On the Health Care Debate - An open Letter to Our Elected Officials by Elizabeth A.Carrignant

Good Evening,

I am very disappointed. I do not understand where you're at right now. Are you aware that you have a very unique opportunity in your hands right now? YOU have the opportunity to be a part of history making legislation. You can be more than a footnote, you can be a part of the group of legislators who made health care work for the American people.

Is that what you're thinking as you get ready for work each day? Or are you thinking of your own party's position and how you're not going to budge? Are you thinking up new ways to scare the daylights out of the public so we'll be too frightened to fight for ourselves and demand what's right? Are you thinking how amazing it will feel to score one against President Obama by killing health care reform?

If I were in your position, I would wake up each day humbled, and honored to have the opportunity to serve. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, the health care debate is an issue of great importance to the American people.

I do hope we can all agree that SOMETHING must be done.

You have a professional, ethical, and moral responsibility to move this forward, to work toward compromise, to exercise self-control during discussions and debates on this subject, and to work toward what is RIGHT for the American people; not what is right for you, your career, your campaign contributors or your PARTY. But for US, the American people.

Quite frankly, you spend so much time arguing that you rarely accomplish very much. So, most of you WILL BE a footnote. "He was a good party supporter." Well, congratulations. If that was all you wanted to accomplish, you're there.

Do you have it in you? Do you really have the guts to do this right, to leave your own ego and your party's position aside and only think of the average citizen?

I doubt it.

I want more than anything to be proved wrong.