So Senator Roland Burris somehow managed to get a hold of my personal email account, to which he sent unsolicited emails on socialized healthcare propaganda. The un-elected Junior Senator from the State of Illinois apparently doesn't realize that I'm not exactly a fan of his, nor am I a proponent of socialized medicine. Below is my response:
Dear Senator Burris,
As a Senator who was appointed to your position as opposed to being elected in a democratic fashion by the people, I see no basis on which for you to make judgments on the opinions of a majority of your constituents. With all due respect, you were not even elected by a majority of your constituents-- in that you were elected by none of your constituents.
Certainly, you have leadership qualities. You are a long-time defender of civil rights, and I respect that very much; after all, I'm half-Argentinian.
However, to my knowledge you have zero experience in socialized medicine. You have zero experience in the health insurance industry. You have zero military experience (if you had, you would know of the months- and sometimes years-long waits our vetarans have to put up with to get a response on their requests for healthcare under Veterans Affairs).
You have no basis on which to make judgments about Healthcare rationing. You have no basis on which to tell me conclusively that Government will have no seat at the table in terms of end-of-life decisions.
The amount of fraud we have in terms of MediCare and MedicAid represent a significant part of the budget for both programs. By introducing a public option, the United States would essentially be covering 30+ Million more Americans (the uninsured). Imagine the rampancy of falsified documents that would arrive as a result of a public option.
With all due respect to you and your office, I think that you should consider sitting this one out, or consider doing the right thing here, which is to oppose this draconian and destructive reform of healthcare which will surely undermine the healthcare system not only for those who utilize the public option, but will also take the bottom out of REAL, reliable healthcare in our country.
Perhaps if you oppose this reform, maybe you will have a chance of being elected by the constituents you represent.
Regards,
Michael J. Stanek
http://www.twitter.com/tapoutrightnow
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If anyone cares to read the email he sent to me, here it is below, in its entirety. Again, I have no idea how he got a hold of my personal email address.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Senator Roland Burris <News@burris.senate.gov>
To: stanmichaels@aol.com
Sent: Sat, Oct 17, 2009 11:20 pm
Subject: A Message from Senator Roland W. Burris
Home About Roland Constituent Services Press Releases Contact Roland
Dear fellow Illinoisan,
As Congress debates contentious issues such as health care reform, climate change, and our continued economic recovery, it is more important than ever to keep in touch so that I can faithfully serve your needs in Washington.
To that end, I will be providing details of my legislative efforts in periodic e-newsletters, such as this one. I will also be launching a new website, where you will find information about specific legislation, services my office can provide, and the issues you care about most. In a few weeks, you'll be able to visit www.burris.senate.gov to explore my redesigned online office.
Senator Burris meets with Illinois medical professionals.
In this edition of my e-newsletter, I would like to address the ongoing national debate over health care reform.
As many of us know all too well, health care costs are spiraling out of control.
I believe Illinoisans deserve better. That's why we need a public option as part of our health care plan. It's time to restore choice and accountability to the insurance market.
A public option would save billions of dollars a year, stop companies from denying coverage to those who need it most, and reduce the burden on American businesses and families. This would improve health outcomes and make quality care more affordable for everyone.
A public option would not result in rationed care or "death panels" of any description. It would not force anyone to change their doctor and would not provide benefits to illegal immigrants. As your Senator, I refuse to vote for any measure that would change our system in this way. But I also refuse to vote for anything less than the real, meaningful reform a public option would provide.
I look forward to hearing from you as we all continue to work towards a brighter future for Illinois. It is an honor to serve as your United States Senator. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and ideas with me.
Sincerely,
Roland W. Burris