Dear Congressman Adler,
I listened to your interview on Fox “News” today with Chris Wallace, and to say the least I was extremely disappointed. You repeatedly referred to the Health Care reform effort as a “jobs” bill and were only concerned with the impact on small businesses. (Yes, we do need to improve the employment situation, and a second stimulus is the best way to do that, but that’s the subject of another letter.) Nowhere in the nine minute interview did you empathize with your constituents who are suffering from expensive or unaffordable medical insurance. You mentioned “cost containment” several times without acknowledging that the independent Congressional Budget Office has concluded that the proposed health care bill will result in a budget surplus.
I worked for your campaign in 2008. Your election on Barack Obama’s coattails was a pleasant surprise. But your actions on this bill do not distinguish you from any of your potential Republican opponents, and unless you separate yourself from them, you will have served the district as a one-term congressman.
When I was much younger, I read Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy. It was about politicians who supported what was right, rather than what was popular with party functionaries. You have an opportunity to join that group by proactively supporting health care insurance reform, which is a major concern of your South Jersey constituents. Any other action would kill this initiative for another generation, resulting in untold pain, suffering, and death for many of your constituents.
No comments:
Post a Comment