Tried to get into our congressional town hall last night but got turned away as the crowd was too big. This is the letter of support and thanks I sent my Congressman afterward anyway.
Letter after the fold. For reference, our Congressman is Gary Peters, Freshman Democrat form the Michigan 9th. Unseated multi-term incumbent and Bush rubber stamp Knollenberg last year. We are a predominantly upper middle class district with manufacturing, retail and corporate jobs. We are automotive jobs. We are around 14% unemployment. We are a reddish purple district. It is shocking we elected a Democrat. And he is not a blue dog.
I am writing to thank the Congressman for his town hall meeting last night and to express my continued support for him and for health care reform with a public insurance option (which by the way I think you need to start referring to as the "competitive option").
My wife and I attempted to attend last nights town hall at West Bloomfield High School but by the time we arrived police were blocking the parking lot (we watched them as they laid out the cones) and were informed the auditorium was already closed. The start time made it difficult to get from work to the High School, especially as there is not convenient freeway access at Orchard Lake and Walnut Lake Rd.
We were able to watch the last half via the WXYZ live webfeed once we made it home. We appreciated the Congressman's answers to even those who were not there to support him and never will. Felt he was respectful and honest throughout and conveyed his message well. We do wish the Congressman had been a little more forceful in his defense of the public option - but if he is only willing to vote for deficit neutral reform that bends the cost curve than I feel he has supported the public option without specifically saying so, a safe response in our district. As long as he carries through on that promise he will still have the support of this household.
But there does need to be something to lower prices if there is an individual mandate. No free reign for the insurance industry where we hand them 50 million new customers, some supported by taxpayer subsidies without some means of assuring we are paying the lowest possible price. On this my wife and I are adamant. That is the breaking point with your progressive supporters. We'll go elsewhere if this bill is just a sell out to corporate America. Removal of pre-existing conditions is essential, keeping insurance companies form dropping sick people is essential, covering everyone is essential. But wasting more money to do it is the end for the Democrats. The progressive base (which my family is proudly part of) will go nuts if there is no competitive option.
Also, at the end of the town hall a gentleman complained about the Congressman's voting record and asked that he not be a rubber stamp for the President. I would like to express my support for the congressman's voting record to date. I have also looked at the Congressman's record on the major legislation in the last 8 months and I have to say this is why we voted for him. This is what his supporters wanted, these are the right votes for the future of Michigan. Please continue to stand strong for issues like this and we will continue to have the Congressman's back here in the district. This is what we voted for, Congressman Peters has delivered. But the most important thing left right now is healthcare, the congressman needs to stand strong for reform - if he stands up for what he ran on we will continue to stand up for him. We're one small household here but we have his back and we have the President's back. We stand with Congressman Peters and we stand with President Obama in this family.