Recently, Mike Ross decided to pen an op-ed to roll call discussing health care reform. And, needless to say as this is Ross we’re talking about, the thing is so full of lies and misinformation that it’s only suitable as bird cage liner. Let’s take it apart piece by piece, shall we?

The health care reform process has been a never-ending odyssey of misunderstandings, miscalculations and misinterpretations. As a result, most Americans remain confused, scared, angry or all of the above. I believe the overwhelming disdain for incumbents we now see in this country is a resounding rejection of politics as usual, and, in particular, how both political parties have conducted themselves over the past year on this very important issue.

I suppose this includes his work to kill the public option, a piece of legislation far more popular than the bill as a whole? I suppose it includes his vote for the Stupak Amendment to limit the rights of women when it comes to reproductive health care while voting against the bill as a whole, right? Does that politics as usual bit include that illegal immigrant scare tactic he used after the vote, something that showed him to be nothing but a more subdued Joe Willson? Oh, it doesn’t? I see…

Every American understands that our health care system is broken on a fundamental level and needs change. In a capitalistic society, the universal principle of every business is profit. Without it, you don’t exist. Therefore, health insurance companies will do everything they can to make a profit. As a capitalist, my instinct is to defend a private company’s right to turn a profit and keep its doors open. However, when that profit comes at the expense of the lives and health of countless Americans, we are forced to evaluate the practical approach of pure ideology and conclude that it simply does not work in a debate about health care — and it never will.

One thing in this debate is clear: The status quo is simply not acceptable, nor is it sustainable. Next to making adequate health insurance coverage available for the uninsured and underinsured, the skyrocketing cost of health care in this country is the most pressing reason why we must act. We can never get our deficits under control or balance our budget again unless we can stop health care costs from rising at twice the rate of inflation. In the past eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And the first $900 those of us with insurance pay in premiums goes to cover the costs of treating the uninsured in emergency rooms across this country. Ensuring American citizens have quality health care and making it both affordable and accessible is key to the long-term strength of our economy.

He really is a shameless lying dog. Here he is saying we can’t allow the status quo to continue, but he’s fighting to preserve it. He lays out a list of indictments against our current system, but still fights reform tooth and nail. I’d call him a snake but it’d be an insult to snakes.

There are three ways we can fundamentally reform our health care system: insurance industry reforms, containing costs and affordability. First and foremost, we must reform the way the health insurance industry operates. Every family needs and deserves health insurance much like they require utilities to heat their homes, and our laws should regulate health insurance companies just as they regulate the utility companies today, including prohibitions on pre-existing conditions, canceling your coverage when you get sick and caps on the total amount they will pay for your health care expenses over a lifetime.

All of that is in this bill he’s voting against…

Secondly, we must explore every available cost-containment measure, and no proposal on Capitol Hill goes far enough in this arena. Every step possible must be taken to root out waste, fraud and abuse, and we need historic investments in preventive medicine, such as physical education in schools and early detection programs.

Actually, there is a proposal that would do great work to contain costs and would do so through that capitalist system of competition Ross so admires. It’s called the PUBLIC OPTION and he’s AGAINST IT.

Finally, we cannot and should not move from our current employer-based health care system, which is uniquely American. Instead, we must build on what we have, which most Americans like, and make it better. It should be more affordable for employers and more portable for employees. As a former small-business owner, I feel strongly that we must protect our small businesses — the backbone of the American economy. That is why I oppose employer mandates and why I support a “marketplace” that allows small businesses and the self-employed to come together as one big group, having greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees, including Members of Congress, have access to affordable insurance, and I believe every American should have access to the same coverage I do.

Small business-fine and dandy. But big businesses like Wal-Mart should take care of their employees. Oh, and by the way, it would be nice if we could get the excellent coverage these guys in Congress have. Maybe instead of fighting to kill health care reform so hard Ross should be working to get us some sort of arrangement like he currently enjoys.

I feel strongly that a majority of Americans are ideologically in the middle, as am I, and I believe the middle is from where we should legislate. If there is one thing my hardworking parents and my small-town values have taught me throughout my life, it is that common sense must always rule the day. However remote, I look forward to that day on Capitol Hill.

That’s it? No indictment of the bill you’re opposing? No reason for him standing in the way of reform now that his insurance company buddies got their way and seemingly killed the public option? (There’s still a chance to bring it back in the future.) Talk about pathetic.

There’s really no room for doubt here. Mike Ross represents the worst in our politics, and not just because he’s a walking ethics issue or a poster child for why we need campaign finance reform. In this crap he’s peddling, he’s showing off a trait that is worse than any of that-his willingness to lie.

But there’s hope. Ross got off without a primary challenge this year, but there’s always the next cycle. That’s one of many reasons why it’s so important to hold Blanche Lincoln accountable and get Bill Halter elected. If that happens, it breaks open the gate and provides the first nail in the establishment’s coffin. Whenever I talk about that with regards to Ross I always get these shrugs and some remark about how entrenched he is. But there’s plenty of reason to take him on and, I’m convinced, a chance to replace him with a better Democrat.

Tags: bad Democrats, blue dogs, corruption, health care reform, lies, Mike Ross

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