Alan Shore, (11/20/2009 6:26:38 AM)

Inhofe is a greedy curmudgeon bought abnd paid for by the energy industry. Coburn cares more about his hypocrtical C street adulterers than he EVER will about Oklahomans.

peelumba, (11/20/2009 6:35:12 AM)

and yet these two clowns keep getting re-elected here in okie land...maybe there needs to be an IQ test at the polls before voting!

Michael Phillips, Tulsa (11/20/2009 6:40:41 AM)

If a conservative were to quote scripture in order to support a political opinion any number of liberals would make a point of separation of church and state. Apparently that standard doesn't apply when a liberal quotes scripture.

PhoenixIX, Jenks (11/20/2009 6:56:38 AM)

Come to think of it - I've never heard a "conservative" quote Scripture.(with the possible exception of "pulling out" obscure Old Testament verses to support war-mongering)

Could it be that there is NO New Testment basis for most "conservative" views.

I say AMEN !

Hobbs, Loveland, Co (11/20/2009 7:07:39 AM)

Michael...It's because when most conservatives quote scripture it's so transparent because they use the Bible like Luby's and pick and choose scripture to fit their agenda.

Willard_Roker, (11/20/2009 7:42:49 AM)

Inhofe and Coburn are just 2 more bad choices that Oklahomans make, right up there with smoking, obesity and our public school system.

droopy, wagoner (11/20/2009 7:44:48 AM)

Thank God for our Senators, wish there were 98 more like them.

JCash, Tulsa (11/20/2009 8:19:33 AM)

Herb is right.

As a society, do we want to be 37th (or whatever) in the world for healthcare or do we want to improve? Is 25th too much improvement? 18th? 12th?

Our senators vote against the current attempts at reform. Oddly, their only real attempt at change is to prevent a bad doctor from getting sued.

Leadership is not defined as obstructionism. Make the healthcare system better or get out of the way.

We citizens deserve better.

Jeffrey Ehlers, Tahlequah (11/20/2009 8:48:44 AM)

One of the biggest problems with government today is the fact that we have too many people representing too few. People like Coburn and Inhofe do, presumably, represent the majority of people in Oklahoma...though that doesn't help those of us who don't support their positions and rhetoric.

Another letter-writer urged people to write both of them. The problem with that is that they will almost certainly respond positively to the people who agree with them, and come up with "reasons" and "rationale" to continue doing the exact same thing that they've been doing when someone who disagrees challenges them on it.

psychedelikrelik, Tulsa (11/20/2009 8:50:41 AM)

"Leadership is not defined as obstructionism. Make the healthcare system better or get out of the way."

Shazaam, JCash! You summed it up quite nicely. Thanks.

Eagle 4, Tulsa (11/20/2009 9:22:14 AM)

To Inhofe, I guess roads are more important than the health of Americans. To Coburn, nothing and nobody is worth more than pinching a buck. But they do represent the egocentrism of Rednecks quite well that results in high divorce rates, obesity, child abuse, drug abuse, etc.

Diana D, madill (11/20/2009 9:22:16 AM)

WHOEVER IS RESPONSABLE FOR CLOSING OF NURTRITION SENIOR CENTERS SHOULD NOT BE RELECTED..ONE IN OUR COUNTY CLOSED DOWN BUT OUR SMALL POLICE DEPARTMENT (MADILL) ARE GETTING 2 SUV'S!?

JDAM77, Cleveland, OH; formerly Tulsa (11/20/2009 9:24:10 AM)

"Killing that bill will guarantee that the average 140 citizens who die each day for lack of health insurance in this country will continue at an ever increasing pace!"

And nothing in the bill will change that situation for at least four years. You see, you start paying for it in 2010 and the money goes into the General Fund without disbursement until sometime in 2014. That's really not a bad way to kick the can down the road; paying on a 1.4 trillion deficit to shore up our bond rating, on the come, and then leaving a bigger mess for the next guy to sort out.

I guess I can empathize with the constituent, somewhat. I was lamenting the loss of liberty to Sherod Brown - fell on deaf ears.

fredsdad, Tulsa, OK (11/20/2009 9:26:35 AM)

There are not 140 people dying for lack of insurance. There may be 140 people dying because they did not, for whatever reason, obtain the care that was available to them, but there are not people dying in the streets for lack of insurance. If such were true, the undertaking industry would be leading the charge against Obamacare.

We need healthcare reform that will lower the cost of healthcare. Both the House and Senate bills actually raise the aggregate spending - government, insurance, and personal - instead of lowering it. And the raise is dramatic, and the raise will hit every single individual who supports himself.

Right now, we have a rather sloppy, inefficient, and expensive system of providing healthcare to the indigent. Yet this sloppy, inefficient, and expensive system is costing us far less than the supposedly "reformed" systems currently on the table.

Reform = vastly more expensive. Change you can believe in.

Woofenburger, Hominy (11/20/2009 11:08:57 AM)

Fred,

The cost of health care is not too high. The cost of health insurance is too high and some people can't get it no matter what the price.

This is not about taking money from the health care workers. It is about stopping the health insurance industry from skimming money from us and the health care industry.

zzx375, BA (11/20/2009 11:49:25 AM)

Grate letter.

"Despite the misleading, combined ad of Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, neither of them cares about the individual citizens of this state — whether young or old"

How does she know? Did she canvass each individual to find out? A claim blanketing every Oklahoma citizen but no way to confirm or deny.

"...they don’t represent me and the thousands of other Oklahomans who believe in a society that reflects New Testament principles of “caring for the least of us.”..."

Here, she assumes that her readers might be familiar with the New Testament of the Bible. What of those who are not familiar? Does she really expect her statement to have any impact on them?

And what exactly is a New Testament principle? Isn't she concerned about about separating church and state?

Thunder196, Tulsa (11/20/2009 12:18:01 PM)

140 a day. Who came up with that figure and how?

fredsdad, Tulsa, OK (11/20/2009 12:51:59 PM)

Thunder,

I am fairly confident that the writer sits upon the source of the 140 number.

fredsdad, Tulsa, OK (11/20/2009 1:02:23 PM)

Woof,

You are out of step with your liberal politicians, all of whom have stated that the cost of health care is much too high, which makes the cost of insurance too high.

When we quit practicing defensive medicine, when doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, health equipment manufacturers, and anyone else even remotely connected with health care can get reasonable liability insurance rates, costs will go down.

When we get the consumers of the services involved in the payment for the services instead of "I don't care what it costs - the insurance company is paying for it" mentality, costs will drop like a rock.

Woofenburger, Hominy (11/20/2009 3:53:27 PM)

Fred,

I never claimed to be "in step" with liberal politicians.

I express my own opinion.

I don't do someone else's talking points for them.

desert fox, (11/20/2009 4:53:57 PM)

I really was impressed by the ads purchased by lobbyists from big med urging us to call and thank these 2 dreadful Senators from Oklahoma!

J C OK, Tulsa County (11/20/2009 5:13:49 PM)

COBURN AND INHOFE are the best Senators in Washington. What is wrong with you locals?

desert fox, (11/20/2009 5:46:25 PM)

JC, It could be you with the delusions !

Titonwan, (11/21/2009 12:42:30 AM)

The Senators that say that they represent Oklahoma, actually represent the wishes of those who provide the money to insure their re-election. I have written to both, with suggestions and questions. What answers I have received, were on completely different topics, as if they were answering a different letter. No answer on the actual questions. I have lived here in Oklahoma a long time, and I have never received any kind 0f a questionnaire or survey from either one.

It would seem that they don’t mind spending thousands of taxpayer dollars to travel to the Mid-East on a “fact finding” vacation, but won’t spend the money that would be necessary to mimeograph some copies of a questionnaire to find out what Oklahomans want and need.

Somebody mentioned the number 140 a day, for deaths of people with out healthcare, then somebody else questioned that number. Since those of you who question those numbers are not computer literate enough to do your own research, here is how you do it. - Open a site called Google, then type, “Health care, uninsured” in the box provided for questions. Click on “Google Search”. You will be taken to a page on which lists of sites with articles where you can find validation on uninsured numbers. (by the way, 140 is a very conservative estimate)

The question of why do these guys get elected comes with a couple of answers. - Lots of money to spread around. – Apathetic citizens who lack interest in a real evaluation of their performance, - Unreasoning loyalty to a political party. AND The pure contrary nature of lots of “Okies”
Come on folks, Okies voted for a guy who a bragged about: “I’m conservative, and I’m stubborn!” as his great achievement.
Saying “no” to everything, simply means that you don’t have to learn anything about it. It’s the easy way out, not the best way to serve your constituents.

--From fredsdad-- “When we quit practicing defensive medicine ………. costs will go down.” What is “defensive medicine”? Do you mean stop practicing PREVENTIVE medicine?

The Health Insurance Industry has thoroughly muddied the water of health care reform, by introducing all kinds of extra programs, unreasonable requests, and unreasoning fear tactics. They are out to make sure that no one understands that the thing that they fear is a “Public Option” which will give them competition.

True conservatives support competition in a free market don’t they? All progressives want, is a chance for people to purchase, basically the some insurance that US government workers, (like Senators and Congressmen) have access to, with no restrictions.

Access, not welfare. There is nothing hard or sinister about that.

Democrat, Tulsa County (11/22/2009 9:23:50 AM)

This was a good letter. The writer was accurate with the facts and the conclusions drawn were both reasonable and consistent with the facts used.

No! is not a position that will help to prevent 140 preventable deaths each day.

Herbert Hoover's "rugged individualism" only worked during the best of financial times in his day. It has been proven to be an utter failure during hard economic times. Coburn's advice for the needy to look to their neighbors for help was rejected by thinking people in the 1932 election. Neighborly help is admirable, but it is no way to assure everyone of decent health care.