A letter to Virginia Foxx

(Just sent... will let you know if I get a response)

Rep. Foxx,

I am incredibly bothered by the comparison you made today between health care reform and terrorism. It was offensive to people who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and in the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as those that continue to fight terrorism in the military and law enforcement.

Anyone who has followed the debate over government-driven health insurance reform has concerns, particularly with the impact on our nation’s debt. But I think you and I have very different priorities.

I work at Guilford College, where my employer pays 75 percent of the cost of my health insurance. We’re in the process of re-bidding, and are looking at increases of between 3 and 25 percent. Aside from the substantial impact this increase will have on the college’s budget, which could reduce our ability to serve our core constituency, our students, higher-cost premiums will negatively affect employees.

For me, it's a pain, but it won't break me. For some of my co-workers, the additional expense will definitely be a hardship. I'm not just speculating here... I head up the staff association, and we're in the process of settling our winter service project. In the past, we've collected gifts, "angel tree" style, for staff members who need extra help around the holidays. These are employed, hard-working people who nevertheless couldn't afford to buy presents for their children, let alone paying heating bills, without assistance.

Last year, we collected money for a staff member who contracted an infection during her pregnancy that put her in a wheelchair, probably permanently. She couldn't afford to buy the wheelchair, though; we had a bake sale to raise money for her. She still comes to work every day in that same wheelchair.

Of course I’m concerned about increasing national debt to pay for health care reform. But I’m far more concerned about people who - no BS, no hyperbole - have to decide every month between paying the doctor or paying the light bill. They are not myths; I work with them every day.

Please reconsider your position.