Posted on 04/20/2009 6:07:56 PM PDT by NTHockey
Is there really any use in talking to our elected representavives? I received the following today:
April 20, 2009
Dear Mr. XXXXX:
Thank you very much for contacting me to express your opposition to the nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important matter.
As the leader of our nation's health and wellness initiatives, the Secretary of Health and Human Services should be knowledgeable with respect to health policy, adept at managing a very large agency, and adept at finding common ground among groups whose views may vary widely on contentious issues. As you know, healthcare reform is a high priority in this Administration and in our country. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will play a pivotal role in shaping those badly-needed reforms in a nation where we pay far more for health care than any other developed nation but don't achieve better health care outcomes. In addition, the Secretary is responsible for the administration of Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal and social health care programs including the Food and Drug Administration. In short, the role of Secretary of this department is a highly demanding one.
As a former governor, I respect the right, in most instances, of our current Chief Executive, and his predecessors, to surround themselves with cabinet members that they believe will best serve their administrations and our country. When I was privileged to serve for eight years as Delaware's chief executive, I nominated numerous individuals to cabinet positions. During those years, I consistently asked the Senate to give me the benefit of the doubt on nominations so that I could surround myself with the leadership team that I felt would best enable me to keep my commitments to the people of Delaware who had elected me.
I have heard from a number of people who have a high regard for this nominee as well as from people, like yourself, who have grave concerns about Governor Sebelius' nomination because of her stance on abortion. Here is a statement of her own words describing her views on abortion.
I am personally opposed to abortion, and my faith teaches me that all life is sacred. Throughout my career as a public official I have tried to reduce unwanted pregnancies, and thus curtail the need for abortion. In Kansas, the abortion rate dropped over 10 percent during my administration. I also signed into law bills to support adoption. Adoption funding increased over $2 million during my time as Governor, and I signed into law the Pregnancy Maintenance Initiative to help those experiencing unwanted pregnancies. I also recently signed into law a measure requiring that women seeking abortions are given the opportunity to see an ultrasound.
In over two decades of service as a public official in Kansas, I have never recommended altering the laws regarding abortion. Congress has the power to make laws, and my job, if I am confirmed as Secretary, will be to implement them within the parameters of the courts' interpretation.
Reproductive rights issues have been extensively debated in Congress and litigated in the courts, and I do not foresee a situation where related regulatory action would be taken absent congressional or court action. As Secretary, I will focus on common ground on this issue and will work with Congress to leverage the assets of the Department to reduce unintended pregnancies. - Governor Kathleen Sebelius
As you know, this is an issue on which the American people are not of one mind. With your permission, let me take a moment here to explain my own views on the difficult issue, views that frankly do not please either those who are passionately pro-choice or pro-life. Abortion is one of the most difficult issues I have faced during my years of public service. Thirty-five years after the case of Roe vs. Wade, in which the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a woman's constitutional right to terminate her pregnancy, emotions on all sides of this issue remain as strong as ever. It remains my belief, however, that a woman's right to choose should prevail until the embryo she carries is sustainable outside of the womb. Once that point is reached, our government has an interest and an obligation to ensure that a pregnancy is carried to full term and that the embryo carried is delivered into this world as a living, breathing human being.
In cases of advanced pregnancies where a woman's health is seriously endangered, I believe limited exceptions can be made. Within these constraints, I support a woman's right, in consultation with her physician, to determine the medical procedure that would best protect her health.
Having shared my own views with you, let me add that I voted to confirm the last two Secretaries of this Department - Tommy Thompson and Michael Leavitt -- although their views, generally described as pro-life, did not coincide directly with my own on the question of a woman's right to bring a pregnancy to full term. I knew both men well, however, and served with each of them as governors. I admired their intellect, their energy and their judgment. I was confident that they were knowledgeable with respect to health issues and, as former governors, were well prepared to run an entity as large and complex as the Department of Health and Human Services.
I have known Governor Sebelius for almost a decade and admire her leadership abilities, just as I admired those of Governors Thompson and Leavitt. I've also been struck by her ability to be elected repeatedly in a state that rarely elects members of my party to statewide office, and by her commitment to govern from the middle and to oftentimes help both parties find common ground on many difficult issues. One area that I think most of us can agree on is that we need to reduce the demand for abortions in America and reduce the overall number of abortions in our country. That is also the belief of Governor Sebelius and, during her tenure as Governor of Kansas, the number of abortions performed in Kansas declined by 10 percent.
While Governor Sebelius' views on abortion and a woman's right to choose may be closer to mine than were the views of Secretaries Thompson and Leavitt, I did not believe that my differences with these two gentlemen on this one issue, albeit it an important one, should cause me to withhold my support of their nominations. Similarly, I do not believe that Governor Sebelius' views on this one subject should cause me to oppose her nomination today. I realize that you may not come to the same conclusion and, unfortunately, we may just have to agree to disagree on her nomination.
Let me close by reporting to you that Governor Sebelius has now undergone two confirmation hearings - one before the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee, and a second before the Senate Finance Committee. The Finance Committee held its hearing on April 2, 2009, however we have not yet had the opportunity to vote on this nomination. A number of my colleagues, from both sides of the aisle, have submitted additional written questions for Governor Sebelius. After we have a chance to review Governor Sebelius' answers and when the Senate is back in session later this month, the Finance Committee will vote on her nomination and decide whether to send it to the full Senate for its consideration.
I do appreciate your willingness to share your heartfelt views with me on this nomination and this nominee, though, and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or other matters of importance to you and to our nation.
With best personal regards, I am
Sincerely,
Tom Carper United States Senator _______________________________________________________
THAT was the response to this letter:
Are you still a proud Democrat? Steven Rattner and Kathleen Sebelius – the latest two suspected crooks; Janet Napilitano insults half of America, especially our veterans; Nancy Pelosi denouncing the TEA parties and now the ultimate stupidity – EPA says CO2 is a pollutant. That means that we will all be taxed every time we breathe. Wow, that’s something to be proud of, eh? If you had a shred of decency left, you would say something, anything to distance yourself from these unscrupulous people.
Obviously, one must stick to one subject and use words of one syllable to commmunicate. Or just start yelling at them and call them stupid liars.
I’m wondering what WILL get their attention.
Replacing them with conservatives might rattle their cages.
Do not let yourself be defeated because of the adversities in life. Life is full of defeats. It is how we react to them that makes the difference.
In the end we all leave this physical world and that is a defeat. Along the way let us battle the ignorance of our elected tyrants. Let the elected official know that you will work to replace him.
Some of my ancestors either took part in a tea party, shot at redcoats, or otherwise supported the fight for a freer country. It took a long time and there were many defeats along the way. The present regime is trying like hell to neuter us. That elected official probably would like to silence you permanently, but he can’t, at least he can’t at this time. Just think how po’d that makes him. Let him know you are going to educate people to his hypocrisy and corrupt ways.
Only one thing.
The are drunk with power.
Lamp posts holding up more than lamps.
The ONLY thing that will get the attention of this Administration and whatever other ‘lawmakers’of either party are still with them, ready to vote in favor of their programs, or allow themselves to be intimidated into doing so, is for a TRUE MAJORITY to show up and DEMAND that they cease all deliberations on EVERYTHING before they do more damage to future generations. As far as I’m concerned , pinning everything on the next election, when we can presumably replace a Dem majority with a Republican one, will do no good either. This Administration means business, and will zIg and zag in the PR game, always finding a way to marginalize us as the dangerous fringe.
In my view things are already WAYYYYYY too far along to naively think we can effect any change or reverse any policies electorally. These demagogues can find a way to push things through behind everyone’s back; they are working night and day on it.The first foray into this particular kind of demagoguery has already been put out there in the DHS report (very insufficiently and unconvincingly “softened” by JNap in her public statements, AND by the complete lack of acknowledgement that the TeaParty demonstrations (750,000 strong!) constitute a movement to be taken seriously. We can expect MORE of the same from them, UNLESS the next one is two to three times as large as the one 5 days ago. And the one after that two to three times larger yet again. We need to demand they resign, and let the New Majority be the ones to ‘Remake America”. This cannot happen soon enough. The tea parties should have been EVERY WEEK, and already I am sensing them dissipating. I put my name and e mail addy on a list at the tiny one I attended in Nanuet NY, and expected to get a message a few days later. Nothing yet.
Too bad it wasn’t me that organized it. I have some organization experience in civic activism and I know how to do timely follow-up.
They will only wake up once we have the guts to demand they resign. For this , to put it simply , we need literally millions more than voted for Obama. I don’t know , once again, “organizationally” how that it going to happen, UNLESS we find a way of cultivated the disenchanted Obama voters, who are getting fed up in more ways than one, day by day, but still don’t want to face what a stupid and feckless decision they made on Nov. 4th.
What a tiresome blowhard!
“Is there really any use in talking to our elected representavives?”
Provides excellent exercise for the facial muscles - and very little else these days.
“I am personally opposed to abortion”
And you want it to be “safe, legal and rare,” right Congressturd?
That’s such a ****ing cop-out.
“right Congressturd?”
My mistake — “Senaturd.”
His letter reads just like the ones I get back from my Senators and Rep.
Not that your letter was the least bit provocative, but I'm sure yours was placed in a pile marked "right-fringe kooks".
You all got the same form letter back, and I know it is frustrating as heck, but the liberals are in charge now, and there's nothing we can do until next election.
The one thing I will NOT do is surrender. I’ll keep on until I get answers.
BTW, since others get similar answeres from their reps, what if those letters were posted here and eventually get spread across the internet. The one thing politician hate is having their words come back to bite them. Plus when they put garbage like this in print, it makes them look more stupid.
What say you?
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