Cooper didn’t pass the baton; he passed the buck on The Lebanon Democrat

By: tctarum on 5/16/10
For those of you looking for a TRUE CONSERVATIVE ALTERNATIVE to Jim Cooper, I am Tracy C. Tarum, I live in Lebanon, and I am running as a Conservative Constitutionalist in the Republican primary on August 5th, for the 5th Congressional District seat held by Jim Cooper. He does NOT represent my views, and if he does not represent yours, then PLEASE visit my website, www.DumpJimCooper.com. I am FED UP with runaway government spending and intervention. What so many miss in the health care debate is that it is 100% UNCONSTITUTIONAL for the FEDERAL government to give unfunded (or for that matter, even FULLY FUNDED) mandates to the states to force people to engage in commerce or be fined. I will pay anyone $20 who can find me the Constitutional justification for this bill.
Tracy C. Tarum

By: Nightingale on 3/25/10
Johnny Black has exactly hit the nail on the head. The health care reform bill, however, is NOT for health care reform! It is a round-about way for the government to steal more wealth from the people to attempt to prop up our financially desperate government. If you or I were on the verge of bankruptcy, we would cut our spending to the bone and do without anything beyond the bare necessities. We would then look for additional sources of income, but we would not steal from our neighbors. We would look for a 2nd job (assuming we have a 1st) or we would have a yard sale and sell so much stuff the kids think they're next, as Dave Ramsey says. We wouldn't lie, cheat, trick, manipulate, and make backdoor deals in order to create a new source of income. We would first cut expenses! We have government officials who absolutely refuse to cut government expenses! It's absolutely astounding! It's absurd that Nancy Pelosi flies around in a military jet at enormous expense! It defies the Constitutional declaration that all men are created equal when laws are passed that apply to everyone EXCEPT the legislators! Do you suppose the very rich Congressmen and Senators would sacrifice for the country by, say, forfeiting their salary for one month? No, of course not. This country's problems go way back to the days of FDR and his WPA (We piddle around, the old folks called it) and other social programs. The liberals want to feel good about themselves by passing legislation that takes care of the poor and unfortunate. However, it is impossible to rid our society of the poor. Jesus said, "the poor you will always have with you," because there will always be people who are irresponsible, unfortunate, or otherwise hindered from prosperity. The liberal government enables many individuals to be irresponsible. If the government would stop giving hand-outs and let the churches do their jobs of being charitable to the less fortunate, those who genuinely need help will be helped by the churches. Those who need help would learn that they have to live moral lives and attend worship, becoming part of a church family, if they expect to receive the help they need. Those who are just lazy would learn quickly that no one is going to enable them to be irresponsible. The liberals have a feel-good humanistic religion with government as its god. The Bible tells us to do all things in the name of the Lord. If we would allow the churches to do the benevolent work, we could cut out almost every entitlement program. But once government passes something, it is never repealed. Case in point: Jimmy Carter established the Departments of Education and Energy, neither of which was needed, and there would those who said they would abolish those departments after Carter left office, yet those departments still exist today. Our legislators seem to us to be incredibly and hopelessly stupid that they continue to spend money like it grows on trees, but we are the stupid ones for not stopping the tyranny long before now. It's not a tax and spend government; it's a spend and levy a new tax to pay for it government. Government simply will not tighten its belt, and it won't be too far in the future that they will start to confiscate gold and guns, and then will exchange our currency for a new currency $10 to $1 -- for every $10 of our money, we will receive $1 of new money. Just remember that everything that is being done is an all-out effort to save a desperate government from collapse. History tells the story, and history repeats itself. Unfortunately, very few of us know enough history to recognize the signs. One of those signs is a "so-called" president who criticizes the country saying we've never been a Christian nation, apologizing for America, etc. Electing better lawmakers is not going to help because the entire system is steeped in corruption. Besides, the liberals don't care if they lose elections. They push things toward socialism as hard as they can as long as they are in power, knowing things are never going to be rescinded. When the Conservatives are in power, liberals just bide their time, sabotage the right as much as they can, and remember that the battles they win here and there will eventually mean winning the war.

By: UncleHershel on 12/1/09
You can always tell a yellow dog democrat. You just can't tell them much.Remember to vote the next time and send them back home.

By: Paulw on 11/18/09
We have recently been reading different problems and solutions on various problems we have in our nation.

I read one suggesting there was 40 million members of the work force over 50 years old. If the government would give them each 1 million dollars, they must retire and that would open 40 million jobs solving the labor problem. I agree.

It also suggested each of them must agree to buy a new American made automobile. That would solve the American automotive industry. I agree.

It also suggested each of them buy a new home or pay off their mortgage and that would solve the housing industry. I agree

Excellent ideas. May I offer another suggested solution to our financial problems?

I understand there is approximately 300 million citizens in the USA. Give each of them 1 million and that would solve all of their financial problems. Our government would not have to trillions of dollars deeper into debt to pull them out of the depression. The industries could hire the millions of illegal aliens in our nation for the work force so they could send a few dollars back to their home nation. They wouldn't need to become citizens for the job and wouldn't be hounded to vote.

We would then only need legislators who desired to serve those who elected them into office (not themselves nor their lobbyists).

By: Black3 on 11/17/09
The first thing I want to address here is the comment by "JustTheFcts" blaming the Republicans for the current financial crisis. Unfortunately, this person does not know the facts nor the country's history for the last 40 years. The current financial crisis began back in the late '70s during the Carter Administration (Democrats) with the passage of the Community Reinvestment Act. This law mandated that banks make high risk home loans to folks who would not normally qualify. However, it did not teally take off until Bill Clinton (another Democrat) moved into the White House. At that point, his administration and community organizations (I.e. - ACORN) began forcing banks to make these high risk sub-prime mortgages and they did so by the thousands. Then, when the interest rates on these loans adjusted (increased) the monthly payments skyrocketed and folks could no longer afford their homes. Foreclosures increased so banks stopped loaning money and businesses no longer had the capital available to make payroll and additional investments in their companies. So, they had to lay people off and now unemployment is at 10.2%. I also need to remind you that a few Republicans, including John McCain, cried wolf but nothing was done. Furthermore, the actual crash has occurred since the Democrats took control of the House and Senate. Therefore, you cannot place all the blame on the Republicans.

Now for the health care debate. I will be the first to admit that our health care system is not perfect. As a transplant recipient who is considered one of the "un-insurables," I know the problems first hand. Once you have a pre-existing condition you either can't get insurance or it's so expensive you can't afford it. I am currently on "socialized medicine" myself a.k.a. Medicare. Let me tell you about how great it is. First, it's broke. Second, the customer service sucks. Third, they will tell you "it's covered" and even give you something in writing to that effect and then turn around and not cover it. Yes, there is an appeals process, but guess who rules on the appeal - the same people that just turned you down !! It's not right.

Based upon my personal experience with this problem, I can say government run anything sucks. I think we could fix our health care insurance problem by doing the following : 1) opening up competition, 2) remove the prohibition of selling insurance across state lines, 3) prohibiting the insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions (other forms of discrimination are prohibited so why is this still allowed), 4) allow people to take a tax credit (not a deduction as a crdit is more beneficial) for premiums paid, and 5) give the insurance companies an incentive to keep premiums affordable.

Our current health care system has given us some great medical technology. Deaths from heart disease, cancer, and other ailments are down. If it were not for the miracle of organ transplantation, I would not be alive today. The answer is not scrapping the entire system, we just need to fine tune it to make access available for everyone.

Johnny Black
http://TheSecondChanceSheepdog.blogspot.com/

By: tramo1 on 11/13/09
I agree with the editorial.Cooper is nothing but a left winger that wants the government to dole out money to these deadbeats that agree with him.

By: zbo2a on 11/13/09
Obviously, the editorial was not met with rave reviews from your readers, but that is to be expected. This is a devisive issue, and the fact that there is so much contradictory information being fed to the general public by these lawmakers doesn't make it any easier. The average voter/taxpayer can not read this bill in its entirety, not to mention understand it all. We rely on our elected officials to feed us the true information.

Unfortunately, it is lining up to be partisan propaganda, and the average person doesn't know what to beleive or who to trust. I don't know whether I agree with Congressman Cooper or not because I truly don't know what to beleive. Even Cooper himself doesn't know what he beleives, example being he changed his mind about support for this bill.

All I know is this, I am currently unemployed and have a pre-existing condition that prevents me from purchasing my own healthcare. Or if I do want to purchase my own, premiums can run close to $1000 a month.

But how can you blame the insurance company for charging such high premiums? My medication alone cost approximately $850 a month without prescription coverage. They are a business after all.

I think we all agree that something has to be done. Healthcare should be a right, not a privelege. I see lots of hateful sentiment by people on boths sides of this issue, and it is starting to become a have/have not scenario. Mostly the people with HI coverage don't want a change, but they are failing to see the difficulties millions of Americans without coverage are facing.

If you are struggling with prescription medical costs, here is a tip I found about this week. Call the manufacturer. Or go to their website. All of my manufacturers of name-brand medication offer assistance programs for those facing financial hardship. I am paying a $2 co-pay for the next 12 months for a $469 medication because our family qualifies. Don't give up.

By: fguzman on 11/13/09
Cooper was sent to Washington to watch out for the people of Tennessee. That means reading any bill before he votes on it and not blindly following his party. He has lost the vote of my large and extented family. At this point I don't trust him to be a dog catcher.

By: Jmac on 11/13/09
We should all be proud of Jim Cooper's "yes" vote on HB 3962 when we consider the profiteering the present health insurance "system" has allowed. I'm on Medicare with secondary coverage by a school system which funds with tax payer money approximately 67% of the cost of that coverage. I am also a veteran which would make me eligible for VA benefits should I ever need them. So, enough of the negative scare tactics about the evils of a "public option". These public options are providing much better care for the dollar than what you get for the dollar through private insurance. We can do better with the 1 of every 6 dollars of the GDP being spent on health care. HB 3962 is a step in the right direction. Many thanks Jim.
Keep up the good work and let's make health care work for everyone - not just for the insurance companies.

By: Paulw on 11/13/09
There is many pros and cons about our health care plans. The government is too free with our money to pass it along to professions. A prime example:

24 years ago it became necessary to put my father into a nursing home. I had to pay one month in advance for him to be accepted. Dad gave it up and passed away in three days. It took me five weeks to get my balance due refund on the balance of my advanced payment. That means five weeks of interest free use of my money.

The nursing home used a local pharmacy to provide his medicine. I went to pay the pharmacy off. The bill totaled 90 plus dollars... for three days, 24 years ago.

I asked for a copy of the bill and the smile came off the pharmacist's face. I gave copies of the bill to three different pharmacies and asked for their total of the costs. Their totals were only a few cents over thirty dollars. Not one dime difference between them. When I went back to the pharmacy to pay him, I asked why he had charged so much. He simply stated it was what the government would allow.

There may need to be a new medical system, but not run by the government.

By: redneck2 on 11/12/09
Why do good christians feel like becoming a money mongering, non-caring, cold blooded bunch of hippocrites when it comes to health care for everyone? Someone please explain this to me. Did not the health care system get us into this mess? Wasn't it greed and the power of money that allowed the most powerful nation on earth to have the 29th worst health care system in the world? Is money everything to some people? Do you not realize that without the government, that most senior citizens would not have health care in the form of medi-cade, but rather they would be suffering and living so far below poverty they would never be independant due to health care insurance costs? I don't have a party affiliation. I am registered as an independent after what our last president put this country through. He actually spent more money fighting the most ineffectual war this country has ever fought than what this health care option would cost. You so called christian right republicans should be ashamed. Why wouldn't you want your neighbor and fellow man have the right to health care. Someone please tell me......

By: ycwood on 11/12/09
I sent Congressman Cooper a thank you for voting for the health care bill. There are many uninsured people in this country who do not have access to health care. They are the voiceless folks who work hard in fast food restaurants, small businesses, and even large corporations that do not offer health care to their employees. They do not have the energy, resources or time to write letters to the editor. They do vote for someone to speak for them like Congressman Cooper. And they don't care if your dog is yellow, blue or red.

If you are wealthy or very poor in the United States, you can get health care. If you are in the middle class, jobless, transitioning to another job, or any number of countless situations, you are just out of luck. Medical costs are unbelievable. Many people file bankruptcy because of unpaid medical bills.

Congressman Cooper is right. The bill that passed the House and is going to the Senate will have many changes in it before it becomes law. I just hope that the final law will bring about real change in the unresponsive system we have now. Yvonne

By: matt37076 on 11/12/09
Cooper said that he would VOTE AGAINST this bill. I heard him say it on a TALK SHOW on 99.7 with Ralph Bristol.

And now COOPER will be voted out because he lied and voted for the HEALTH REFORM BILL.

He will be voted out.
The majority of informed, legal and voting Americans of all parties will not tolerate a "flawed bill" that can take over 1/6th of our economy. If it is a problem for 15 million Americans -- then solve the problem for them. The way to solve the problem is not to have a national bill that affects 100% of the population.

The main message: COOPER and HIS COLLEAGUES will be voted out!

dr.m.

By: Justthefcts on 11/12/09
I believe representative Cooper did exactly the right thing by voting for the recent health care reform legislation. The op-ed by unknown writer continues the frenzy and miss information that surrounds this bill. A bill that has along way to go and will likely not look the same as it does today.In any case his vote was a resounding yes that health care reform is desperately needed.

For too long the insurance companies have called the shots on who gets what in healthcare. The drug companies who spend half their budgets on marketing are very complicit in this as well.

Talk about creating deficits, it was the republican party that would not allow medicare to negotiate drug costs. It was Bush and the republican party that gave huge tax breaks to the wealthy. It was the Republican party who got us into a very costly war in Iraq... on lies. Our financial system is in a mess because with republicans in the lead and along with some democrats, allowed a lax regulatory environment. at the behest of their benefactors took off needed controls and underfunded our already pitiful watch dogs of the financial system such as the SEC in our financial system. Finally it was the Republican party in power for 8 years that saw this train comming and did nothing and we should believe that what they offer matters.

Now the writer of this op-ed is up in arms because this health care reform might be the beginning of actually trying to help the middle class....oh and of course the bill is flawed. I don't know of many bills that came out of the house that were not flawed.

Recently the AARP, consumer reports, and the doctors have come out in favor of this bill.. flawed as it may be. With all the misinformation around and the flawed (to put it mildly)republican record who do you think we should believe?

Jim did not let us down - he stood up for the average American.

Al

By: hugheskt on 11/12/09
Thank you Mr Cooper for moving the process forward. I also have problems with the Bill, as well as The Lebanon Democrat's depiction.
One problem is that the public option, fully funded by premiums and fees without the 30% Insurance Industry overhead, is not strong enough or available to everyone. This would provide a true check on premiums, unless you prefer health insurance as a regulated utility, I'm OK with that.
Tort Reform would be nice, if we could do it without giving quacks a pass when they ruin your life.
Since when is cutting waste and abuse from Medicare an increase in cost to the state. Unless the state supports double billing, overcharges, and bills without service, etc.
This Bill is far from perfect, however if you (The Lebanon Democrat) and I both have problems with the Bill then it's probably getting close.
Thank you again Mr Cooper, you did good.

By: Jennifer123 on 11/12/09
My husband, who supported Jim Cooper in his earlier campaigns (but never again!) called Congressman Cooper's office and talked to a top aide. We wanted to know why he was not holding townhall meetings. The aide said "the people out there are crazy, you wouldn't believe what people have said to us!". We pressed him as to what threats they had received and he would only repeat "people are crazy". We pointed out that Bart Gordon was holding two townhall meetings, he obviously didn't think Middle Tennesseans were crazy. This got no response. We asked about Jim's position on several issues and never got a firm position at all. My husband asked for an appointment with Jim, we never heard anything back. I wrote him two emails about healthcare, I received only automated responses. The second one, where he stated he was supporting a "flawed" bill and evidently hoping the Senate would make something out of it, was absolutely beyond the pale. It is inexcusable. He has lied to people, he has betrayed us, he has labeled us as "scary, dangerous" people. I bet he wouldn't be scared to come ask me for his vote! I made it clear that I would make every effort to help his opponent and unseat him the next election. And I mean that. I believe healthcare needs reform. We need tort reform, we need to reign in drug companies, we need to focus on preventative care and checkups. There are tons of things we can do without the government taking over our medical care and mandating treatment, and worse, mandating rationing. We are at the edge of the cliff and we cannot let these feeble minded, lying, duplicitious ELECTED representatives push us off. We have to vote Jim Cooper out of office, we simply must. In the meantime, flood his office with phone calls and emails and letters and hem him up til we can kick him out.

Jennifer McFarland

By: cecoman on 11/12/09
thank you jim cooper good job..

By: randyd100 on 11/12/09
Mr. Cooper will be voted out of office. He does not represent the majority of his constituents. We do not want a huge government takeover of the healthcare system. I just hope he and his cronies do not do too much damage before we can vote them out.

By: HeatherScott on 11/12/09
The answer to the current health care cost "crisis" is not more government. The solution is more free market. Congress should be working to remove the red tape that prevents competition in health insurance. Allowing individuals to buy policies across state lines, would open up the pool for competition among providers and ultimately provide better pricing for the consumer.

Insurance should be more portable and not tied to our employment. Americans typically don’t get life or auto insurance through an employer, why should we continue to be roped into getting our health insurance through them. The parameters of the policies are structured into what is best for the employer versus what is needed by the individual. Opening up the market for more consumer choice would wean us off employer subsidized plans and more competitive pricing.

As for individuals that are denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions, the solution to this problem would be better addressed at the state or local than the federal level. The costs for running such a program are a financial burden to those who pay taxes. Programs have more oversight at the state or local level, and are therefore; more accountable to the taxpayer than those that are federally run. Private charitable organizations can also provide services for those in need.

Federal programs are quick to bring the words “what were they thinking” to the average American’s lips as they are not in the best interest of the people. A prime example of this is the Medicare “doughnut”. Or better yet, ask a disabled Vietnam veteran about the quality his or her healthcare. A federally run health insurance program will fall right into this category.

Any program that requires 1900+ pages to produce contains about 1850 pages that won’t be in the best interest of the people. Congress should be looking to the private sector, and not themselves, to provide solutions to the rising costs of health care.

By: naples on 11/12/09
I no longer reside in Wilson County, TN but have to express my unhapiness with Mr. Cooper and his vote. I think perhaps he should throw his political hat in the ring and hang it up. Personally, I think he should be tarred and feathered.

By: Paulw on 11/12/09
Our legislators make me think
:
One Monday, a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replied, "I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week." The florist was please and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning... there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later on Tuesday, a cop came in for a haircut, and when he tried to pay his bill, the barber again replied, "I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week." The cop was happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open his shop there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Later on Wednesday, a college professor came in for a haircut, and when he tried to pay his bill, the barber again replied, "I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week." The professor was very happy and left the shop.

The nest morning there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen different books, such as ; "How To Improve Your Business' and 'Becoming More Successful'.

Then, later on Thursday, a congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay the bill, the barber again replied, "I cannot accept your money. I'm doing community service this week." The congressman was happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open up... there was a dozen congressmen lined up... wanting a free haircut!

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our nation and the members of Congress.

By: skunkboy on 11/12/09
Health care? I should have the same health care as Cooper or Coker or my mail man. As far as spending government money, the US has been bankrupt for years. Now more than ever since Bush's two terms and Obama giving the store away to the bankers.

By: wackthemack1 on 11/12/09
In my own business I know I would never go ahead with a business plan, knowing it was flawed. But I guess that is because it's money that is invested.
Neither should Mr. Cooper!!

By: JBBond0077 on 11/12/09
This was my letter to Mr. Cooper. All I received back was an automated response continuing to ADMIT how flawed the bill was!

Congressman Cooper,

After seeing the reports today, I have been made aware that you will be voting in favor of H.R. 3962. I must inform you of my DISGUST in your decision. The blog you wrote says that you are very aware that the bill is "deeply flawed." So I must ask that if you know it is flawed, why would you vote for it?

In representing the people of the 5th District, you should only vote for a bill that you truly believe to be best and NOT flawed.

I am aware that health care must be reformed in our wonderful country, but not at the expense of the American taxpayer. Torte reform would make much better sense in reforming health care.

Voting for a bill that you admit is "deeply flawed" just shows how out-of-touch you are with your constituents, and you should be prepared to be voted out in 2010.

Respectfully,

Justin B. Bradford