TRUE CONFESSION

Yep, today I took up an invitation and visited an office of my Congressman, Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX). Main subject, of course, was health care reform. The office staff was all young, all Hispanic. I met with Stephanie Romero, a "field representative." She was very sharp - don't know if she's a "wise Latina," but she knew her business.

My main message, since I could find little fault with the "8 basic points" that came with the invitation, was to say that the President had better work very hard to recapture the initiative that had been lost after the cost estimates given by the Congressional Budget Office, followed by the scare campaign on "death panels" and the like. I questioned whether we would really be able to keep our existing health insurance, but also mentioned the experiences of relatives who, unlike us, really need change to make HMO's more flexible and to insure despite "pre-existing conditions."

On another subject, I left a copy of an op-ed piece about one of my major concerns -- it questioned whether Obama was really different or was becoming another "corporatist" - subject to undue influence by those who could care less whether the Federal Government is controlled by Democrats or Republicans (Goldman Sachs is my favorite villain in this scenario, but there is an almost infinite variety of others in other areas).

By the way, I heard today that the registered lobbyists in the health care area now outnumber the members of Congress by 6 to 1. "Sausage" is being made in Washington!