faith in the achievable--this in the face of discouraging, even terrifying, circumstances.

We have a chance to re-bolster that faith in the U.S. by those abroad with a show of unified concern for making the common welfare of the citizens of our country a national priority. After all (and this is embarrassing for some), we are one of the last--if not the absolute last--industrialized nation NOT providing health care for all its citizens.

Our President has been, and surely will continue to be, pragmatic in his assessment of what is attainable through bipartisan efforts, including dialogue, compromise, and innovation. To aid in, not obstruct, this process would be a great credit to anyone who nobly believes that real improvement is possible.

I feel that a NO vote--the only rationale for which is to "start all over"--is tantamount to "throwing in the towel", and doing so for all the wrong reasons. Documented voting records and the historically verifiable paucity of any Republican initiated program for the reforming and restructuring of a clearly out of control health care cost system (please, the numbers don't lie) would clearly reveal that a NO vote, at this point, would be a vote devoid of any hopeful or positive essence on this most basic human issue.

I have great pride in the courage and can-do spirit residing in the collective soul of our great nation, but I also feel that a defeat of this bill would, at worst, show to the rest of the world a critically fractured country with diluted morals and compromised principles. At best, we spotlight a reeling law making body with a profoundly flawed legislative process.

We all know that "starting over" would push this issue well down the road, and many folks--good hard working folks and families--are now running into, or are rapidly and imminently approaching, a cold, hard and hopeless dead end right now.

Your positive approach to this most profound issue would be most admirable, and a YES vote would hold many gains for you and your constituents within the ranks of the working middle class. It would be the right thing to do, for all the right reasons.

I thank you most kindly.

Sincerely Yours~

~Jonathan Carroll