HCR. ix. Letter to Adam Smith

I sent the following letter to Representative Adam Smith, who is my Congressman.

Dear Representative Smith--

I'm a little bit behind, but I did find out that you appeared on the show of a local talk-radio host named Dori Monson (noon-3pm, KIRO-FM). I wasn't able to find out exactly what you said on the show, but I have heard a few disturbing things about it.

First, going on Monson's show and being "buddy buddy" is the Wrong Thing to begin with, as Monson is kind of an idiot who uncritically parrots Republican lies. So, unless you are into that sort of thing, you might want to give some more thought about appearing on shows like that.

Secondly, it appears that you are really upset about ACORN. Maybe ACORN is corrupt and maybe it isn't, but given the actual depredation upon this country and the entire planet by nearly every company in the Fortune 500, this shows a disturbing skew of priorities. I'd hate to think you were doing this just to appear "moderate."

Finally, you seem uncomfortable with the idea that we should do something about the 18,000 people who die in this country every year solely because they have no access to health care. That's a 9/11 attack every 2 months, by the way, every single year. To date, 48 times as many people have died from this problem as 9/11, if you don't count the death caused by our *response* to 9/11, of course.

Rep. Smith, you're going to have to decide whose interests you are going to serve. Are you going to decide to serve the interests of the health care industry executives? I mean, I understand, that's the safe choice. They certainly can help you keep your seat safe against relentless assault from Republicans, especially those who live in that area between Puyallup and Olympia. Our district has a difficult demographic to serve, and I can appreciate some of the positions you find yourself in.

On the other hand, you could think about what is right. People in your district and all over the country are dying from treatable diseases because they can't afford the treatment. So, you might consider at least *thinking* about their interests a bit before you do something stupid like appear on Monson's show again.

Regards,

[me]