Where's the fire?

What sense does it make to be in such an enormous rush to legislate on something that is literally a matter of life and death for millions of Americans? There is no valid reason to avoid the normal law-making process of holding Congressional hearings on the needs, hearing the pros and cons, and facilitating public discussions of the innumerable provisions in the proposed legislation. The Congress should work in a sincere bipartisan spirit to write a health care reform bill to rein in out-of-control insurance companies and provide for the needs of the uninsured poor. At the same time, you should make sure that it does not raise taxes for anyone, does not add to the deficit, does not regulate personal medical choices, and does not ration health care or restrict American citizens' freedoms in any way. In short, you need to kill the existing bills and go back to the drawing board. As a Democratic Congressman from an eastern state told constituents last month, “The bill that’s coming through the House, with or without the public option, isn’t good for America.” Do you plan to support the Congressional leadership in its haste for a bill, regardless what the public thinks of the bill or the process?