Representative Chaffetz does not want to hear the truth

Had an interesting call with a staff member of Representative Chaffetz' office. If you call to share your views, you are ridiculed, told you are wrong, and told that everyone who calls the office opposes any public healthcare options.

Being me, I wasn't pleased with that reply and spent the next twenty minutes pointing out the facts about public healthcare. The kind that works in every other prosperous nation on earth. It was responded to with near screaming about how "the French don't look healthy. I've never seen a French person that looks good." She also told me that no insurance company gets into the business to make a profit, and that they don't make that much money. Then argued that "almost all hospitals are operating in the red."

I told her it was interesting that I could pull up the financial reports of every publicly traded insurance company and see their massive profit margins, excessive executive pay, and prove everything she said wrong. I told her about the internet, and how you can search each insurance company and examine their financial statements.

Then it was time for gloves off. I pointed out that Congressman Chaffetz has not represented anyone in his time in office, but simply just wants to vote against everything like a political puppet. She called me rude. To which I said, "you can tell me that I am out of touch with reality, insult an entire nation, and yell at me that my research, friends, and family are lies, then have the audacity to call my very true statement rude. What has the representative done to contribute to anything he has voted against, or provide reasonable alternatives?"

The conversation turned. Now the "I'm right because I have a script" turned into, let's discuss things that the representative believes would help. The basic solution was, having local chamber of commerce collectively negotiate lower insurance rates for small businesses and individuals. When I asked how that reduced insurance company overheads and reduced their profits, she asked if I would support rules that would make all the insurance companies non-profit.

Wait, can the U.S. Government force businesses to be non-profit? I suppose they could, but then is the aid to Rep. Chaffetz proposing government takeover of the insurance companies?

Hmm, semantics I suppose. It's okay for the government to force businesses to not make money, but we're afraid of giving our government the ability to provide affordable healthcare.

Trying to force the insurance companies to play by new rules will only result in rising costs. Public healthcare is not socialism, but the government telling private industry how they can operate does seem a bit totalitarian to me. Now who's fighting for freedom? Not Representative Chaffetz and the GOP.