The distortion begins in politics

By Joe Spear
Free Press Editor

I don't want to seem partisan because I believe Democrats and Republicans both have good ideas to better govern our state and country, but I have not seen such blatant distortion of an issue as I read the story of "Spin" in Wednesday's Free Press.

Republicans like Sen. Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, and gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, are, in my view, way out of line in describing the bipartisan agreement to tap $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion in federal dollars to help poor people get health care as so called government takeover of health care.

They've suggested this deal, which Gov. Tim Pawlenty agreed to, is leading the path to government making medical decisions.

The Medicaid program we're tapping was actually started under George W. Bush's administration. Many of Republicans, and all of the state's Republican members of Congress, actually voted to stop Bush from cutting the Medicaid funding in this vote in 2008

In fact, many hospitals including ISJ-Mayo based in Senjem's neck of the woods, favored the deal because it would at least go farther in making up the costs they must pay to service these poor people. Don't forget, it has long been a law that hospitals are required to serve people whether they have health insurance or not.
I'm surprised at Senjem, he used to seem like such a reasonable guy.

One Republican legislator told me confidentially, that they're doing this to make the election all about a referendum on so called "Obamacare" hoping to repeat the success of Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.

I hope the Republicans drop that strategy. It is just intellectually dishonest, and their raising it is an insult to all Minnesota voters.

Come on guys, debate the issues honestly.