HEALTH: Test politicians annually

The health of a patient can be affected by a poor decision made by his or her doctor.  To lessen the likelihood of a poor decision, all physicians are required to earn continuing medical education credits on an ongoing basis. These credits are earned at the expense of the individual doctors, usually at costly medical conferences and sometimes supplemented by online education where the physician must prove that he or she has an understanding of the material that has been presented.

The health of an entire nation can be affected by poor decisions made by its representatives in government yet we allow our politicians to make decisions without showing any competency whatsoever! I would like to suggest that all politicians be tested on a yearly basis, starting with a basic review of the U.S. Constitution and The Bill of Rights. The cost of this continuing education should be borne by each individual politician and not by the public. In addition, it should be mandatory that each congressman, senator and our president pass a test showing full understanding of the content of each bill before a final vote is allowed! Perhaps, this would put an end to bills that are over 2,000 pages in length and designed to obfuscate! Perhaps, this would lead to a substantial improvement in accountability on the part of those elected to serve the citizens of the United States!

ELIZABETH H. ANDERSON

Coeur d’Alene