On Wednesday, Senator John McCain spoke to the residents of Sun Lakes, Arizona. The number one topic was immigration. McCain has been brave enough to reach across the aisle and cosponsor an immigration bill with Senator Ted Kennedy.

Many want more to be done than what the bill does. It would require a Biometric ID for employment in the US, and the illegals would have to go through a paper process that would take ten to fifteen years before they became citizens.

Many are criticizing it as too lenient. Some want every illegal shipped back immediately. We couldn't effectively evacuate New Orleans, and we sure can't send 11 million immigrants back who are the backbone of cheap labor in this country. Prices of fresh foods would sky rocket as well as chickens and many other basic food products. Inflation would roar into view.

The American public has benefited from the hard work of the Hispanics that have crossed the border illegally. It has kept costs down. The McCain Kennedy bill is an attempt to get something done in Washington about the illegal situation that has festered for 20 or more years while Congress and our leadership has sat on their hands.

I hope it works and maybe we will see a change in how Washington works.

The status quo is that the number one priority of most elected Congressman is to get reelected and stay in office. This means having a campaign war chest with lots of money. The flow of money goes to our elected officials from special interests and big business that want favorable bills that enhance their bottom lines. In the last major election, more than 95% who were elected were incumbents returned to office.

Business as usual.

How else can you explain a highway bill being passed with over 6,000 pork barrel projects? President Bush didn't veto the bill. Ronald Reagan vetoed a similar bill when it had only 187 pork barrel projects in it. How times have changed.

When you look at all attempts to improve Medicare and Social Security the common tread is that special interests wind up benefiting from changes to the legislation and the benefit to those that it was designed to help is questionable.

Recently, President Bush stated that we need to be sure that Iraq has a Democratic government so that the wishes of the Iraqi people will be heard and that their views would dominate Iraq. When I hear his comment, I thought:" Does anyone believe that is how it is working in our United States?

Just follow the money. Healthcare is too profitable the way it is for Insurance companies, Pharmaceutical companies, and many others who only want the status quo.

McCain has taken a bold step to reach out and ask that we start working in non-partisan ways in Washington to get something done for the American people.

I pray the McCain-Kennedy bill is passed and then we start to fix Healthcare, not by spending money with Ban-Aid money fixes that taxpayers can't afford, but by reforming it from the ground up.

Contact your Congressman and tell them it is time they start working for all Americans from all walks of life and not just the special interest companies and associations.

It's time to have your voice heard.


Tom Braun

tbran@wans.net

Retired but not senile yet!

Copyright © 2006 Thomas Braun

T. Braun, Pharmacist, Buyer, Marketing Executive for a Major Drug Chain. Active for over 45 years in Pharmacy.

Legal Stuff: Permission is granted to all to reproduce this document in whole and redistribute to all that are as concerned as I about the future of our Medical system that has so many superior attributes that is operating under needless dark clouds of distress.

Disclaimer - This document is informational in nature. Medical advice should be secured through your physician.