Home Page Biography Contact District Meetings Legislation Links CAMPAIGN NEWS
SEPT. 6, 2008: MY ANSWER TO ED WILDBERGER...
Today's paper (September 6, 2008, St. Joseph News-Press) carried a vicious letter to the editor about me, signed by Ed Wildberger, and full of distortions. Apparently my activism has touched a nerve! In my own recent letter to the editor (click here to read), I said in the last line, "...be careful not to be misled by half-truths or even bald-faced lies said about me in the coming days." Well, those half-truths and bald-face lies have already started!
Now, to Ed...
Ed, I don't "hate" Heartland, nor do I have a "vendetta". When you say you won't let me turn my race into "a competition of which candidate hates Heartland Hospital more", are you saying that Mark Sheehan hates Heartland? Why do you think I hate Heartland? I've never said I hate Heartland! I have said that I want competition, because it would lower the costs of health care for our citizens. Do you want lower costs? Does everyone who wants competition automatically hate Heartland? Increased competition would be good for patients and for the people who work at Heartland--everyone would have another choice of where to work or to receive care. Do you think choice is a good idea? Ed, who are you to say whom I or anyone else "hates"? You say mean-spirited things about me and about Republicans all the time--do you "hate" me, and do you "hate" Republicans? All I've done is try to get competition in health care by filing bills to that end--I don't "hate" Heartland!
Ed, you say that Insure Missouri was my legislative victim. Excuse me, but didn't you oppose Insure Missouri?
Ed, you say that Insure Missouri was designed to "repair the damage from cuts in 2005 that left thousands of Missourians--many children and elderly--without insurance." Not only is that wrong, but Insure Missouri would NOT have covered ANY children nor elderly. What's up with that, Ed?
Ed, you say that MO HealthNet was the enabling legislation for Insure Missouri. Are you serious? That bill (SB 577) included a pilot project for two geographic areas of the state with a 5 million dollar budget. Surely you know that Insure Missouri was quite different--a permanent statewide program program with a 233 million dollar budget! You should know that since you voted against the MO HealthNet bill! Quit trying to distort the facts, Ed.
Ed, you say I forced Insure Missouri back to the General Assembly on a technicality. Are you saying that you think we should have proceeded with the rollout? Do you believe there was funding passed in 2007 for 233 million dollars for the program? Do you think it was legal? Are you saying you heard anything about it in 2007? I didn't. Quit being two-faced. There was nothing legal about it, and your own party member, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan was about to kill it by refusing to allow the proposed rules enacting it. You know full well the program was illegal.
Ed, you said the program died in my hands, and that people suffer because of my "arrogance". My gosh, Ed, you opposed the program, and told your entire caucus to vote against it! And now you call ME "arrogant"? ED!
Ed, you say "Rob has to make this campaign all about how much he hates Heartland. It's all he's got." Are you serious? When did I make the campaign about Heartland? It seems to me that the Missouri Hospital Association targeted me, not the other way around. First, I forced them to clean up their staph infection problem by passing the Infection Control Act in 2004, and this year I killed their hundred million dollar windfall rip-off of the taxpayers. You didn't step up to do it!
Ed, I suspect you didn't even write the letter to the editor. I suspect Mark Sheehan did.
Rob