Is it news when the Oregonian's editorial chief, Bob Caldwell, (raise your hands everyone that recognizes that name) did NOT know that there was a plan to provide affordable health care to every Oregonian and reduce the health care costs to every public institution in our state when more than 6000 public officials, political activists, voters and the Oregon press corps have known about it for more than eight months? Was it news when it was discovered that FEMA's chief, Mr. Brown, did NOT know there were thousands of people stranded without adequate provisions in the astrodome for days when everyone else with a TV, radio or newspaper in our country did? My answer to both questions would be yes. Most definitely.

Would the tragically displaced Americans in the astrodome have benefited sooner if Mr. Brown hadn't caused a self-inflicted ignorance of the fact that his fellow Americans needed food, water and medical help? Very likely. Would the almost 700,000 Oregonians without health insurance and probably another million like me, who spend so much for health insurance that they can't afford to see a doctor, benefit from knowing there is a plan that can help them. Most certainly.

So the critical question arises, does Bob Caldwell and his peers and colleagues in the Oregon press corps have a MORAL and CIVIC DUTY to tell their readers, listeners and viewers about the Oregon Community Health Care Bill so that their audiences become informed citizens and voters who can knowledgeably engage in a public debate as well as question and challenge any public official or candidate running for public office in Oregon with regard to his or her support for affordable health care for both individuals and public institutions in our state?

Below are two emails sent last week to Oregonian editorial chief Bob Caldwell and a substantial number of Oregon journalists. Look for parallels in ignorance and attitude in your local newspaper, radio and TV journalists. Many of these businesses, and they are businesses first, derive revenue, often substantial, from the private health insurance industry - including OPB. It is very important to remember - The public interest is NOT their primary interest. This is not an inditement of the media merely a fact of life.

The war, and make no mistake, it is a war, to bring affordable health care to all Oregonians and reduce the cost of health care to every public institution in Oregon has begun. Oregonian editorial chief Bob Caldwell has now been identified as the first enemy combatant. Many more will surely be uncovered in the months and years to come.


From:   ellmyer@macsolve.com
Subject: Emperor Caldwell's New Clothes
Date: September 8, 2005 10:47:42 AM PDT
To:   oregonmedia@macsolve.com

More than 6000 Oregonians, including almost every elected official, political activist, the press and a significant portion of the business community have been aware of the Oregon Community Health Care Bill for at least eight months. Oregonian editorial chief, Bob Caldwell and editorial writer Rick Attig don't have a clue.

More than 6000 Oregonians, including almost every elected official, political activist, the press and a significant portion of the business community are aware that Pete Sorenson - Lane County Commissioner and declared candidate for governor, Jim Robison - former Chair of the Multnomah County Democrats and declared candidate for a House seat and Sam Adams - Portland City Commissioner - et. al. are scheduled to speak at the Oregon Community Health Care Bill Forum October 29,2005 at the Historic Kenton Firehouse from 1-3 PM and tell why they support the introduction of the Oregon Community Health Care Bill at the 2007 legislative session. Oregonian editorial chief, Bob Caldwell and editorial writer Rick Attig don't have a clue.

Under Caldwell's leadership Attig writes an editorial on September 7, 2005, Unwell and Untreated, which bemoans, once again, the failure of the Oregon legislature to provide adequate health care reforms and yet does not mention the best and only plan to provide all Oregonians with accessible, portable, affordable health care which will also provide the opportunity to reduce the staggering and skyrocketing health care cost for every public institution in our state. Unforgivably bad judgement.

Editorial chief, Bob Caldwell, informed me yesterday that he now stands alone and against Portland's mayor and city commissioner Sam Adams and all twenty-nine public housing commissioners at HAP, PDC and HCDC - who are under the mayor's orders to provide public housing data by neighborhood - with his indefensible and solitary opinion that zip codes are perfectly fine political jurisdictional boundaries from which to judge the effectiveness of public housing policy. This from a person who only a few weeks ago didn't know the name of HAP's Chair, Kandis Nunn. Unforgivably bad judgement..

The reason most of the 6000 statewide recipients of the Oregon Health Watchers and 4000 metro area citizens who get HAP Watchers actually read these commentaries is because they provide real news about health care policy and public housing policy that you won't find in the Oregonian.

Surely Oregonian publisher Fred Stickel cannot be proud of his paper which continues to have the dubious distinction of more than 18 1/2 years without a single Oregonian authored article or editorial which uses the phrase, "public housing policy" in connection with Portland and Multnomah county. Now Stickel can add the Oregon Community Health Care Bill to the list of those stories to which his paper, the Oregonian, remains completely oblivious.


Richard Ellmyer
Oregon Community Health Care Bill author and project champion
3-6-9 Resolution author and project Champion
President, MacSolutions Inc. - A Macintosh computer consulting business providing web hosting for artists and very small businesses.
Writer/Publisher - Oregon Health Watcher commentary - Published on the Internet and distributed to 6000 readers interested in public health care policy in Oregon.
Writer/Publisher - HAP Watcher commentary - Published on the Internet and distributed to 4000 readers interested in public housing policy in Multnomah County.
Portsmouth - formerly the 18%, currently the 6% solution neighborhood, North Portland
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/health.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/octoberforum.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org



From:   ellmyer@macsolve.com
Subject: Spotlight Too Bright For Caldwell
Date: September 9, 2005 12:18:01 PM PDT
To:   oregonmedia@macsolve.com

Oregonian editorial chief Bob Caldwell called today to order me to stop sending him emails that he has never before read. A sadly amusing request. Apparently years of throwing stones anonymously behind a corporate shield gave him the false notion that he, Bob Caldwell - editorial page editor of Oregon's largest newspaper - was immune from making bad judgements and then being criticized for them.

Caldwell apparently hadn't noticed that with the advent of the Internet and email the relationship between readers and writers has changed. Readers don't need to be published in the letters to the editor section to reach an audience. I restricted my comments about Caldwell's bad judgement - no name calling - to members of his peer group not the thousands of Oregonians that I could reach if the matter warranted their attention. Caldwell was angry with me because I exposed his bad judgements NOT because I wrote anything that was untrue. Turnabout is obviously not fair play for Bob Caldwell. A man who makes his living criticizing the behavior and policies of others.

Your shield is gone Bob. Freedom of speech is not just for editorial writers.

My name is attached to everything I write. I am proud of my work to bring public housing integration and equity to all of Multnomah county's 117 neighborhoods and accountability to local government for the annual spending of $200,000,000 on public housing. I am proud to have written a plan to bring health care to all Oregonians and lower the costs of health care to every public institution in our state.

There are three choices:
1. Support the Oregon Community Health Care Bill and its introduction during the 2007 legislative session. 

2. Immediately devise and publish your own health care bill for the 2007 legislature which equals or exceeds the Oregon Community Health Care Bill in its ability to provide affordable health care to every Oregonian and reduce health care costs by twenty percent to every public institution in Oregon.

3. Shut up and get the hell out of the way. 

Under Bob Caldwell's leadership the Oregonian editorial page has chosen neither option 1 nor 2. So Bob, stop instructing your staff to keep writing those whiney, where is the leadership editorials. You have failed to recognize leadership when it came into your office. So please take option#3. Shut up and get the hell out of the way.

 
Richard Ellmyer
Oregon Community Health Care Bill author and project champion
3-6-9 Resolution author and project Champion
President, MacSolutions Inc. - A Macintosh computer consulting business providing web hosting for artists and very small businesses.
Writer/Publisher - Oregon Health Watcher commentary - Published on the Internet and distributed to 6000 readers interested in public health care policy in Oregon.
Writer/Publisher - HAP Watcher commentary - Published on the Internet and distributed to 4000 readers interested in public housing policy in Multnomah County.
Portsmouth - formerly the 18%, currently the 6% solution neighborhood, North Portland
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/health.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/octoberforum.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org