Open Letters: Dear Congressman Brad Miller (D, NC-13)

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I swap form letters with several of the legislators in my state, most often with Congressman Brad Miller and Senator Richard Burr. And Senator Burr will get his turn in the Open Letters column (probably several turns given his talent for pissing me off), but not today. Today I want to say thank you. All too often we ask someone to do something and they do it and we forget to say thank you. We don't mean to be rude, we just get too busy or maybe we don't notice or we think they won't notice. But when someone does something for you, maybe it's a Southern thang, but it seems like there ought to be at least an acknowledgment of it. Especially when that someone is an elected official. Because there are plenty of them that forget what they're elected to do -- represent us in Washington.

I'm sure there are some folks in my district that would say Congressman Miller doesn't represent them. But I'm not one of those folks, and I'd bet they're a minority -- a small minority based on the returns from the last election. Despite what the Congressman might think, I actually read those form letters I get from him. And since I'm writing a thank you note here, you can probably guess that way more often than not, he and I see the issue the same way. But on those rare occasions when we don't, I can tell that he's given due consideration to both sides of the question and reached an informed decision. And I actually trust that he knows things I don't about this legislation or that and that he's weighed the question carefully with -- and this is the important part -- the interests, wishes and welfare of his constituents as his primary guide in his decision process. I do not get this feeling from most politicians. And it gives me something that I think is far too rare in this day and age. It gives me a candidate I can vote for. For reasons other than he's "not the other guy".

Most recently Representative Miller voted in support of HR 3962 (Affordable Healthcare for America Act). This was something I had asked him to do (along with many of my fellow North Carolinians) and he did it. And I'm here today to say thank you to Congressman Miller, for having the fortitude to vote for the right of the working class stiff like me to opt out of "Big Insurance". I don't know if I'll actually do that, but this is a step toward me having the option.

But I'm not here to debate the merits of HR 3962 or whether or not universal health care is good, bad or indifferent. I think it's a good thing. You may disagree. That's your prerogative. I'm only writing this to let the Congressman know I appreciate his efforts on my behalf on Capitol Hill. Most recently in the vote on HR 3962, but for all the times that have come before and I neglected to say it...

Thank you Congressman Miller. And you can count on my vote next November, and beyond.

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