Dear editor:

Over the past year, we’ve watched the political spectacle called the universal health care plan unfold. While the plan is complicated, the process is relatively simple to understand and has become more and more unsavory. Democrats initially wanted to pass Obama’s health care plan because they really believed that a government universal health care plan was the right thing to do. I’m convinced that when some unfavorable details became known by the public and the impetus to pass it faltered in December and January, some Democrats are now more worried about their individual political futures.. How can Democrats explain a year wasted on attempting and failing to pass health care hat most Americans don’t like?  How else can the newest political twist in the history of Obama’s health care be understood?  That latest twist is called by several names: the “Slaughter rule,” “the self-executing” and “deem and pass rule.”

By whatever name you call it, the Senate version of Obama’s health care plan would be “deemed to pass” the House without a vote. A staffer from U.S. Rep. Upton’s Washington office told me about this “deem and pass rule” last Friday. I didn’t believe that anybody would be so cowardly that they would try to avoid a roll call vote on that bill. Unfortunately, this week Democrats are seriously considering avoiding a direct vote on health care. When I studied high school civics many, many years ago, I don’t remember studying the “deem and pass” rule.

About that same time, I do remember seeing “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Jimmy Stewart, an idealistic leader of boys from a western state, goes to Washington to take a seat in the Senate and is defamed by the corrupt, senior Senator from his state. All by himself, Stewart uses the filibuster to thwart the senior senator’s plot to defraud the government. Corruption is exposed and Jimmy Stewart triumphs. We need a new Jimmy Stewart to step forward now and say avoiding a direct vote on something as important as Obama’s health care plan is not right. Our representatives should have Mr. Smith’s integrity and not scurry away from the spotlight when the spotlight is uncomfortable.

In the final analysis, Obama’s health care would pass if it were a good idea. Since it is not a good idea, supporters have vowed to pass it by any means possible including bribing Senators with special political deals and finally by using this latest outrage in the House.

Michael Waldron
Niles