Still sick over health care exchange

Here is a recipe worth remembering:

1 part stubbornness

2 parts arrogance

5 parts special interest money

4 parts cowardice

Season with lies and a generous helping of incompetence and you have the Idaho Legislature's homegrown version of Obama Care - the State Health Care Exchange. I like to call it Otter Care.

I added incompetence to the recipe because according to a press release by the Otter-Care architect himself, Butch Otter, Idaho is now going to turn over Idaho's so-called "independent," "free-market" solution to the federal government anyway. Apparently, the state exchange was too complicated for our enlightened leadership to get right the first time around.

All the debate, all the posturing, all the arguments in favor of the State Health Care exchange are rendered worthless because of the collective incompetence concentrated in the Idaho Legislature.

We could have stood with the 26 other states and refused to worship the beast. We could have stood with South Carolina, whose House of Representatives just last week passed a bill nullifying Obama Care in that state. Of course, we have yet to hear what the South Carolina Senate does, but with their governor and half of their legislature demonstrating that kind of courageous resolve, South Carolina citizens can rest assured that they won't be enslaved by the federal government.

The Idaho Legislature is 80 percent Republican. We are the most Republican state in the Union. Obama may have forged the gun, but Republicans in the Idaho Legislature pulled the trigger. Yes, the Republican Legislature brought Obama Care to Idaho.

I was personally present at two of the committee hearings on the health care exchange. Almost all parties testifying against the exchange were private citizens. All of those testifying in favor were special interest groups and lobbyists.

As a matter of interest, here are the campaign contributions received from health-related or insurance-related industries by these four Kootenai County legislators:

Sen. John Goedde: $3,700

Rep. Luke Malek: $2,850

Rep. Frank Henderson: $2,850

Rep. Ed Morse: $1,700

These four people ignored your voice and sold your freedom for special interest campaign contributions. These four are not even the biggest receivers - North Idaho legislators Sen. Shawn Keough (R) and Sen. Dan Schmidt (D) were in the top 15 in terms of health industry special interest contributions. Apparently, individual liberty is sold rather cheaply by these individuals.

Adding insult to injury, according to an article by Dan Popkey in the March 11, 2013, Idaho Spokesman, Rep. Ed Morse was taken to the woodshed by House Speaker Scott Bedke for failing to disclose his conflict of interest when introducing a bill that would have bolstered fees for persons in his profession (real estate appraiser).

Kootenai County residents should remember these four Benedict Arnolds in 2014 and toss them from the Legislature. They are not fit to write the laws of this great state. We need Republicans with character, courage and conscience, not spineless, self serving RINO's like these.

Ken De Vries is a resident of St. Maries.