Why Republicans should support health care reform-By Ray LaHood (Chicago Tribune)

[kpete]

Beyond politics
Why Republicans should support health care reform

By Ray LaHood

March 14, 2010

I've been a Republican all my life, when I served in the Illinois legislature, when I worked for members of Congress and when I served in Congress. During the 2008 presidential election, I supported Republican Sen. John McCain. I have always been — and still am — a fiscal conservative, an advocate for a smart, but restrained, government.

For those reasons and others, most people wouldn't expect me to be an advocate for comprehensive health care reform. But the truth is, I believe there is no bigger issue to solve and no better chance to solve it than now.

If I were still a member of Congress, I would proudly vote for the bill that President Barack Obama is championing and I would urge my colleagues to do the same, not because I don't believe in fiscal discipline, but because I do.

We do not need to look that far down the road to see the pain that failure to pass health care reform will cause. Americans of every background, class, race and political persuasion are suffering. We have the best health care system in the world, yet more than 40 million Americans lack access to it, a reality that is morally reprehensible. Health care is an essential, as important as food, water and shelter. Those who don't have it are left without the tools to survive.

the rest:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-perspec-0314-lahood-20100314,0,3364029.story

[Ozymanithrax]

1. Clearly, Ray LaHood is no current member of the GOP.

[upi402]

2. Republicans don't like that breaking-ranks stuff

But I kinda do!
k/r

[eridani]

3. The "fiscal discipline" is making sick people pay more n/t