Letter to State Rep. on Heath Care Reform.

"Look, I don't know if these even matter. I don't know whether you read them or not. But if you do, I hope you'll listen to what we're all saying.

I'm 25 years old. I'm an Army veteran, a single-mom, and a student who is studying to be a Physician Assistant. I chose to move back to Kalamazoo, my hometown, after I finished my service in the military. Even though it's been a struggle to find work here in Michigan, I love this state, and chose to live here because of that.

In a few months, I will lose health coverage. I have a job which offers insurance, but between school, and work, and my daughter I'm not available to work the amount of hours (32) required to be eligible. And with all this, I'm still one of the lucky ones. The military pays for my education. Heck, they even pay for my housing while I'm in school. All I have to pay for is day care and routine expenses. (I am not taking any government aid whatsoever.) Still with all this help, I will not be able to afford health insurance. And even if I could barely afford it now, the way insurance companies are inflating their prices, I wouldn't be able to afford it for long.

I'm not a fan of big government. I wouldn't identify myself as far left or extremely liberal. I'm a registered Independent, and I like to think that I vote for the person who is running, and not the party. So, I'm NOT coming to you as just another liberal democrat who is screaming in your ear about reform. I do not think this bill is perfect, and I don't think we have it exactly right. But, what I *know* is that this is a hell of a lot better than what we have right now.

I'm so tired of the petty arguing, and I'm not blaming one side. When there's a Democrat in office, Republicans will push back on everything introduced almost out of habit, but switch the situation and the other side will do the exact same thing. It's so infuriating to watch us flap our jaws and argue about such nonsense while people are DYING because we can't put aside our differences to solve this problem.

I do my best to stay informed and unbiased, and it seems to me that when we put aside the petty arguments, the real fundamental difference in this debate is whether or not Health Care is a commodity or a human right.

I realize that there are people in America who abuse government programs. And, it's sad, because I think they ruin the fundamental moral reason for why we've set up programs to help people. I understand that it's important to not just give people a hand out. I agree that hard work should mean something, and that people should be able to reap the benefits of their own labor.

I do not think, however, that life is so black and white for most people. A lot of Americans live their entire lives struggling day after day to put food on the table and make a better life for their children. And, it's not because they're lazy, or because they're looking for a hand out, it's because...well, that's just life. Sometimes it screws you. Sometimes you grow up in a poor family and can't afford college. Sometimes you save for years to go to college, and you end up having to spend it all so your parents can live in a nursing home. Sometimes your house burns down. Sometimes you get robbed. Sometimes you just plain can't find a job.

By saying that health care is a commodity and not a human right, we're vilifying everyone who can't afford it. We're saying...they must not be good enough. They must not be working hard enough. We're saying that they don't deserve to be cared for. That one human life is better than another because of their income bracket. To me, this is sickening and absurd. The fact that there are people in congress who put a price tag on the worth of a human being is deeply disturbing to me, and completely unacceptable.

We cannot allow insurance companies to do what they're doing. To drop people when they get sick. To deny people for pre-existing conditions. To raise their prices at a ridiculous rate. To suffocate small business owners. To tell a mother who is losing her son to liver failure that a transplant won't be covered because it's deemed "experimental." Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and these companies have absolute power.

So, I don't write to you for my own sake. I write to you for us all. I write to you for the tired, the poor,the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, and I ask you to lift your lamp beside the golden door, and do what makes this country great.

Speak for me. Speak for me when I cannot. Speak for us all."