Another Letter To My Congressmen

I sent yet another letter to our congressmen. this time it was much more simple and like last time only Mike Rogers responded.

Here's the question I asked:

Dear Congressman Rogers,
Will you vote to require members of Congress to be included on any bill dealing with health care? Please give me a yes or no answer.
I request the courtesy of a reply.
Sincerely,
Matt Fuller


Here's the answer he gave:

Dear Mr. Fuller:

Thank you for contacting me with regard to the healthcare reform debate that is currently ongoing in Congress. It is good to hear from you.

Like you, I am concerned about many of the healthcare reform proposals that have been discussed in Congress. What is important in this debate is that Americans have access to quality and affordable healthcare coverage. Though I have not yet seen the finalized proposal, and the specifics of the government-run or "public option" plan are beginning to surface, I would strongly oppose any proposal that would hurt or even destroy the availability of private insurance in favor of a single government-run plan over the long run. It is important to note that I am a cosponsor of H.Res.615, which was introduced by Representative John Fleming (LA), that would express the sense of the House of Representatives that Members who vote in favor of the establishment of a public, federal government run health insurance option are urged to forgo their right to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and agree to enroll under that public option.

It is my understanding that debate on this issue is expected to continue for the next several weeks. I plan to continue following it closely.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Should you need to find more information on issues of importance to you, please log onto my website at http://www.house.gov/mike-rogers. I look forward to hearing from you again.

The Value Of A Soul

The Value Of A Soul

Democracy

I am a democrat (one that believes in and supports democracy) because I believe in the Fall of Man. I think most people are democrats for the opposite reason. A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that everyone deserved a share in the government. The danger of defending democracy on those grounds is that they are not true. And when ever their weakness is exposed, the people who prefer tyranny make capital out of the exposure. I find that they're not true without looking further than myself. I don't deserve a share in governing a hen roost, much less a nation. Nor do most people - all the people who believe advertisements, and think in catchwords and spread rumours. The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows....
This introduces a view of equality rather different from that in which we have been trained. I do not think that equality is one of those things (like wisdom or happiness) which are good simply in themselves and for their own sakes. I think it is in the same class as medicine, which is good because we are ill, or clothes, which are good because we are no longer innocent...When equality is treated not as a medicine or a safety-gadget but as an ideal, we begin to breed that stunted and envious sort of mind which hates all superiority.

C.S. Lewis
The Business of Heaven, p.411