Higher Taxes Aren't Very Funny

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a pro-business special interest group closely connected to Norm Coleman, has come up with another attack ad against Al Franken.

It suggests that every time Al opens his mouth, he's saying that he's going to raise your takes. Talk about deceptive. It's my understanding that Al is right in line with Barack Obama. He'd roll back the unfair Bush tax cuts to the wealthy, and lower taxes for the majority of Americans.

The ad also claims that Norm Coleman is working hard to secure better health care for Minnesotans, while keeping the government out of our health care decisions, or some such drivel. It deceptively raises fears that we'll no longer be able to see the doctor of our choice and that some faceless government bureaucrat will make health care decisions for us.

Anyone who has had to deal with a private insurance company knows that there are plenty of faceless bureaucrats involved in making health care decisions for us. Except, they're not government bureaucrats --- they're employed by private insurance companies.

Over the past 10 years, health care costs have gone up at an incredible rate. Health care coverage has gone down. Monthly insurance rates and copays have gone up. And, more people have become uninsured.

Republican politicians are fine with the current health care situation. They have low cost health care insurance, and their wealthy friends are happy.

Norm Coleman has fought to bring us better health care? Now, that would be funny, if the truth weren't so sad. Casual observation, and those damned statistics would seem to prove otherwise.

The only thing Norm Coleman has fought for is the interests of his wealthy friends. He's given away billions of taxpayer dollars to satisfy wealthy special interests. He conspired with a lobbyist (who happened to be a Republican Congressman at the time) to help pass the Medicare prescription drug bill. In typical Republican speak, the law was supposed to help seniors afford expensive medications. In reality, it's done more to help the drug companies than it has to help seniors.

How would you like to be prohibited - by law - from negotiating the best price on your next car? Most of us would find that totally unacceptable. Yet, Norm and his co-conspirators added just such a prohibition to the prescription drug law. Our government - spending taxpayer money - is prohibited from negotiating the best price for the Medicare Part D drugs it buys.

The commercial suggests that we call Al Franken and tell him that "Higher Taxes Aren't Very Funny."

What's not funny is deceptive advertising.

Instead, I would recommend that everyone call the U. S. Chamber of Commerce (1-800-638-6582) - and their local Chamber of Commerce. Request that they stop deceptive advertising.

Request that they spend their money supporting the American people who have brought them so much wealth.