What is my congresswoman SMOKING?!

I wrote to Carolyn Maloney, my representative, urging a NO vote on the healthcare bill. I wish I’d saved what I wrote (I submitted through her Web site) so I could enumerate exactly how her form letter response addressed NONE of my arguments. I certainly didn’t expect her to read my letter — I sent it more so that her aides would register me in the pile of constituents who oppose her voting yes on the bill — but I thought at least some high school intern might read it. Clearly, that’s not the case, as no one could possibly think it was appropriate to send me THIS after reading my letter:

Dear Mrs. Zawistowski:
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on health care reform. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

As Americans continue to struggle in this tough economy, reducing health care costs is more important than ever. I share President Obama’s goals of reducing health care costs, protecting and increasing consumers’ choices, and guaranteeing access to quality health care for all Americans. Today, we spend 53% more on health care per capita than any other nation in the world, while a tragic 47 million Americans still remain uninsured.

On July 17, the Congressional Budget Office released estimates confirming that the health insurance reform policies of H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, are deficit-neutral over the 10-year budget window — even producing a $6 billion surplus. CBO estimated that the cost of the bill’s insurance reforms was $1.042 trillion, while the bill’s cost savings and revenues totaled $1.048 trillion. CBO estimated that these reforms will provide affordable coverage for 97 percent of Americans two years after the program starts.

The House of Representatives has announced a health care reform bill, H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 which includes the following key provisions:
• A robust public plan which will be financially self sustaining and will provide many of the underserved Americans a real health insurance option;
• A health insurance exchange which will give people the ability to shop from a variety of plans, including a public option, to find the best one for them;
•A reallocation of health care dollars so the new American health care system can provide better coverage to more people for less money.

You can view more detailed summaries of this bill by going to my website: http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_issues&task=view_issue&issue=320&Itemid=35

I look forward to working with Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration to pass meaningful reform that fully addresses the health care crisis facing our nation and provides affordable, high quality care to all Americans.

Sincerely,
CAROLYN B. MALONEY
Member of Congress

I try not to descend to using too many obscenities on this blog*, but WHAT THE FUCK? CBO thinks there will be a surplus? The same CBO that warned just days ago that the government healthcare plan is unsustainable? On what planet does Maloney live that she thinks creating a massive entitlement can be supported without massive cost increases — costs that are going to be borne by you and me, Joe and Jane Taxpayer?

I think I will write back to Maloney, using a different argument, since she clearly doesn’t understand this one. Something as simple as “Dear Congresswoman Maloney: Vote no on the healthcare bill, or I will vote no on YOU, the next chance I get. Sincerely, Stella Zawistowski.”

* Not because I have some puritanical aversion to “bad words” — in fact, I swear like a sailor in person — but because, as Ayn Rand observed, they are imprecise. I’m often sloppy in saying “douchebag” when I really mean “rights-violating dictator-in-training,” or “shitty” when I mean “immoral and impractical,” but my blog is no place for such a lack of clarity.

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