CORRESPONDENCE ON OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE BILL

A little background regarding the title to this posting. I initially placed a phone call to Arlen Specter's Office requesting a "hard copy" of HR 3200. I was told that this is not a service that the Senator makes available to constitutients. I informed the staffer that this was unacceptable, and that I had been requesting legislation from my Senators for about 30 years. When this request proved unsuccessful, I proceeded to write first a letter to the editor to the Patriot-News in Harrisburg and the Lancaster Newspapers, I followed up with a written request for the bill to Senator Specter directly. Here is the text of that letter:

August 13, 2009

Senator Arlen Specter
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Specter:

I am writing to formally request a “hard copy” of HR 3200, since my phone requests have been unsuccessful.

Given the magnitude of the issues presented by this bill regarding the delivery of health care services, I am extremely disappointed that your Office was not responsive to this request.
I have been following both State and Federal Legislative issues for almost 30 years and have frequently requested legislation from my U.S. Senator’s Office, and never have I experienced such disrespect and lack of cooperation.

Attached with this letter, please find the published version of a Letter to the Editor which I submitted to the Lancaster Newspapers on this precise subject. Perhaps you and your Staff will understand that my request is genuine.

Expecting the cooperation of your Staff, I am

Sincerely,

David J. Bowie

Next is the unedited version of the letter to the editor. It was published by the Lancaster Newspapers on August 14, 2009

Monday, August 10, 2009

David Bowie

629 South Market Street

Elizabethtown PA, 17022

The Patriot-News

812 Market StHarrisburg PA, 17101-2827

RE: HR 3200 _Obama's Health Care Bill

I haven't written a letter to the editor for some time, but given the serious nature of the debate concerning the above-captioned subject matter, I believe that I am somewhat overdue.

I recently called Senator Arlen Specter's Office to request a "hard copy of HR 3200; however I was told that the Senator does not make this service available to constitutients. I proceeded to inform the staffer that I had been requesting legislation from my Senators/Representatives for about 30 years, and I found it unacceptable that I was not able to receive a copy of this bill, given the magnitude of the issue, and the implications that this legislation, if passed, will have on the delivery of health care services in the United States.

When I indicated that I still wanted a "hard copy" of HR 3200, I presumably was being transferred to the staff person who handled these matters, however I was placed on hold for an extremely long period of time. I never did get to place my request, and so this letter has been prompted.

I believe it is time that we inform Senator Specter and his fellow Senators/Congressmen just who it is that they work for, and in case you need a reminder, it is the AMERICAN PEOPLE!!!
What I am also wondering about is just what is in HR 3200 that our so-called leaders don't want us knowing about???

In conclusion, I still want to see a copy of this bill, so if I'm fortunate enough to have this letter published, and some one in Specter's office actually reads it, maybe they will realize that I'm serious about my request.

And just for the record, as one of Specter's constitutients, and an American citizen, it is my right to make such requests of the leaders in my Government.

Sincerely,

David J. Bowie

Note: similar letter sent to Lancaster Newspapers via e-mail