From a Politician

Below is an article written by Ken Gordon, Majority Leader of the Colorado State Senate. Mr. Gordon is in the final session of his term-limited service to my state.

I think what he says is very important to all of us in the USA. If you don't vote, you don't get to criticize our politicians and their decisions. Unless you're actively involved in deciding who will REPRESENT YOU, you don't get gripe about taxes, the economy, or even the war in Iraq.

Please read Mr. Gordon's words for yourself.

The People

As we start a new legislative session we can expect elected leaders and special interests to face intense scrutiny. Yet there is an indispensable group that is rarely noticed and whose actions almost never receive any critical examination: the People of Colorado.

It is understandable that politicians are reluctant to criticize voters. Imagine the following, not completely apocryphal, conversation.

Candidate: "Someone criticizes every position I take. The people want small classes, affordable in-state college tuition, a robust health care safety net and well-maintained roads and bridges. They vote for these costly services every time they get a chance, and then they vote for lower taxes every time they get a chance. They are inconsistent. Only half of them vote on a good day. And then they elect candidates who tell them they can have something for nothing. I'm going to tell the people that the reason this country is in such a mess is because of them."

Campaign Manager: "Mr. Candidate... uh… that would be a good idea if... you were crazy."

Let’s strike a bargain and consider dividing responsibilities.

Elected officials... will listen to input from the public and experts. They will read the studies, examine the facts and negotiate in good faith with People who disagree. They will be honest, and not hesitate to point out when something is not possible. They will not avoid wrestling with unpleasant facts and tough choices by finding an "enemy" that everyone can blame. They will not sell their souls to special interests for campaign contributions.

The People... will keep up with public events to a sufficient degree to make intelligent choices when they vote. They will not be persuaded by special-interest financed, mindless television ads, where a candidate stands in front of a mountain and says, "I care about Colorado." They will be logical, and not reward politicians who promise them inconsistent outcomes. They will not support the candidate backed by their own special interest for selfish reasons; they will think about the general welfare as well.

Here is an example that highlights the problem.

Prior to Columbine, buyers at a federally-licensed gun store had background checks to determine if they were felons or had been adjudicated as dangerous to themselves or others. Most People, including many in the NRA, found this reasonable. However, guns were sold at gun shows without background checks. Harris and Klebold bought at a gun show because they were too young to buy at a store, and the 18 year-old woman who accompanied them didn't want to subject herself to a background check.

After Columbine I sponsored the bill to require background checks at gun shows.

At a social event a woman came up to me and said, "Are you carrying that background check bill?"

"Yes."

"Is it going to pass?"

"No."

She got upset. "How is that possible? Everyone knows that the guns used at Columbine came from a gun show. Why isn't it going to pass?" She was angry and, because I was there, she was angry at me.

"Do you know who your State Representative is?"

"No."

"That’s why the bill won’t pass."

We have a government that doesn't function like the one you learned about in high school. Leaders rarely take courageous stands against special interests, and the People don't reward the occasional acts of courage because they aren’t aware of them.

Our leaders need to be more principled-that is true-but the People need to recognize and reward principled behavior.

In a democracy the People will not find their leaders to be intelligent, honest and courageous, if they have not first found those qualities in themselves.

"You can’t count on people voting," veteran Senator Joe Payne (Claude Rains) explains to rookie Senator Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) on why politicians have to play ball with corrupt interests, in the movie "Mr. Smith goes to Washington."

"They don't vote half the time, anyway."

---

Senator Ken Gordon, District 35-Denver Web: www.kengordon.com Email: ken@kengordon.com My Profile: Update My Profile

School Safety and Congressional Pedophiles

I just had to come back and make some comments on my favorite subject - politics.

After living for such a long time, it seems that the clowns in Washington, DC, never fail to entertain me. Everything's just so hosed up!

Is the president for real when he says that the "leaders" in Washington need to figure out how to help the states make schools safer?!? Did he forget that the budget for the program that funded police officers in schools was set at $0 this fiscal year??

And who's the Speaker of the House kidding when he says he won't resign over the Foley "I can't keep my fingers off the keyboard because I'm boozing and mentally ill" fiasco?!?

The Republicans are self-destructing. As only the party in complete control can.

And what are the Democrats bringing to the table? __________ Um, that' right. Nothing.

No thing. No idea. No leadership. No dream. No vision. No plan.

What's a poor old crone to do?

(Let's look at the Libertarians before November.)

US Veterans Information Stolen

Recently, the US national news services have reported that a laptop computer with the identifying information for 26.5 million US veterans was stolen from a government employee's home. The US agency that the employee worked for is the Department of Veterans Affairs, under the Department of Defense.

Although the theft was reported immediately by the employee, the DVA did not report it to the general public. Three weeks after the theft, the story was "leaked" to the press. At this time, the government can't figure out what to do about the information that was stolen.

Hopefully the thieves have no idea what they have. With names, birth dates, and social security numbers, they could pull off credit fraud at a level never seen before.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by this theft, it's easy to put a fraud alert on your credit report. Here's how:

1. Call one of the 3 credit companies in the US. That company is required by law to inform the other two companies of the fraud alert.

• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241


• Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013


• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

2. You will be asked for your social security number, address, phone number, and/or other information to identify you and pull up your credit file.

3. You will be sent confirmation of the INITIAL fraud alert that's been placed on your credit report. (There are two types of fraud alerts, initial and extended. The initial alert stays on your credit report for at least 90 days - and entitles you to one free credit report. The extended alert stays on your credit report for 7 years. You have to have already been a victim of identity theft to use this one.)

4. Check your credit report when you receive it and report anything that's incorrect on it.

For more complete information, the Federal Trade Commission has an easy-to-read website at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

Here's hoping that the thieves don't have a clue about what they got!

Cheers,
Diana

End of Life Issues

© 2005 Diana Lindstrom All Rights Reserved

Terri Shiavo has certainly grabbed the spotlight in the US. Not an easy accomplishment for a person in a permanent vegetative state!

Although I agree with the disability rights folks that the government – at any level – has no right to decide when an individual citizen dies, I disagree that the family of that individual has no right to make that decision.

The real problem here is that Mrs. Shiavo didn’t state her wishes in writing. Of course what seemingly healthy 28-year old person does? Does our society have so many problems with the idea of disability and death that it’s inconceivable to most?

So here’s the solution. Make a living will right now. Get it notarized right now. Put a copy in a safe-deposit box. And give every one of your doctors a copy of it for your file. Make sure everyone in your immediate family knows where it is and how to get it.

Those of us with disabilities know how life can change in an instant. We understand that the only way to deal with the unthinkable is to confront it. And we know what giving up at least some control of our own bodies means. A living will gives us back the control that will probably determine our fate.

Take it from someone who faces challenges every day, it’s not IF you become disabled – it’s WHEN. Be ready with a living will.

Managing Health Costs

© Diana Lindstrom All Rights Reserved

Health care costs continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation. What’s the cause?

Republicans will tell you that mal-practice litigation is the cause. But that’s not even close to the truth. Are there too many personal injury attorneys? Maybe. Are there too many law suits blaming doctors for deaths that should have happened anyway? Maybe.

But what if you were hurt badly in an auto accident? Wouldn’t you want to make sure the insurance companies didn’t make decisions based on money that affect your health and welfare? Wouldn’t you want to have all of the physical therapy you need in order to have the most function possible? Of course you would.

If your child died because a surgeon was addicted to pain medication and made a stupid mistake, wouldn’t you want that surgeon and hospital to pay dearly? The surgeon for continuing to do something deadly while impaired, and the hospital for failing to either know about the addiction or stop the doctor from practicing there? Of course you would.

So here’s the bottom line. Insurance companies are causing the health care costs in the US to rise so fast. Health care insurance and auto insurance. And they’re the same companies!

Just think, without health insurance each person would pay for doctor’s visits. Doctors would have to price office visits to meet the market. So if the market in your town would only pay $25 for an office visit, that’s all any doctor there could charge.

Without health insurance, hospitals would have to price their services for the market, too. If buying an MRI costs $100,000, the hospital would have to settle for paying it off with 1,000 patients paying $100 each.

Doctors, hospitals, clinics, etc. could go back to the business of providing health care. Instead of answering to non-medical people who have never met the patient.

Is there a Democrat in Washington ready to take on the insurance lobby?

New Income Tax Code

© Diana Lindstrom All Rights Reserved

Since we’re discussing Democrats taking a leadership position in US national politics, why not propose a new tax code?

Everyone in the country agrees that the present tax code is too complicated and has too many loop holes for avoiding taxes. Well, maybe not everyone. If I were one of the many thousands of IRS employees, I might not agree.

So, excluding IRS employees, we all agree that the system of taxation in the US is broken. Gee, I seem to remember another time in our country’s history when the tax system was considered broken. Didn’t George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and a whole group of people take matters into their own hands? Didn’t the British king have a surprise!

Short of inciting rebellion, I’d love for our Democratic leaders in Washington to propose a very simple tax system. A flat-rate system. And that rate should be 10%. No exclusions – no loop holes.

Everyone would pay 10% of everything they earn. If a family earns $20,000 per year, their tax rate would be 10%. If a corporation earns $4 billion per year, their tax rate would be 10%.

All Americans would have more money in their pockets every year. Disposable income. Savings. College funds. Retirement funds.

The federal government would also have more money in the treasury. No loop holes. Everyone pays the same rate. And no one is exempt.

Win – win. What politician is brave enough to step up and actually write the law?

Let’s Save Social Security

© Diana Lindstrom All Rights Reserved

The Democratic Party here in the US needs to do something to show positive impact. We weren’t exactly bowled over by the leadership shown during the last national election.

How about using the President’s agenda? He’s prioritizing Social Security right now. What if the Dems came up with a better proposal? What if the Dems showed some leadership and creative problem solving? Think that might win some voters back?

Here’s the out-of-the-box idea for today: Save Social Security by spending the trust fund money ONLY on Social Security recipients.

Oh, my gawd. Totally awesome. Do they really spend money out of the Social Security trust fund on other things?

I have reliable information that “they” do. All those Representatives, Senators, and the President. They’re using trust fund money to pay employees of the National Park Service. And lots of other federal agencies use trust fund money.

My challenge to the leaders of the Democratic Party: Make a law that the Social Security trust fund can be used ONLY for paying Social Security recipients.