Open Letter to Senator James Webb (D-VA)

Let me be the first white republican male from Texas to sincerely applaud your victory. I know that you were entirely too busy in the closing days of the campaign to seek solace in my miniscule support, so I wanted to provide a brief summary of how you might finish what the GOP has started over the last several years: pulling folks like me out of the Republican camp.



1) Bankruptcy Reform – The BAPCPA bill is a god-awful mess, and my three year old son who still eats bugs could have done better drafting the legislation. It is costly for those who most need the assistance, punitive to lawyers who try to assist working families, and it takes too much discretion out of the hands of our bankruptcy judges.

2) Stem Cell Research – I have multiple sclerosis, which is currently uncurable. I have a wife, an ex-wife, and five children in the mix. I have no choice but to stay healthy and productive for as long as possible to support and enjoy my family (and to outlive my ex-wife). The President’s recent veto on the stem cell legislation was a betrayal of his living supporters, and your vanquished opponent flip-flopped on the issue.

3) Consumer Protection – Recent changes in federal law served to weaken consumer protection laws that had been enacted in several states.

4) Health Care costs – Republican led states throughout the nation have followed Texas’ lead in severely restricting medical malpractice lawsuits, with the promise of cheaper, better medical care. Some time has since passed since Texas entered this brave new era of medical care, yet my health insurance premiums increase 25% every year, and my neurologist recently admitted that malpractice premiums have not dropped since “tort reform” commenced. Some of my friends from law school would have me drawn and quartered if ever disclosed, but I would have been content with the reforms if the promised economic result had been delivered. If the savings from tort reform is not going to be shared with consumers, then the liabilities need to be borne by doctor’s and malpractice insurers. My father, never a hunter, always claimed he would go hunting once the deer was given a rifle and had a chance to fight back. The herd wants their weapons back.

5) IRS using private collection agencies – Please see what you can do your first day in office to roll this back. I used to deal with a lot of those collection agencies, and these are not the folks that the US Government wants representing them to the general public.


Because of your unique background, many folks like myself will be watching your performance with a cautious sense of renewed hope and more than just a little curiousity. Senator, please don’t let us down.

Sincerely,
Formerly Living