Democracy Has Prevailed.

October 22, 2017

Toomey Time Round-Up! (Part The Third)

So far, I've written 32 letters to Pennsylvania's junior senator, Pat Toomey.  The first round up of letters can be found here. The second, here.
Today, it's time for a third.

Of letters 19 through 32, Senator Toomey has responded to only one - Letter 24.

So here are the questions that, so far, Senator Toomey has yet to answer:
  • Nineteenth letter - On this one, Toomey probably gets a pass. It's about his failed "Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017" and I asked him if he was OK with (according to the CBO) at least 22 million Americans not having health care because of legislation he wrote. Presumably he is OK with it (since he wrote the legislation) but as the legislation failed to make it past the Senate, the point is moo (yes, I know I'm reusing a joke - but it's such a good one!)
  • Twentieth letter - I asked Toomey to comment in the following: Bishop David Zubik is quoted as saying that "health care is a basic human right" and that Toomey's legislation (the failed one, see the previous letter) was "morally unacceptable." Even though the point is moo (again, see the previous letter), Toomey does not get a pass on this one. Is health care a basic human right or not?
  • Twenty-first letter - I asked Toomey about the then-recent rumors that the Trump administration was planning on firing Attorney General sessions in order to make it easier for Trump to fire Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. Specifically I asked if Toomey is OK with Trump's seeming disrespect for the rule of law.
  • Twenty-second letter - The Washington Post reported that Trump personally dictated the first, and misleading, statement describing his son's meeting with some Russians in Trump Tower. I asked Toomey if he was OK with Trump misleading the American people like that.
  • Twenty-third letter - The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump lied about a speech he gave to the Boy Scouts. I asked Toomey (who was, himself, a Boy Scout as a yute) if he was OK with that.
  • Twenty-fifth letter - This one is about disgraced former sheriff Joe Arpaio. I asked Toomey if he was OK with Trump's pardoning of Arpaio, especially after the latter had shown such blatant disregard for the rule of law.
  • Twenty-sixth letter - The Department of Justice filed papers in Federal Court reiterating that they had no records of any wiretaps as mentioned in Trump's tweets of early March of this year. I asked this question:
    Either Trump was lying in that he knew that what he was tweeting wasn't true but tweeted it anyway or he was negligent in that he fail to pick up the phone to confirm the story with the DOJ before tweeting. He's the leader of your party. You voted for him for in November. You're legislating his agenda in the Senate. How can you continue to support Donald J Trump?
    I really really really want an answer to this one. 
  • Twenty-seventh letter -  A few days after the devastating hurricanes that hit the American South and Carribean, th science-denying head of Trump's EPA said it was not the right time to talk about climate change. I asked Toomey, given the fact that actual climate scientists have been saying that climate change makes hurricanes worse, when is a good time to talk about climate change?
  • Twenty-eighth letter - This is another "Appeal and Replace Obamacare" question letter. There was yet another piece of legislation in the Senate, one that would set aside many of the ACA provisions dealing with preexisting conditions. I pointed out that many of the Senator's constituents would loose their health care if the legislation passes. I asked him to explain how he'd be in favor of hurting so many of the people who voted for him.
  • Twenty-ninth letter - This was a follow-up of sorts for the previous letter.
  • Thirtieth letter - It was reported that the Senate had failed to reauthorize CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program). A committee the Senator is on had announced a deal to extend the coverage for 5 years. I asked Toomey what he was doing to make sure it happened and if it didn't, how he was going explain it to his constituents, many of whom rely on that coverage.
  • Thirty-first letter - Senator Corker of Tennessee (who's retiring at the end of this term) had some rather harsh characterizations of Donald Trump, he's a liar and everyone know it, he's leading the world into another world war, and so on. In response Representative Mark Meadows said that "it's easy to be bold" when you're not facing reelection. I asked Toomey if that's true - if it's simply a matter of political courage for a member of Congress to speak out against Trump.
  • Thirty-second letter - Trump recently issued an executive order that would raise Pennsylvania premiums by about 30% and add about $194 billion to the federal deficit. Given that the main reason presented by the GOP for appealing and replacing Obamacare was to lower premiums and save money, how could Toomey, as a fiscal conservative, be comfortable with Trump's EO?
These are the as yet unanswered questions.

1 comment:

Social Justice NPC Anti-Paladin™ said...

"Twenty-sixth letter - The Department of Justice filed papers in Federal Court reiterating that they had no records of any wiretaps as mentioned in Trump's tweets of early March of this year. I asked this question:
Either Trump was lying in that he knew that what he was tweeting wasn't true but tweeted it anyway or he was negligent in that he fail to pick up the phone to confirm the story with the DOJ before tweeting...?"

And you still do not admit you were wrong and the DOJ lied when it was reported the wiretapping was done under a secret FISA warrant.