I admire U.S. Congressman Joseph Cao (R-New Orleans) and have enjoyed interviewing him on my TV and radio shows. He is cordial, intelligent and an extremely hard worker. He has a great personal story of persistence, survival and triumph in the face of tremendous obstacles.
There is no doubt that Cao is a man of integrity and is a great contrast to the man he replaced in Congress, convicted felon “Dollar” Bill Jefferson. Cao is a former Jesuit seminarian and ethics professor, so his constituents can feel assured that he will serve as an honorable public servant. No one will ever suspect that Cao will imitate Jefferson and stash cash in his freezer or put personal business dealings over the needs of his district.
As the first Vietnamese American in Congress, Cao is an historic figure on Capitol Hill. He is also a unique politician because he actually reads the bills and studies them before casting a vote. I am sure he is one of the only politicians in Congress to read the 1990 page healthcare bill before voting on the issue.
Despite his outstanding personal qualities, Cao made a horrible mistake in voting for a piece of legislation that, if enacted, will wreck our healthcare system and do terrible damage to our economy. Cao said that he was voting on behalf of his constituents who support the bill; however, he should have put the interests of his country first. This bill will harm his congressional district and the nation. It will add to our deficit, increase taxes and inevitably will lead to healthcare rationing. Bureaucrats will be placed in charge of decisions which should be made by patients and their doctors. The bill will force insurance companies out of business and make more people dependent on government.
What does the government do well? Is it a good operator of Amtrak, the post office or Medicare? Of course not, it has a horrible track record and every program that the government controls runs a deficit, is mismanaged and is inefficiently operated. If the federal government manages our healthcare system, the poor results will be magnified because it will involve 16% of our entire economy.
By casting the lone Republican vote for this monstrosity, Cao has given President Obama and Speaker Pelosi the cover of a “bi-partisan” bill. In the process, Cao betrayed his party and the many Republican donors who supported his campaign. He will be unable to send out fundraising appeals to Republican donors and activists touting his conservative credentials. Currently, he is being embraced by Rachel Maddow, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, not exactly good credentials for a Republican.
Since his vote is so unpopular with Republicans and will lead to fewer contributions and less support from the party, Congressman Cao should consider switching to the Democratic Party. On many votes, he is the lone Republican or one of the only a few Republicans to support legislation sponsored by the White House. Besides this health care bill, Cao voted for the pork barrel laden omnibus spending bill and the hate crimes legislation.Yet, nothing compares with his vote on Saturday night as the healthcare bill is one of the most disastrous pieces of legislation that has ever been debated in Congress.
By standing up to his party, Cao has become a favorite of President Obama, who lobbied the Congressman for many months. Even if Cao receives some token Democratic donations or even has the President campaign on his behalf, it will not sway the opinion of the voters in the 2nd Congressional District who will likely vote on racial and political lines.
Cao already is facing several serious and well funded Democratic challengers in his 2010 re-election campaign. They will not withdraw because of the healthcare vote. In fact, there is also a chance that other Democrats may enter the race. After this vote, Cao might even have to worry about a Republican challenger in the GOP primary.
As a congressman for a Democratic dominated district, Cao had a chance to educate his constituents about the fallacy of liberal “solutions” such as this healthcare bill. Instead, he decided to “represent” them by supporting a flawed, expensive and harmful bill.
For decades, the people of the 2nd Congressional District have been dependent on the federal government assistance programs and the result is that the district is still one of the poorest in America. Government does not solve problems, it only makes them worse. For healthcare, a much better solution involves tort reform, more competition, portability of policies, and removing government interference, not inviting government to ruin the best healthcare system in the world. A congressman as intelligent as Joseph Cao should know that this healthcare bill will not work. It is sad that he was unable or unwilling to see this reality.
Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.
Yeah, Joseph Cao, an interesting juxtaposition I suppose.... Perhaps he is a gadfly I don't know.... But I do know this much... Louisiana, although a state, was granted 'statehood' after it was reduced in size by the purchasers of the property.... And of course this healthcare thing, well, it is going to be paid for one way or another... Americans across the country are saying 'no' to more taxes, like that is going to do any good but anyways, usher in mineral resources, or offshore mineral resources..... Well, those 'offshore oil and gas royalties' Louisiana thinks it is 'entitled' to as a result of an 'act of Congress' actually belong to the rest of the 'inhabitants' of the area within the boundries of the original 'Louisiana Purchase' as well as to the citizenry of the 'Republic' which bought all that property in the first place. And being as it is good enough for all those folks, may as well toss in Alaska, California, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, etc., etc., etc... And, well, House Resolutions, or Bills, or congressional bills/laws are pretty much like 'treaties'....... Nothing carved in stone there, they can be recended at the blink of an eye..... You think you have a budget deficit for the state comming up for the next 2 or 3 years? Wait until you see what the next 2 to 3 decades dictate!!!!! What a crazy ship of fools we have for a state legislature and state government....... Written by
on 11/16/2009
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----------- Conservatives seem to have the notion -- talk about a crock -- that someone can work in a minimum-wage job and still get by. Conservatives don't mind high unemployment.------------ ?/?/?/?//!!!!!? Uhhh, actually users seem to have the notion – talk about a crock -- that someone can work in a minimum-wage job like McDonald’s flipping burgers and make babies like there is no tomorrow and still get by. Don’t know about the Conservatives ‘don't mind high unemployment’. I am sort of conservative I suppose, and I don’t like to see anyone have to do without the opportunity to find a job…. And of course you have the illegal’s, the crack-heads, the meth-heads, the anchor babies, the ‘sickbay’-hypochondriacs, the lazy, the users, the etc., etc., etc……..* Jim Brown got it right on one of his observations when he said we are “bombarded 24/7” with media crap….. We are demotivated… Cannot even realize the value of our work because it gets taken away from us…. Fines, high costs, taxes, addictions, crappy food, crappy entertainment, I mean for krists sake they got it now where you gotta strap a helmet on your kid to let it ride a bike in some states now…. It is getting restrictive, nuts, crazy, and now we are building prisons to house what??? You watch and see, it is going to get fruitier by the day.. Damn Fruity nougats….. Written by
on 11/16/2009
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C'mon minimum wage is a starting wage not a permanent wage. Written by CN
on 11/15/2009
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Conservatives seem to have the notion -- talk about a crock -- that someone can work in a minimum-wage job and still get by. Conservatives don't mind high unemployment. Such a phenomenon pushes the cost of labor down -- and creates higher profits for the owner/investor class. That's been the story in a nutshell of the 2000's. Tax cuts for the wealthy (even during a war, a first in American history), a tepid recovery from the recession of the early 2000's with especially weak job growth and then another recession, featuring heavy job losses, in the later 2000's. Plus health care costs zooming out of sight. All placing great strain on the ability of the middle class whose spending and consumption pull the whole economy to do exactly that, spend and consume, and setting up perhaps a long-term diminished standard of living for the working classes in this country, perhaps a whole new definition of the American Dream, i.e. "if you don't already have it made in the shade then that's just tough. Calvin Coolidge lives. Written by Speak the truth
on 11/14/2009
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Kp, those are all noble aspirations that people should want to pursue... But it isn't like that anymore, midstride, someone kicks their legs out from under them... Look at the folks now that all of a sudden are paying shylock interest rates on bank credit cards issued by banks their tax dollars helped bail out... KP, a lot of folks out there are simply hell bent on crippling their neighbors. Taking what doesn't belong to them, and putting nothing back in return, and a lot of folks are simply 'rut' stuck, can't move forward, can't move backwards, can't move left, can't move right.... And anything that appears on the horizon that makes sense and has a damn good probability of fixing things is quashed.... Dead in its tracks... And it is folks sitting around that are trying to make other folks 'victims' so that they can get their way that is one of the big cripplers of this nations ways and means..... Again, apathy, lethargy,,, It just is a shame.. Causing me to get old before my time, I don't even know why I should care anymore.... And that is the real victim of all our wants and all our deeds, caring....... When that disappears, we are all, well, I guess just skrewed... Written by
on 11/14/2009
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What a crock. Conservative middle class taxpayers want EVERY single poor person to be financially successful - that way we DON'T have to pay for their welfare (duh?). Explain to me how I benefit by having my wages garnished to pay for people being poor? Why wouldn't I want them to be self-sufficient? People can move up into the middle or even 2nd tier quintile of wage earners over their lifetime. People have to be willing to work hard to get there however. Those I know who are in a bind financially are those who are not willing to put forth the effort to work at the best job offered them. "The best job offered" may mean harder work, poor hours, less pay then what people think they deserve, but they need to start somewhere. Many white collar workers are out of work because their white collar job is no longer needed. They need to face the fact that they may have to perform (egads!) manual labor - perhaps initially at minimum wage. Perseverance WILL get people where they need to be. I do not know of ANYONE who is trying to deny anyone "opportunity" for success, except unions who promote minimum wage laws so their competition is less attractive to potential employers. Written by kpf
on 11/13/2009
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It is in fact a broken system. Cao would not have voted for the bill if the abortion issue had not been removed. The bill is bad and it's a shame it made it out of committee. Cao did his job and voted the way i assume the majority of his constituents wanted him to vote...even though it was and is a bad bill. Written by CN
on 11/13/2009
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What's broken about the system is in how those with the wealth and power have access to the elected officials to get what they want and keep others from getting anything or having access. Now, sure, it's great to say that this country should be the "land of opportunity" rather than the "land of guaranteed income and high living even for those who don't work" but the problem is for the many who are willing to work but still find the door of opportunity for a better life shut in their faces. Of course, conservatives see nothing at all broken about such a system; it's precisely what kind of system they want. The conservatives' New Golden Rule: They Who Have/Stole the Gold Get to Horde All of It (while at the same time they still get to cry about others who are merely trying to get their own piece of the pie looking to move in on the action and spoil their party). Written by Speak the truth
on 11/13/2009
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Look WB, liberals think with their hearts, don't go spouting off about logic. What's next, I guess you'll want to bring math into the decision to fund a government program? Written by kpf
on 11/12/2009
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Al, If you think America can afford to provide every citizen with the immoral level of perks that our rulers have granted to themselves, then you're a fool. If you believe that, then why don't we just pay every American the same salary that we pay legislators? After all, it's only tax money confiscated from the wealthy, right? Written by
on 11/12/2009
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Jeff, you represent the backwards old school thinking of the republican party. Cao voted with his constituents, the people who elected him. duh? That's a principal that seems to have escaped all too many politicians. I'm a democrat, but I sure as hell would vote for this guy, even though we don't agree on everything. Every Republican on the hill will publicly acknowledge that our health care system is broken. And every one of them will fight to see that nothing is done about it. They all survive with a "GOVERNMENT TAXPAYER SPONSORED " health plan, and will do whatever in their power to see that the rest of the American people don't have the same benefits. Written by Al
on 11/11/2009
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Jeff, you are clearly outnumbered on this one. Your respondents overwhelmingly favor what Congressman Cao did over what you have to say about it. It absolutely amazes me that, when it's convenient for you and others to do so and when it fits your agenda, you say that a Congressman should represent his constituents. Yet, when one actually DOES, you get on him about it. You are putting party over people and that is as un-American as it gets. I live in Congressman Cao's district and I am totally uninsured -- and a Democrat and proud of it I might add. But I will not hesitate to cross party lines and vote for someone I feel is a better candidate and I have done that many times. Congressman Cao, as of this moment, has my vote locked up for next year unless someone emerges from the pack who I feel can do better and which, at this point, seems highly unlikely. I don't vote according to race, religion, or even party. My vote, which I consider sacred and worth dying for, is for the one who best speaks for me. And, since you guys are so unhappy with Congressman Cao for the way he voted on this ONE issue and are determined to punish him for it, maybe he WILL come over to the other side of the aisle, in which case he will be very warmly welcomed. It will be YOUR loss and you can take the blame for pushing him to that point. Any wonder why the Republican Party is becoming so marginalized? When you let the wing nuts and whacked-out talk show hosts and others on the lunatic fringe dictate your party's planks and platforms, this is what's going to happen and it IS happening. Many of the 215 Republican House members who voted against the health care bill are going to pay the price next year, not the ones on the other side of the aisle you think will. If you think this is going to put you guys back in control of Congress and the White House -- dream on. The American people don't have short memories and we don't have to remember back too far to recall how miserable things were when the Tom DeLay's and Newt Gingrich's were in control of the wheel. We're not going to forget a recent administration that squandered a record surplus and left us with record debt, a no-win war on two fronts and the economy in shambles, while allowing their fat cat contributors to stuff their faces with all the goodies Bush & Cheney & Co. could shovel over to them (and to themselves, of course). And, if we DO forget, then shame on us. We would then richly deserve the misery that would surely be coming our way. And I'll be on Medicare by then so none of this will matter to me. The only ones who will suffer will be my children and grandchildren, and many other people's children and grandchildren. That's all; just another generation or two, what the heck. Who needs 'em anyway if they can't contribute millions to the campaigns of those who profit from a broken system only they can understand and work to their lucrative advantage? Oh, and by the way -- being probably a good bit older than you -- I can remember back to when the federal government actually DID run the Post Office. And, guess what, it operated much more cheaply and efficiently then, too. It cost less than 10 cents to mail a letter when this quasi-private corporation took it over and now it's pushing its way up to where it's going to cost 50 cents in a few years. And, all the while, steadily over the past 40 years, service has gotten worse and now they're even talking about eliminating Saturday delivery. Go ahead and blame the government for THAT. And while you're at it, blame the government for sinking the Titanic, starting the Chicago Fire and killing Cock Robin. Written by deanslist2
on 11/11/2009
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Marc - Cao has been on the record saying for some time saying he supported HealthCare Reform. No last minute trickery (like the NY-23 circus - which supremely backfired on Republicans. )... No spite, no ulterior motives -- what political gain?..... If Cao can't win In New Orleans...then, move to a neighboring parish..... (the way Bobby Jindal naturally migrated to Kenner)......Say bye-bye to Steve Scalise. Written by KjunLady
on 11/11/2009
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Cao is Louisiana's Scozzafava and must resign. The Dems didn't need his vote to succeed. He smiled while he stuck the knife in the Republican party's back...this was and is a stupid bill. Written by MarcW
on 11/11/2009
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I admire and respect Cao for voting the way his constituents wanted him to vote. He did so knowing that the whimpy LA GOP would stamp their feet and make mean faces at him, but too bad. I am happy that Melancon voted against the bill. he had to or he would have pulled about 15% in the election. It is encouraging that he finally listened to his constituents. As far as Cao running for Senate, I'm all for it, but against Mary. And puhleeze, we don't need another John Breaux in Congress. He basically did not do a thing for this state but made himself a rich man who does not even live here anymore. Written by CN
on 11/11/2009
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I bet if Melancon voted for the bill, some of you would be yelling and screaming and calling him a flaming liberal. Yes, politicians should vote for their constituents, but I smell some real hypocrisy. Since we all like Cao and respect him so much, why don't we get him to run for US Senate. He cannot win the second district and we will lose his heart and intellect. In the area of ethics and dignity, he can run circles around David Vitter. He can be the Republican version of John Breaux. If we had another US Senator who takes on his party and his leadership on different occasions, yet fights hard for the party's at different times, perhaps Louisiana might actually get somewhere in Congress. Right now, we speak about family values and look he is at the top of the GOP ticket. I say "go Cao". Written by Claude
on 11/11/2009
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A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in
California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust………………………………. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan
sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a
calf?" ………………………………….Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"…………………………………. The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it
to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo………………………….The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany……………………………Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response………………………………… Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech,miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves." …………………………………"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says
Bud…………………………. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car………………………
Then Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business
is, will you give me back my calf?" ………………………………The young man thinks about
it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"…………………………… "You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government", says Bud…………………………….."Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"………………….. "No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep. ................................
Now give me back my dog.
Written by KJ
on 11/11/2009
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Most people are sheeple and blindly accept that millionaire politicians (of either party) have their best interests (not their big money campaign contributors, ohhhh no) at heart. Being ignorant and brainwashed, they expect their elected representative to be as brain dead as they are themselves and simply "follow the leader." I commend all politicians - of any political stripe - who opposes their party's leadership. Make no mistake about it - both parties "punish" these "freethinkers" in exactly the same ways (no assignments to desired committee memberships, no financial support from the national org come re-election time). What most people do not recognize (worried as they are about the loss tax money the government steals on their behalf) that these rare "free thinking damn the consequences" office holders are the very spirit of the founders of this country; before we became sheeple. I mean, we're ALL gonna die, how about living life with some dignity, instead of fretting about government handouts? How pathetic we as a nation have become. Maybe Islam should kick our pansy ass; serve us right. Written by kpf, gawd bless us, each and every one
on 11/11/2009
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Why should Cao be a party man instead of being a real leader that follows his own decisions ? Both Parties suck in louisiana because they follow the party instead of standing up and leading their districts. I would welcome Cao to the democratic party , but he would be a loss for the republican party. Republicans are quick to give out welfare checks to their rich friends but then turn around and cut health care programs. Shutting down the mental health programs in New Orleans will come back to haunt Jindal because it is a mistake. These people will end up sitting in jail some where costing the taxpayers a lot more money than just treating their illness. Murders and rapist know how to ask for a lawyer to get out but the mentally handicap will just sit in jail until they are kicked out. Oh well we can always turn loose some murders and rapist to ease the over crowding of our local jails. Written by Cry over this
on 11/10/2009
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Representative Cao deserves the "Purple Heart" for braveness in the face of the biggest public enemy, his very own Republican Party! I am not in his district, but I will make a contribution to his re-election campaign. I have written to him to commend him.
Secondly, I want him to run as a Republican because he will get at least 50% of that vote even if a Republican tries running against him. He will also get enough Democrat support because I have observed his voting record and he does vote Democrat as often or more often than his Louisiana Republican counterparts! I plan to call his office tomorrow and explain this to him.
And yes, he is too intelligent and compassionate to be a Republican, but I can accept those qualities.
Also, Jeff, the Republicans who were against Social Security in the 30's and Medicare in the 60's, are WRONG again! I hope that citizens of the future will not let them live this down. For sure in 3 years, they will start being an extinct party, because the Independents are pushing them out.
As a yellow dog Democrat who has personally put out 400 political signs for Senator Landrieu and Representative Charlie Melancon, both Democrats, I am quite upset for their "playing hard-to-get shenanigans"!
One thing is sure, if either of them does not support the health care reform bill in its final version, I will not help their future election bids.
Republicans in Congress are so worried about "their grand kids" paying for poor humans' health care. It is why most Republicans run.....to enrich themselves so that their children and grand kids won't have to work much! Well, in a few years,
and especially when President Bush's two wars are over, we will have money to pay for Health Care, along with what will be suctioned from filthy rich who make more than $400,000.00 per year! Hello!
Written by Cajun Tsunami
on 11/10/2009
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In my 67 years, I've spent half under government insurance and have under private insurance. As the son of an army officer, I was covered, not only by government insurance, but by government medical service. At 23, I was on my own, and my adventures with private insurance began. To remain insured, I had to make dramatic decisions at several points in my life, almost becoming a citizen of Great Britain at one point because I was covered while teaching in London by the national system there. I have recently become eligible for Medicare, a sophisticated government-run policy, which satisfies me completely. I have no doubt Amtrak would be as sophisticated as Medicare, if it were funded properly. It's the most civilized way to travel in North America. The Post Office likewise amazes me with its successful timely delivery of all the trivia we make it deliver. What underlies the fear of government-run services? Clearly it's the fear that the corporations won't make enough of a profit to pay their executives million-dollar bonuses. (Now, that would be a catastrophe, wouldn't it?). . . Once upon a time, there was capitalism. Then it was strangled by greed and in its place arose corporatism, which put on the death-mask of capitalism to fool the people. As a well-known president once said, you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. Our recent national health-insurance debate has revealed that we have the most expensive system in the world, yet we are ranked 37th as far as services are concerned. Our debate is revealing what we need to know so as not to be fooled. Written by Robert Desmarais Sullivan
on 11/10/2009
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Cao is a complete aberration. His district will return to a black democrat unless some combination of primary defeats/indictments/doublecrosses/disappearances occurs. If the voters in his district were capable of understanding the manipulative politics that created their hell, they might realize that a man like Cao has their best interests at heart. Even when he votes against continued dependency and failed liberal policies. The only reason to run a republican against him in a primary would be to remind him that there are conservative principles that he believes in and should support. But no other republican could even come close to a competitive race against a democrat in that godforsaken district. Written by
on 11/10/2009
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Why does it always have to be about the "Party". I vote for the individual that best represents my views. Sometimes it is a Democrat. Sometimes it is a Republican. And, sometimes I really wish that we had more choices. Unfortunately, our representatives put the party before the real needs of the people, under the guise that they know better what we need and want, more than we do.
I believe that the current bills before Congress, both Demo and Repub. stink because they will basically keep the current status due to the pressures of the special interests that would have the most money to lose if any real changes were made to reduce our costs. After all it is about making money as opposed to true affordable health care. And, I bet that as long as private business administers any plans for the government it will continue to cost us more. Written by ?
on 11/10/2009
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As you say Jeff, Cao is both cordial and intelligent - two qualities lacking in the GOP today. If you want to push him into the Democratic Party, I have no problem with that. You're just making the same mistake Sarah Palin and other conservative leaders made in New York's 23rd district. Written by David Quidd
on 11/10/2009
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In answer to your question and atw's statement that the representative should vote as their constituents want, why don't we have the people directly vote on all non-time sensitive issues? That would eliminate the politicians and accurately represent the will of the people. It would also REMOVE money from the decision making process. Instead - to be pragmatic about this - I will settle for someone who bucks their party - be it a liberal such as Pat Moynihan who incensed his party by claiming that "Great Society" reforms would destroy the black family, or a conservative like Ron Paul who often is the only vote preventing unanimous passage of a measure in the House (silly man, he frets about congress violating the Constitution, what a dinosaur). We need more dinosaurs, more Don Quixotes, IMHO. Will there ever be enough principled politicians to make a difference, maybe not. But don't expect me to praise those who only follow their party line as "leaders" - calling followers "leaders" doesn’t make a damn bit of sense to me in fact. I'll take someone who calls it as they see it no matter who likes it or not over some professional politician who has to check the polls to see "where he stands" on an issue. Written by kpf
on 11/10/2009
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I disagree, both with how Cao voted, and with opposing him for this one issue. I very strongly disagree with this medical care takeover. Cao voted the way his constituents wanted on this particular issue, but has voted along conservative lines on many others.
I have made small campaign contributions to Cao in the past because he is such a wonderful breath of fresh air in Louisiana. I will again, and I don't hold this one against him. We will be much better off with Cao in the Congress as a Republican, than as a Democrat. And if a Republican runs against him, you can guarantee the next congressman would neither be Cao nor a Republican.
Let us not cut off our nose to spite our face. Written by chaubert
on 11/10/2009
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"""I also disagree with this author- more politicians should vote with the will/desire of their constituents b/c that's how representative government works. Cao's district is loaded with the uninsured, in fact, the entire state of Louisiana is on the wrong end of the spectrum as far as the percentage of the population that has insurance."""" - - - - - That is really interesting... Poor Louisiana doesn't have a Disneyland either, doesn't mean we should vote for one at the expense of taxpayers now does it? And of course when you think about it long and hard enough, the folks that don't have insurance in CAO's district are probably for the most part unemployed, and they do have a Charity Hospital they can go to... Ah yes, but we have the most Lawyers per capita in the Nation, and we do rank around #15 for having the most doctors per 1,000 capita, I wonder how all that 1300 pages is going to work out? And ya know KP, I can appreciate a person voting for their beliefs, but isn't it the beliefs of the politicians that have helped us into the mess we as a nation are facing right now? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm??? Written by
on 11/10/2009
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I also disagree with this author- more politicians should vote with the will/desire of their constituents b/c that's how representative government works. Cao's district is loaded with the uninsured, in fact, the entire state of Louisiana is on the wrong end of the spectrum as far as the percentage of the population that has insurance. Increased Medicare dollars and medical insurance coverage will directly improve the lives of large portion of his constiuents. Remember, even government run insurance plans are going to be better than what many have now, which is nothing at all. Written by atw
on 11/10/2009
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I disagree. Cao voted as he thought best. The 100% "unity" one sees so much in congress is not truly reflecting how these members feel. It is they who are betraying their own principles when they do not vote as they believe. While I disagree with this bill - and hate crime legislation - Cao and the very few others (such as Texan Ron Paul) are what our representatives should be: people who will vote as they feel they should, not people who are intimitated by their party's leadership to vote "yea or nay" as the leadership directs. Written by kpf
on 11/10/2009
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I admire U.S. Congressman Joseph Cao (R-New Orleans) and have enjoyed interviewing him on my TV and radio shows. He is cordial, intelligent and an extremely hard worker. He has a great personal story of persistence, survival and triumph in the face of tremendous obstacles. 
