Connecticut's 5th District Rep really wants to hear from us! Just look at his website schedule!

Well, here we are, well into Congress' August break (don't you wish you could get a month off from work with the best health care package in the world?), when we are told our representatives want to meet with us, their constituents. Well, I have been checking the website of Congressman Chris Murphy, the Representative from Connecticut's 5th District, and, as of today's date, August 14, 2009, his website still displays the following message:
"Congress on Your Corner
Over the last few years, I have held dozens of supermarket office hour sessions, known as "Congress on Your Corner" events, across Connecticut's Fifth District. At every stop, we had the opportunity to talk about what was going on in your community, and what you wanted Congress to work on to improve our lives here in Connecticut.
I can't do my job without hearing from you, so I hope you can join me at my next "Congress on Your Corner" stop.
Simsbury
Wednesday, August 5
3-4:30pm"
http://www.chrismurphy.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=274&Itemid=33

Apparently he CAN do his job without us, as he has failed to meet with anyone so far during this August break other than those he may have seen and heard from during a 1.5 hour "meeting", if one can call it that (I tend to believe photo-op is a more apt description) in one of the more "exclusive" towns in the state a week and a half ago. And, a week and a half later, his website is not updated; there are no planned visits to any of the "working class" towns and neighborhoods in his district.

Maybe he's too busy reading all the various health care bills that the House and the Senate are working on to meet with his constituents. Yup, if I believe that I might also fall for whatever mess Congress tries to push through this fall supposedly for my own good. But, as some of the administration's unofficial spokespersons have said (yes, Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, I am quoting you) "You've got 47% of the people in our NBC/Wall Street Journal opinion poll who have health insurance who don't like what the president is doing. The problem he's got -- 47% of the people who've got coverage don't want change. They don't like what they're hearing. Now, they may not know what's good for them, but the problem is that he always knew he was going to have to persuade people with insurance, that's the largest number, not the people without insurance, for expanded coverage. So they've got a real problem." http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2009/07/31/they-may-not-know-whats-good-them

Andrea, my dear, and all the rest of the folks (seems to be mainly those of the "Democratic party" persuasion spouting such comments) who think that the American people are too stupid to "know what's good for them", let me assure you, that I and my fellow Americans are smart enough to know a great deal more than you in the press and those in Congress. First of all, and most importantly, we know better than to vote for a bill without reading it - and that means ALL of it. We also know that this Congress and Administration have been spending our hard earned tax-dollars in a drunken frenzy on foolish bank bailouts, "cash for clunkers" - really - giving someone $4,500 to buy a hummer is really good for our environment? http://climateprogress.org/2009/06/11/cash-for-clunkers-becomes-handouts-for-hummers/ http://www.bostonherald.com/business/automotive/view/20090814clunker_bucks_buy_guzzlers/srvc=business&position=recent_bullet What Congressperson thought that was a good idea? And now health care proposals that the elected officials in whom we have placed our trust can't even be bothered to read for themselves.

I have a simple health care proposal: give the American people the health care that the President and his family, Congressmen and women and their families, and the Supreme Court Justices and their families all have for life (even after retiring or being voted out of office). I can hear you saying "Too expensive" right now. Well, if that's the case, if it's too expensive for the American people as a whole, then it was too expensive, entirely inappropriate and totally self-serving for Congress to have legislated such coverage for these government officials.

So, a word to the wise: If Congress wants us to take its health care proposals seriously, its members had better be darn good and ready to give up their cushy health care coverage (paid for at our expense) for the far less cushy coverage they have in mind for us.

Chris - how about having some real discussions with your constituents sometime this August? You really need to get out and about and hear from everyone in your district - not just your supporters.