HomeMy WebLinkAbout03- Presentations Entered into Record at
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October 5, 1998 bV
President William Jefferson Clinton re Agenda Item 3
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
The White House � C /Gt
Washington DC City ClerkICOC Secy
City at San dernardinu
Dear Mr. President:
I wanted to write and let you know about the medical difficulties I and my family are having.
First, I must tell you that I am a service-connected disabled veteran and receive free medical care
from the Veterans Administration, for which I am grateful. My parents are retired and, on a fixed
income, they are covered by their respective retirement plans.
I want Congress to respond to patient protection and HMO reform this year, before more deaths
occur! How can we continue to delay medical care to our nation's citizens? I have written my
State Senators and Representatives and expressed my detailed needs, but Congress insists on
investigating your admitted mistake.
Today is our nation's last day to register to vote in our national election. In an effort to redirect
Congress's attention, infuse the electorate, and respond to your request that our nation forgive
your indiscretion—I propose "Last, but not least, a vote for forgiveness and redirection." I
would pose to you the following question, "How can a President order local Registrar of Voters
to allow an extra count on our national election ballots?
I request that I, and other consenting voters, be allowed to vote the last button on our ballot for
"forgiveness and redirection."
The last button on every ballot could be advertised, selected, and voted by the electorate fairly
easily. Every ballot has many more choices available then any election uses. Why not use that
last button, on the far bottom right. Easily viewed at a glance, or programmed into the
computerized process, we still have a month to prepare.
In that month, we will hear all we need about this situation. Whether we want the investigation to
continue, could be decided at the polls. Please, don't let our congress waste this precious time!
Tomorrow, I finally have dental work done, after waiting over seven months. You see, the VA
cannot prioritize my dental work until it becomes an emergency. They haven't enough Dentists,
chairs or support staff to deliver preventive care. Routine cleaning is usually accomplished by
Dental students from the local university school. Dentists, Oral Surgeons and Dental Assistants
are busy, eight hours a day, five days a week, administering major dental needs for the veterans
they already have scheduled. Years of budget cutbacks and reductions have left VA Medical Care
a shambles. I have discussed this with my Dentist, and he agrees that their clinic could fill twice
the chairs with veterans presently in need. My general practitioner is scheduled twice a year, but
if I need a referral, I must wait months for an appointment.
HMO's routinely deny, delay, and otherwise restrict medical care in order to turn a profit for large
shareholders and justify increased salaries for administrators. Patients deserve respect and decent
treatment! HMO's need regulation and oversight! Their unrestricted mistakes are causing further
disability and death. In the next two years, thousands may die! Our nation's citizens are at war
with HMOs!
In the next two years, our congress will attend to business as usual. We have the electorate
power to decide just what that business will be.
We Must Not Let This Continue!!! We Must Take Control Of Our Congress!!! We cannot
continue to let this priority legislation languish while we misdirect our attention elsewhere!
Respectfully,
Robert J. Neves
2348 Sterling Avenue, Suite 439
San Bernardino, California 92404
(909) 862-6238
e-mail: barrier @eee.org