Meet The "A" Team

Sam Adams - Portland City Council

James Auburn - Mayor of Port Orford

Jeff Cogen - Multnomah County Commission

Carlos DeBritto - Phoenix City Council

Edwars "Chip" Enbody - Hubbard City Council

Darrell Flood - Mayor of Lafayette

Bill Hall - Lincoln County Commission

Jim Needham - Mollala City Council

Jesse Penna - Irrigon City Council

Sue Walker - Mayor of Nyssa

Wayne Walker - Mitchell City Council

About 2,300 elected officials in Oregon were asked the following questions. All of the above enlightened and courageous public servants answered 1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A

One came very close:

Michael Claassen - Bandon City Coucil 1-A, 2-B, 3-A, 4-A

1. My primary interest is to solve: 

A. Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis

B. America's moral and economic health care crisis

2. There is a significantly and arguably greater chance of solving Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis which is to bring affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions by:

A. The Oregon legislature in Salem

B. The national congress in Washington D.C.

3. The profit oriented private health insurance industry which has failed to deliver affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions must NOT be the model upon which a solution to Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis should be based:

A.  Agree

B.  Disagree

4. Should Oregon elected officials - public employees - voters - taxpayers have equal access to the same level of health care or should we perpetuate a multitiered health insurance class system in Oregon:

A. Equal access to same level of health care

B. Multitiered health insurance class system

All the rest, that's the bumbling Bs, are merely prattlers, pretenders, and defenders of the status quo. [Shame on you Pete Sorenson.]

What Stands Out From This Survey Of Approximately 2,300 Oregon Elected Officials?

1. Not a single member of a school board qualified themselves to join the health care leadership club.

2. Not a single member of the legislature qualified themselves to join the health care leadership club.

3. The Best of the Worst. This comment by Joe Dominick , mayor of Ontario, stands out as worthy of mention: "Everyone in Oregon already has equal access to the same level of health care." If Joe is interested I'm sure he would qualify for a position on Dick "we're having enormous successes in Iraq" Cheney's staff.

What Lessons Were Learned?

1. The self-identification of a group of elected officials that share a common and correct vision of the path to bring affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions means there is hope.

2. Every elected member of a school board in our state considers themselves an agent working on behalf of the special interests of public employees NOT the general interests of taxpayers and voters. The best expression of this distorted, subservient relationship was made by Portland School Board member Dan Ryan who said that public school employees "deserved" whatever health care benefits they already received and he had "no intention of limiting any increases." However, neither Dan Ryan nor any of his school board colleagues have ever been willing to address the commensurate decrease in delivered public services that are a direct result of this throughly indefensible, misguided, tail-wags-dog policy. Unless and until other voices in the communities in which they serve speak out this perversion of accountability will not change.

3. The legislature's indefensible failure to address a real solution to Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis by bringing affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions was predicted and unsurprising. Unless and until every legislator campaigns by standing behind a bill which precisely reflects their answers to the four basic health care reform questions of this survey and can be vetted then endorsed by an overwhelming number of their constituents, they will never be able to throw off the weight of the status quo lobbyists that helped pay their way to Salem.

4. Governor Kulongoski's continued adherence to the status quo and his reluctance to seriously address the social and economic consequences of his failed health care reform policy demands replacement of his primary health care advisor, Erinn Kelley Siel and all other staff members that have steered Ted in the wrong direction for so long.

What's Next?

All those that identified themselves as "A" team members will soon be asked to gather and discuss how, as a group sharing the same health care vision for the future, they can solve Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis by bringing affordable health care to Oregonians and Oregon's public institutions. Other publicly elected officials will be sought out, encouraged and welcomed by Richard Ellmyer and the "A" team members to join this group in its singular vision for the direction of health care reform in our state.

What You Can Do

First and foremost, contact the "A" team members by phone, email, US postal service, visit their offices, talk to their staffs, attend a public meeting and take your three minutes to tell them you support their vision and their courage. This is very important. Do it now. Do it often. Tell your relatives and friends to do it now. Tell your relatives and friends to do it often.

Become an activist voice of the Voters "A" Team. If you are a registered voter and answered "A" to all of the questions above then send your name, mailing address and phone number to Voters A Team<votersateam@goodgrowthnw.org> . You will be contacted and invited to meet and gather with others who share these same views on health care reform.

Ask the four questions mentioned above of every elected official you encounter anywhere and anytime, especially in a public forum. Let me know of any unexpected or interesting results.

Whenever you find yourself involved in a conversation about health care stop the dialog and ask the four questions mentioned above of everyone involved in the discussion especially if it occurs in a public forum. Let me know of any unexpected or interesting results.

During every interview by anyone who intends to publish or broadcast your opinions on health care, make sure you include your answers to the four basic health care reform questions regardless of whether or not you are asked. 

There is hope. Good luck and good health.


Richard Ellmyer