Some good news on the Health Care front. Many organizations are stepping up to the plate and fighting to stop the Canadian-style take-over of our health care system, along with at least two billion dollars of our hard earned money. I’m proud to say that FreedomWorks and its members have been calling legislators, writing letters and op-eds to local papers, spreading the alarm to friends and neighbors – doing a good job of turning up the heat on this issue.

This piece originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal on May 5, 2005. CONCORD, Vt. -- The real political news in Vermont has been buried under recent headlines announcing the retirement of Sen. Jim Jeffords: The Vermont House has approved the most radical health care proposal ever to gain majority support in a state legislative chamber.

Social Security

CAVENDISH, VT -- SOCIAL SECURITY FORUM. At the Cavendish Elementary School, 7:30 p.m., FreedomWorks-Vermont State Director Rob Roper, and Mike Quaid of Vermonters for Tax Reform will take on Greg Marchildon from AARP and Jennifer Nelson, representing Congressman Bernie Sanders’ office over the issue of Social Security Reform. The moderator for the event will be former Windsor County Senator Will Hunter. Ludlow Community Access TV will be filming the forum for later broadcast. This event is sponsored by Cavendish Grange and Black River Area League of Women Voters.

Last week, Thursday April 21st, the Vermont House voted 86-58, largely along party lines, to put the lives and well-being of all 620,000 Vermonters into the hands of a government-run, taxpayer funded health care system – a type of system that has failed everywhere it has ever been tried. That they did this at all – let alone without addressing even the most basic and obvious flaws regarding this plan -- is beyond irresponsible. It is negligent.

VERMONT. The House Democratic leadership expects to bring H. 524, which seeks to impose a Canadian-style, government run and taxpayer financed health care plan on Vermont, to the House floor for a vote by the middle of next week. By doing so, they will begin the process of putting the lives of all 620,000 Vermonters in the hands of a system that has failed everywhere it has ever been tried. The tab for this misguided experiment will require at least $2 billion in new taxes. Personal income and payroll taxes are the likely targets for substantial increases.

FreedomWorks-Vermont, the newly-formed Vermont chapter of the citizen action group, vowed today to build a statewide coalition of citizens, taxpayers, small businesses, health care professionals, and patients to defeat the plans to put all Vermont health care under government control.

Single Payer Health Care – As Seen by Its Advocates ETHAN ALLEN INSTITUTE POLICY BRIEF 017 March 24, 2005

Montpelier. Should the Vermont legislature enact a publicly financed universal health care system for all Vermonters? Pro: Deborah Richter MD. President, Vermont Health Care for All; member of Coalition 21, and long time advocate for universal health care at the national level. Con: David Gratzer MD, of Toronto, Ontario. Senior fellow, Manhattan Institute; author of Code Blue: Reviving Canada’s Health Care System.

February 24, 2005 Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC Dear President Bush: Mr. President, on February 8, 2005, you stated, “We should create a national marketplace for health insurance, so people can shop on the Internet across state lines to get high-quality coverage at lower prices. That makes sense, doesn't it? To break down barriers to create a marketplace for the consumer when it comes to health care.” Yes, it does.