drgreg

A Second Open Letter to The Blue Dog Coalition November 4, 2009 Dear Member of the Congressional Blue Dog Coalition: Angry constituents this past summer made it clear to Members of Congress that HR 3200 was too expensive, too intrusive, too impractical -- and was being rushed too quickly through the House for Members and their constituents to comprehend the intended and unintended consequences of this bill on our health care system and our faltering economy. We at Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine were among those angry constituents at Tea Parties, Town Hall Meetings, and internet discussion forums. We are a grassroots coalition of patients, doctors, and business owners founded on July 4, 2009 to encourage health care reforms that preserve, protect, and promote individual rights and freedom in health care. Launched four months ago on July 4th, our website has been visited by 9505 times by 7921 people from 2481 cities in 79 countries around the world, including all 50 states in America. Our message is getting through to Blue Dog constituents who rightly expect you to safeguard the rights of patients, doctors, and business owners from any governmental intrusion during the health care reform process. Over 600 people have thus far signed our recently posted “Petition to Protect Doctor and Patient Rights” to get Congress to vote against any legislation that provides for any: --Public plan option, --Mandates that force individuals to buy insurance coverage, --Mandates that force employers to provide insurance coverage, --Surcharges that force some groups to pay for the healthcare of other groups, and --Provisions that might allow HHS to force doctors to participate in public plans. About 97% of the petitioners have responded “Yes” to the question: “Should doctors ‘go on strike’ by refusing to participate in any new government-run healthcare plan?” Another 86% of the petitioners have responded “Yes” to the question: “If ObamaCare is approved, should doctors ‘go on strike’ by stopping their participation in other government-run healthcare plans (Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, SCHIP)?” (We invite you to read and sign this petition at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontop...entrights.html). We are now urging you to oppose HR 3962: “The Affordable Health Care for America Act” because this 1,990-page behemoth is -- like HR 3200 -- too expensive, too intrusive, too impractical, and is again being rammed down our throats. We ask that you vote against HR 3962 because it contains so many poisonous provisions -- ones that are patently immoral, arguably unconstitutional, fiscally irresponsible, demonstrably ineffective, and, as recent polls show, politically unpopular. If you do not find these arguments against HR 3962 persuasive, we would appeal to your political self-interest before you vote on HR 3962 and whatever health care reform bill might eventually emerge from both Houses of Congress. Think about how many different groups of likely voters will be hurt by HR 3962: seniors (due to Medicare cuts), the young and healthy (due to individual mandates), doctors (due to government intrusion into decision-making and reduced Medicare payments), small businesses (due to mandated insurance for employees and the surcharge on wealthy business owners), the wealthy (due to the surcharge on millionaires), medical device manufacturers (due to increased taxes), and -- last but not least -- the millions of health care policy holders who would have to pay significantly higher premiums (due to taxes on insurance, costly mandated coverage by HHS, and shrinking risk pools). Think about the possibility that these voters would be so hurt by HR 3962 that Republicans, Libertarians, and Ross Perot-style Independents could easily mobilize them to vote many incumbent Democrats out of office in 2010 and 2012. Think about the electoral consequences of forcing Americans to buy expensive health insurance while they learn that Congress has failed to address the root causes of rising health care costs. Think about how -- as our economy continues to falter in 2010 and beyond -- the 2009 Tea Parties and Town Hall Meetings would be dwarfed by a rapidly spreading, Dresden-like firestorm of popular resistance to any more federal intrusion into our lives. Think about how HR 3962 would be a prescription for economic, health care, and electoral disaster: Surely, a bad bill would be worse than no bill, not only for our economy and our health care system, but also for your political career. Finally, think about this: A Blue Dog voting for HR 3962 might very well be committing an unnecessary, career-ending act of political suicide. Dr. Gregory Garamoni Doctors on Strike for Freedom http://www.doctorsonstrike.com P.S. We are encouraging patients, doctors, and business owners from all over America to call, email, or fax the Blue Dogs to urge them to reform healthcare in a fiscally and ethically responsible manner that fully respects the rights of doctors and patients to make healthcare decisions without any government interference. To this end, we have compiled a list of the Washington phone numbers along with a complete list of the Washington and District fax numbers for all 52 members of the Blue Dog Coalition (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/bluedogcoalition.html)

Doctors Publish "Inalienable Rights Infringement Statement" on Health Care Reform Bills Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine today issued an "Inalienable Rights Infringement Statement" on the health care bills now brewing in Washington, finding 10 violations of the individual rights recognized in The Declaration of Independence. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) – Aug 01, 2009 – Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine today issued an "Inalienable Rights Infringement Statement" ("IRIS") on the health care bills now brewing in Washington--bills they dubbed "PelosiObamaReidCare" ("PORC"). The IRIS, posted on the homepage of Doctors on Strike's website at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com, cites PORC for the following 10 violations of individual rights: 1. Forcing people to buy health insurance. 2. Forcing employers to provide health insurance for employees. 3. Forcing one group (wealthy, soda-drinkers, etc.) to pay for the health insurance of another group. 4. Forcing future generations to pay for the healthcare of the present generation. 5. Forcing patients to participate in a government-run plan. 6. Forcing doctors to participate in a government-run plan. 7. Forcing hospitals and other healthcare providers to participate in a government-run plan. 8. Forcing insurance companies to compete with a government-run plan. 9. Forcing insurance companies to write policies that offer coverage for specific conditions. 10. Forcing one group (older Americans on Medicare) to accept reduced benefits in order to fund other public health care plans. Dr. Gregory Garamoni, Founder and Executive Director of Doctors on Strike, said, "Doctors, patients, and business owners all have the same inalienable individual rights recognized by the Declaration of Independence - the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The purpose of government is to secure our rights, not violate them. Our rights impose limitations on government." Dr. Garamoni said, "PORC's unprecedented intrusiveness into the doctor-patient relationship and other aspects of our health care would violate our rights on a massive scale unknown in the history of America." Doctors on Strike urges doctors, patients, and business owners to work together to put intense political pressure on Washington politicians to make sure they protect individual rights while reforming the healthcare system. Dr. Garamoni said people need to send the following message to our elected officials: "Earth to politicians: Healthcare is not a right, doctors are not your slaves, businesses are not your banks, the wealthy are not your wet nurses, and patients are not your pawns." The website for Doctors on Strike (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com) provides doctors, patients, and business owners with the "intellectual and political ammunition necessary to win the war against statism in medicine." Activists will find links to an online "Petition to Protect Doctor-Patient Rights" and other petitions with similar messages. They will also find links to elected officials, including the influential "The Blue Dog Coalition," and sample messages of varying length. # # # Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com) has the mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting freedom in healthcare. Our organization’s most pressing goal is to defeat HR3200 and other statist healthcare reform proposals now circulating in Washington. To this end, we are encouraging doctors and patients to put intense political pressure on legislators during their deliberations on healthcare reform. We supply doctors and patients with the intellectual and political ammunition to do this. We are calling on doctors to be prepared to go on strike against more government-run healthcare. We want doctors to let the country know - now - that if the President signs any legislation that establishes another government healthcare plan, they will "go on strike": Doctors will refuse to participate in any new government healthcare plan, and they will resign from all government healthcare programs, including, but not limited to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.

Thanks, I'll sic my son on him tomorrow. He faxed a copy of my open letter to all the Blue Dogs today. Here is a reasonable response I got from one of the Blue Dogs ( a former physician) today: Dear Dr. Garamoni: Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns. As your representative, I value maintaining an open dialogue with my constituents, especially on issues as important as health care. As you know, the question of how to improve our health care system has divided lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. As a physician who spent 30 years treating patients from across North Alabama, I have a different perspective on this issue than others in Congress. I am concerned that the current health care legislation falls short of meeting its goals of reducing costs, increasing access, and protecting a patient's right to choose. Because this piece of legislation would have such a large and lasting impact on our nation, I want to make my position on this issue clear. Our first priority is to make sure that we do nothing to harm our current system. We have the best health care system in the world, but we must reduce costs and increase access to the system. To meet these challenges, we must encourage greater competition in the health care market. One of the best ways to do this is by allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines and by requiring providers to cover pre-existing conditions. While I believe it is necessary to increase competition in the health care market, I do not favor a government-sponsored health care option. I believe that a public option would result in less consumer choice and too much government involvement in health care. Along with increasing competition in the health care market, any effective and sustainable reform must also be carried out in a fiscally responsible manner. As a fiscally conservative member of the Blue Dog Coalition, I am committed to supporting reform that takes into account our growing deficit. Expanding access to health care is vital, but we must not do so at the expense of our children's and grandchildren's futures. One of my main priorities during the health care debate is to encourage Congress to take a thoughtful and bipartisan approach to reform. Wide-sweeping reform cannot be passed overnight. All our options must be carefully considered before finally settling on a package that is in our nation's best interest. To encourage this type of approach, I recently introduced legislation, H. Res. 643, which requires any major reform bill to be available to the public and Members of Congress at least a week prior to the final vote on the bill. As the debate over health care reform continues, the key for Congress and the American people is to remain focused on health care reform's primary goal: improving our current system of care while also saving families, small businesses and the government much-needed money. Again, I appreciate your input on this issue. For more information on the health care debate, I encourage you to visit my website at http://griffith.house.gov where you can view daily news updates regarding health care reform as well as read my health care principles and correspondence with other constituents on this issue. Sincerely, Parker Griffith Member of Congress The office of Representative Parker Griffith of the 5th District of Alabama is not responsible for any electronic transmissions that are not sent from the [email protected] email address. Please sign our petition at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontop...ientrights.html

I've totally redone the homepage for "Doctors on Strike" (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com). I hope that all you cats, however impossible you are to herd, will take a peak, be inspirationally inspired, and take some time now out of your precious time (only a few minutes!) to act in your own self-interest! Please check it out, all you dudes and dudettes of "OO." Positive feedback is welcome, negative . . . at your own risk! DrGreg

An Open Letter to The Blue Dog Coalition Dear Honorable Leaders and Members of The Blue Dog Coalition: As a healthcare professional and the leader of a national campaign to protect the rights of doctors and patients, I urge you to vote against HR3200: America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. On July 4, 2009, I founded a new organization, Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine to take on the mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting freedom in healthcare. We simultaneously issued a Declaration of Independence for Doctors and declared a philosophical and political war against more governmental intrusion into healthcare. Doctors on Strike is establishing a rapidly growing national audience through our internet presence at www.doctorsonstrike.com, where we supply doctors and patients with the philosophical and political ammunition to fight for their rights. Launched three weeks ago, our website has been visited by people from 756 cities in 40 countries around the world, including all 50 states in America. Our message is getting through to people interested in protecting individual rights in healthcare. We hope this communication will get our message through to each member of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. Doctors on Strike is based on the principles that: • Doctors and patients have the same inalienable individual rights that all human beings have — the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; • The purpose of government is to secure these rights, not violate them; • Rights impose limitations on government; • Government intrusion into healthcare violates these rights; • HR3200 would violate these rights, be fiscally irresponsible, and gravely threaten the viability of the healthcare system; and • Doctors, patients, and elected officials need to act — now — to preserve, protect, and promote individual rights and freedom in medicine. Our most pressing goal for 2009 is to help defeat HR3200 and other statist healthcare reform proposals now circulating in Washington. To this end, Doctors on Strike is actively encouraging doctors and patients to put intense political pressure on legislators during your deliberations on healthcare reform. We supply our national audience with the intellectual and political ammunition to do this. We provide links to the contact information on every senator and representative. You should know that we just added a special website page devoted to the 51 members of the Blue Dog Coalition, which provides the names, pictures, and contact information on each Blue Dog. We are encouraging doctors and patients to urge the Blue Dogs to reform healthcare in a fiscally responsible manner and with due respect for the right of doctors and patients. As the 2010 election cycle approaches, we will identify and publicly support those candidates for elected offices at the state and federal level who champion individual rights in healthcare. We hope you will be one of them. We will also unhesitatingly identify and publicly target for defeat any candidates who support legislation that violates individual rights. We just created a page on our website, “Targeted for Defeat in 2010,” with this goal in mind. We recently created a Petition to Protect Doctor-Patient Rights, which will be submitted to Congress and calls on legislators to oppose legislation that provides for any: • Public plan option, • Mandates that force individuals to buy insurance coverage, • Mandates that force employers to provide insurance coverage, • Surcharges that force some groups to pay for the healthcare of other groups, and • Mandates that force doctors to participate in public plans. We are also encouraging doctors to prepare themselves to go on strike against government-run healthcare programs. We want doctors to let the country know now that, if the President signs legislation to establish a new government healthcare plan, they will refuse to participate in any such plan and will also stop participating in all other government healthcare programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and SCHIP. Our blog, Doctors on Strike, regularly posts news and opinions on healthcare reform. This week we posted the news that the House Ways and Means Committee, marking up the Health bill: • Rejected 25-15 an amendment from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that would have eliminated the public plan option; • Rejected 22-19 amendment from Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) that would have prevented providers from being forced to participate in the public plan; • Rejected 21-18 an amendment from Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) that would have required members of Congress and their dependents to enroll in the public plan option; • Rejected 21-19 an amendment from Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) that would have based payment rates on the private market, rather than on Medicare; • Rejected 26-15 an amendment by Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) that would have prevented comparative effectiveness research from being used to deny care based on cost. (Source: John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog) This information made it absolutely clear to our audience that those Democrats in Congress who support HR3200 are poised to inject a massive, lethal dose of statism into the brain of our healthcare system--the independent practice of medicine--a long-established, well-tested tradition in which doctors and patients exercise their right to make personal and private healthcare decisions that are informed by the professional training and experience of the doctor and tailored to the unique needs of the patient--without the forceful intrusion of government bureaucrats. We fear that this massive dose of statism will induce a wave of “seizures” in the healthcare economy — inflation, price controls, doctor shortages, waiting periods, and rationing. This is clearly the wrong medicine at the wrong time for the faltering economy, in general, and the over-regulated healthcare sector, in particular. In your deliberations on healthcare reform, we respectfully ask you to demonstrate your respect for the rights of doctors and patients by opposing any government option, mandates for individual insurance coverage, mandates for employer coverage, tax surcharges, and requirement for doctors to participate in a public option. These provisions are immoral, unconstitutional violations of our rights as doctors and patients. These provisions are also fiscally irresponsible. We urge you instead to support and vote for legislation to decrease the federal regulation of the entire healthcare industry. The burdens of federal and state control are stifling competition and innovation among insurance companies and other healthcare providers. They are a major cause of inflation in healthcare goods and services. We understand that many of you are considering running for reelection. If your vote(s) reflect fiscal responsibility and respect the rights of doctors and patients, we will openly and vigorously support your reelection. If your vote(s) are fiscally irresponsible and violate the rights and doctors and patients, we may have no choice but to support your opponent. We hope you make the right choice for freedom in America. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Respectfully, Dr. Gregory L. Garamoni Founder & Executive Director, Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine 2304 Sawgrass Village Drive Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 904-631-3939 www.doctorsonstrike.com [email protected] July 25, 2009

Right to the point--may I put this on our website to inspire others by your example? I'll delete the "ers" signature if you like. gg

One quick thing you can do today is "sign" the Petition to Protect Doctor-Patient Rights at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontop...ientrights.html Here are the results so far: Signatures (First and Last Names) Total number 32 Total number today 10 Total number within last week 32 Answers to questions Should doctors "go on strike" by refusing to participate in any new government-run healthcare plan? 32 Yes: 31 (96.9%) No 1 (3.1%) If ObamaCare is approved, should doctors "go on strike" by stopping their participation in other government-run healthcare plans? 31 Yes: 30 (96.8%) No:1 (3.2)% Please take a minute, go to this website, "sign" the petition, and email your family and friends to get them to participate in this campaign to tell Congress to reform healthcare without violating the rights of doctors and patients to make private healthcare decisions.

I just created a new page for you (and others) at the Doctors on Strike website: http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/dosixthingsinsixdays.html I added this: Oh, and here is a seventh thing you can do for extra self-esteem credit: Communicate your message to the media (op-eds, blogs, comments at the end of online articles, discussion forums).

Obama is pushing Congress to have a bill out by July 28th--only 6 days from now! We need to push back and push back hard. What can we do at this point? I encourage everyone to DO SIX THINGS IN SIX DAYS to protect individual rights against the onslaught of statism: 1. Compose a message that reflects your position on the importance of protecting the rights of doctors and patients, freedom of choice, and fiscal responsibility in healthcare reform, in general, and objections to specific proposals, in particular, including the public option, mandates that force individuals to buy insurance coverage, mandates that force employers to provide insurance coverage, surcharges that force some groups to pay for the healthcare of other groups, mandates that force doctors to participate in public plans (examples of messages of varying length are provided at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/samplemessages.html) 2. Call or email or fax your legislators to communicate your message by using Project Vote Smart to get the contact information on your legislators (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/projectvotesmart.html'>http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/projectvotesmart.html) 3. Call or email the the leadership or individual members of the Blue Dog Coalition (an influential group of fiscally conservative democrats who may have the power to defeat ObamaCare) whose contact information is provided here (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/bluedogcoalition.html'>http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/bluedogcoalition.html). 4. Sign these three online petitions (you can find others on the web): Protect Doctor-Patient Rights (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontoprotectdoctor-patientrights.html'>http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontoprotectdoctor-patientrights.html) Patients First (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/patientsfirst.html'>http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/patientsfirst.html) Free Our Health Care Now (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/ freeourhealthcare.html). 5. Make a YouTube video of yourself reciting “The Trader’s Oath” that I included in the Doctors Declaration of Independence: 
 “I swear by my life, and my love of it, that as a doctor, as a patient, as a human being, I will forever defend the right of every doctor, every patient, every human being to be treated as a trader among traders, not a slave under masters, nor a master over slaves.” 6. Get as many of your friends, family, and acquaintances to do these same things. Our website (www.doctorsonstrike.com) provides resources to help you do these things.

If you would like to send me letters you have sent to legislators or the media, I would like to post them on my website. Here is one sent to the media by Dr. Hurd: If Congress and the President really mean it when they say they want the new national health insurance to "compete" with private sector plans--and that doctors should be free to practice as they see fit--then medical professionals should consider opting OUT of the national plan. After all, isn't that what "free to practice" means? If the majority of doctors refuse to participate in the new plan, then it won't be of much good to patients--OR to the politicians who are hungry to claim credit for passing it. If voters want to force doctors to take part in these plans--in effect, to be drafted into "service," --then they should be required to openly take responsibility for what they're doing. By their refusal to participate, doctors are the only ones who can make this happen. They should not hesitate to ask their patients, "Do you want the government to draft me into service; forcing me to provide health care on the government's terms, not mine?" I'll bet the answer will be an overwhelming "No!" But as long as patients vote for politicians who impose this legislation on the very doctors and surgeons to whom they trust their health and well-being, they should be aware that is exactly what they are doing. Of course, if our President actually means it when he says he doesn't want "government-controlled" health care, and that free choice and competition should remain in place, then none of this will even be an issue--will it? It will be interesting to see if he means what he says. You can also find and sign petitions some of which are posted on the "Political Ammunition" page at www.doctorsonstrike.com. My favorite is at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontop...ientrights.html Here are some more examples of letters that can be found on the same "Political Ammunition" page at www.doctorsonstrike.com: Extremely Brief Message: Vote "No" to Statist Proposals Dear Senator or Representative: I urge you to vote "no" on any government-run healthcare option, "no" on any mandates for individual insurance coverage, "no" on any mandates for employer coverage, and "no" on any surcharges. Respectfully, Very Brief Message: Vote "No" to Statist Proposals with Your Reasons Dear Senator or Representative: I urge you to vote "no" on any government-run healthcare option, "no" on any mandates for individual insurance coverage, "no" on any mandates for employer coverage, and "no" on any surcharges. These proposals are fiscally irresponsible and would be economically disastrous. These proposals are violations of the inalienable rights of doctors and patients to make private health care decisions without governmental interference. Respectfully, Brief Message: Vote "No" to Statist Proposals with Your Reasons, Vote "Yes" for Deregulation Dear Senator or Representative: I urge you to vote "no" on any government-run healthcare option, "no" on any mandates for individual insurance coverage, "no" on any mandates for employer coverage, and "no" on any surcharges. These proposals are fiscally irresponsible and would be economically disastrous. These proposals are violations of the inalienable rights of doctors and patients to make health care decisions without governmental interference. I urge you instead to support and vote for legislation to decrease the federal regulation of the entire health care industry because the burdens of federal control are stifling competition and innovation, and they are a major cause of inflation in healthcare. Respectfully, Medium Message: Vote "No" to Statist Proposals with Your Reasons, Vote "Yes" for Deregulation, Promise Consequences Dear Senator/Representative: I urge you to vote "no" on any government-run healthcare option, "no" on any mandates for individual insurance coverage, "no" on any mandates for employer coverage, and "no" on any surcharges. These proposals are fiscally irresponsible and would be economically disastrous. These proposals are violations of the inalienable rights of doctors and patients to make health care decisions without governmental interference. I urge you instead to support and vote for legislation to decrease the federal regulation of the entire health care industry because the burdens of federal control are stifling competition and innovation, and they are a major cause of inflation in healthcare. I understand that you are considering running for reelection so I will be monitoring your statements and votes on health care. If your vote(s) reflect fiscal responsibility and respect the rights of doctors and patients, I will support your reelection. If your vote(s) are fiscally irresponsible and violate the rights and doctors and patients, I will work to defeat your reelection. Respectfully, Medium Message: Assert Your Inalienable Rights, Vote "No" to Statist Proposals with Your Reasons, Vote "Yes" for Deregulation, Promise Consequences Dear Senator/Representative: The Declaration of Independence formally acknowledged that we are endowed with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that our government was instituted to secure these rights, and that government itself derives its powers from the consent of the governed. Consistent with these principles, I support--and strongly urge you to support--the propositions set forth in The Declaration of Independence for Doctors (www.doctorsonstrike.com) concerning the need to preserve, protect, and defend the inalienable rights of doctors and patients in any healthcare reform bills. As citizens, patients and doctors (as well as other healthcare providers) have the inalienable and constitutionally protected right to make private health care decisions without governmental interference. As traders in a free market, we have the right to voluntarily negotiate mutually beneficial and acceptable terms and conditions in our dealings with one another. In your deliberations on health care reform, I urge you to preserve, protect, and promote individual rights and freedom in medicine in America. I urge you to vote "no" on any government-run healthcare option, "no" on any mandates for individual insurance coverage, "no" on any mandates for employer coverage, and "no" on any surcharges. These proposals are fiscally irresponsible and would be economically disastrous. These proposals are violations of the inalienable rights of doctors and patients to make health care decisions without governmental interference. I urge you instead to support and vote for legislation to decrease the federal regulation of the entire health care industry because the burdens of federal control are stifling competition and innovation, and they are a major cause of inflation in healthcare. I understand that you are considering running for reelection so I will be monitoring your statements and votes on health care. If your vote(s) reflect fiscal responsibility and respect the rights of doctors and patients, I will support your reelection. If your vote(s) are fiscally irresponsible and violate the rights and doctors and patients, I will work to defeat your reelection. As doctors go on strike against government healthcare, your former constituents may not exactly welcome you with open arms. And neither will the doctors you formerly represented but betrayed. That is how seriously we take our inalienable rights. Respectfully, Long Message: Assert Your Inalienable Rights at Length, Vote "No" to Statist Proposals with Your Reasons, Vote "Yes" for Deregulation, Promise Consequences Dear Senator/Representative: Every year we celebrate Independence Day - that momentous day in our nation’s history when our founding fathers formally acknowledged in The Declaration of Independence that we are endowed with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that our government was instituted to secure these rights, and that government itself derives its powers from the consent of the governed. Consistent with these principles, I support--and strongly urge you to support--these propositions set forth in The Declaration of Independence for Doctors (www.doctorsonstrike.com) concerning the need to preserve, protect, and defend the inalienable individual rights of doctors and patients in any healthcare reform bills being considered in Congress. — That patients - as citizens - have inalienable rights, including the right to voluntarily buy healthcare services in a free market; that patients have the right to negotiate mutually acceptable terms and conditions in their private relationships with their doctors - without governmental interference; that patients have the same rights in their trading relationships with other providers of healthcare goods and services, including but not limited to all other healthcare practitioners, hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies, drug companies, and medical equipment manufacturers; — That doctors - as citizens - have inalienable rights, including the right to voluntarily sell healthcare services in a free market; that doctors have the right to negotiate mutually acceptable terms and conditions in their private relationships with their patients - without governmental interference; that the same rights apply to all other providers of healthcare goods and services, including, but not limited to, all other healthcare practitioners, hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies, drug companies, and medical equipment manufacturers; — That government does not have any constitutional or moral authority to force any doctors to serve the healthcare needs of any patients on any terms and conditions dictated by government; that doing this would be nothing more than a stealthy form of involuntary servitude, which is immoral and unconstitutional; that for similar reasons government does not have authority to dictate the production, pricing, availability, or delivery of any other healthcare goods and services provided by any healthcare provider to any patients; — That there is no inalienable right to healthcare; that healthcare products and services are to be bought and sold as are any other products or services in the free market system; that government healthcare is unconstitutional; that the onus of proof lies with those who make the positive assertion that there is a constitutional right to healthcare; that people so burdened can search as long and hard as they like, but will not find a right to healthcare in the Federalist Papers, Declaration of Independence, or U.S. Constitution; — That government does not have any constitutional or moral authority to "mandate" or otherwise compel individuals to be covered by healthcare insurance, or penalize individuals if they don’t chose to be covered by health insurance; that this mandate is immoral and unconstitutional because it violates the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; — That government does not have any constitutional or moral authority to "mandate" or otherwise compel any employers of any size to provide healthcare insurance to their employees, or penalize employers if they don’t; that this mandate is nothing more than stealthy stealing - an unjust expropriation and transfer of wealth; that this is immoral and unconstitutional because it violates the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; — That government does not have any constitutional or moral authority to impose a "surcharge" or otherwise force one group - taxpayers - to pay for the healthcare of any other group - patients; that this is a nothing more than stealthy stealing - an unjust expropriation and transfer of wealth that is immoral and unconstitutional because it violates the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; — That government does not have any constitutional or moral authority to shift the financial burden of healthcare from one group - the present generation of patients - onto the backs of another group - the next generation of taxpayers; that this is generational theft - a form of stealthy stealing - an unjust expropriation and transfer of wealth that is immoral and unconstitutional because it violates the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In your deliberations on health care reform, I urge you to respect the fact that patients and doctors (as well as other healthcare providers) have the inalienable and constitutionally protected right to make private health care decisions without governmental interference. As traders in a free market, we have the right to voluntarily negotiate mutually beneficial and acceptable terms and conditions in our dealings with one another. I urge you to vote "no" on any government option, "no" on any mandates for individual insurance coverage, "no" on any mandates for employer coverage, and "no" on any surcharges. These proposals are immoral and unconstitutional violations of our inalienable rights. These proposals are fiscally irresponsible and would be economically disastrous. I urge you instead to support and vote for legislation to decrease the federal regulation of the entire healthcare industry because the burdens of federal control are stifling competition and innovation, and they are a major cause of inflation in healthcare goods and services. I understand that you are considering running for reelection so I will be monitoring your statements and votes on health care. If your vote(s) reflect fiscal responsibility and respect the rights of doctors and patients, I will support your reelection. If your vote(s) are fiscally irresponsible and violate the rights and doctors and patients, I will work to defeat your reelection. As doctors go on strike against government healthcare, your former constituents may not exactly welcome you with open arms. And neither will the doctors you formerly represented but betrayed. That is how seriously we take our inalienable rights. Respectfully,

I am posting this message and conducting this poll because we have a shared interest in protecting the rights of doctors and patients as Washington politicians are poised to inject a lethal dose of statism into the heart of our healthcare system — an industry already clogged with more government control than any others. This massive dose of statism will induce grave waves of arrhythmia — inflation, price controls, doctor shortages, waiting periods, and rationing. Something has to be done soon halt to this leftist-led, lemming-like leap into the sordid sea of statism. Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine is a private, nonprofit, educational, and partisan-activist organization that I founded on July 4, 2009 to take on the mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting freedom in healthcare in the United States of America. 

Doctors on Strike is based on the principles recognized and published in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence for Doctors: That doctors and patients have the same inalienable individual rights that all citizens have — the right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness; That the purpose of government is to secure individual rights, not violate them; That individual rights impose limitations on government; That statism in healthcare violates individual rights; That the statist healthcare proposals being advanced by the Administration and Congress would violate individual rights and gravely threaten the viability of the healthcare system; That doctors, patients, and elected officials need to act — now — to preserve, protect, and promote individual rights and freedom in medicine. Our long-term educational objective is to supply doctors and healthcare providers with the intellectual ammunition required to win the “philosophical war” against statism in medicine. We provide doctors and other healthcare providers with a principled, vigorous defense of freedom in medicine based a philosophy of rational self-interest, individualism, and laissez faire capitalism. What sets Doctors on Strike apart from fine nonpartisan organizations is that we are an activist organization that can and will "take the gloves off" to take on public officials without having to worry about our tax-exempt status being revoked. This allows us the freedom to publish pointedly partisan pieces here that can't found elsewhere. We try to strike an acceptable balance between the need for objectivity in thought and the need for passion in action. Our ideal is to be passionately reasonable and reasonable passionate. Our most pressing goal for 2009 is to help defeat the statist healthcare reform proposals presently circulating through Washington. To this end, Doctors on Strike is actively encouraging doctors and patients to put intense political pressure on legislators during their deliberations on health care reform. And we provide the political ammunition to do this. Our website provides convenient ways to communicate our message to legislators. We provide links to the contact information on every senator and representative. We just added a special page devoted to the 51 members of the Blue Dog Coalition--a unique resource not found anywhere else on the web. We supply sample messages that can be copied, pasted, modified, and communicated to legislators over the phone or by email, fax, or mail. The messages vary in length from once sentence to several paragraphs to suit the preferences of a diverse group of doctors and patients. The core message is the same: We demand that Congress and the Administration respect the right of doctors and patients to make private healthcare decisions without any governmental interference. I invite you to go to our Political Ammunition page see for yourself how easy we have made it for voters to tell Congress how important it is to protect freedom in healthcare. If you have not yet made your views known to your senators and representative, why not do this now? See just how easy it is and then let others know too. We are also calling on doctors to prepare themselves to go on strike against any more government-run healthcare programs. We are calling on doctors to let the country know now that if the President signs into law any legislation that establishes another government healthcare plan, doctors will refuse to participate in any such plan, and will stop participating in all other government healthcare programs, including, but not limited to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE. As the 2010 election cycle approaches, we will identify and work openly to support those candidates for elected offices at the state and federal level who champion individual rights and liberty in healthcare. We will also unhesitatingly identify and publicly target for defeat any candidates for elected offices who support statist public policies that violate individual rights and infringe on liberty in healthcare. We just created a page on our website, “Targeted for Defeat in 2010,” with this goal in mind. I am pleased to report that since we launched our website on July 4th, we have been visited by people from 468 cities in 28 countries around the world, including 49 of the 50 states in America. Our message is getting through to people interested in protecting individual rights in healthcare. But we have a lot more work to do. This is our war--one we cannot afford to loose. We can be allies. I am contributing some intellectual and political ammunition. I am asking for your support by spreading the word about our organization and our message. I would welcome your advice and support. And I'm eager to see the results of this poll! Dr. Gregory L. Garamoni Licensed Psychologist Founder & Executive Director, Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 904-631-3939 www.doctorsonstrike.com www.drgaramoni.com [email protected]

This is outrageous, so absolutely outrageous! The fascists who dominate the House Ways and Means Committee, marking up the Health bill: Rejected 25-15 an amendment from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that would have eliminated the public plan option; Rejected 22-19 amendment from Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) that would have prevented providers from being forced to participate in the public plan; Rejected 21-18 an amendment from Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) that would have required members of Congress and their dependents to enroll in the public plan option; Rejected 21-19 an amendment from Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) that would have based payment rates on the private market, rather than on Medicare; Rejected 26-15 an amendment by Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) that would have prevented comparative effectiveness research from being used to deny care based on cost. (Source John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog at http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/all-in-a-...comment-43995.) Contact your legislators and give them a piece of your mind. I've made it easy for you to do this on the "Political Ammunition" page at the website for Doctors on Strike at www.doctorsonstrike.com. Docs, get ready to go on strike! This is our war--one we cannot afford to lose. We are all doctors and patients now. We are allies. I provide some powerful ammunition to win this war. Use it to win! Gregory L. Garamoni, Ph.D. Founder & Executive Director, Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine www.doctorsonstrike.com

You will find quick and easy ways to communicate your messages to Congress on the "Political Ammunition" page of the website for Doctors on Strike: http://www.doctorsonstrike.com Although this sight is designed to wage war with statism in healthcare, the tools on the "Political Ammunition" page can be used for other messages. Check out the page on The Blue Dog Coalition--there is nothing like this--to my knowledge--anywhere else on the web.