America has come to a fork in the road. I have been following the political winds of this country since 1942, when at the age of 4 my father required me sit and listen to FDR’s weekly “fireside chats.” My father was an immigrant and firmly believed that it was his duty as a citizen to be fully informed on the policies of our government. At a very early age I inherited his quest for political knowledge and watched as the political tides pulled the country left at one election and right at the next. In the past the party in power usually ended up governing from the center and did little long-term damage.

Now, for the first time in my life I have serious concerns about the future of this great country. No longer do I have faith that either party represents the wishes of the vast majority of this country’s citizens. The voice that our representatives listen to is not that of their constituents, but that of special interests. The vast majority of our congressional leaders have been bought by lobbyists who provide the cash needed for them to get elected. In other words, they sold their souls for a seat in Congress.

Bipartisan efforts have almost ceased to exist, corruption is running rampant in the halls of Congress. The old axiom, “Power corrupts, total power corrupts totally,” has never been more true.

Currently, Congress is in the midst of discussions on health care, one of the most important and far-reaching congressional efforts in many years. The liberals, stating that health care is totally broken, are hell-bent on forcing a federally managed health care down the public’s throat. Yet, they will not even discuss one of the key factors in the cost of health care, the high cost of malpractice insurance. Tort reform should be one of the key building blocks of health reform. Another key proposal in the liberals’ bill provides coverage for illegal immigrants. While they state that this is not their goal, such language is buried deep in nearly all versions. Did you wonder why they (the liberals) do not want the bill made public before it is passed?

They also propose cutting $500 million from Medicare, and have the gall to try and convince us that it will have no effect on the quality of care our seniors receive. If you are over the age of 55 this should concern you now!

This country has the best health care in the world, but costs have escalated out of control. Many cannot afford health care or do not qualify because of preexisting conditions. These are serious problems that must be resolved.

There are several steps can be taken that will help control the costs of health care.

1. Tort reform.

2. Allow individuals to shop for insurance across state lines.

3. Provide incentives for health saving accounts.

4. Allowing those who purchase their own insurance to fully deduct the costs from their income taxes.

5. Instead of trying to force those who cannot afford it into buying health insurance, open free federally funded clinics around the country allowing medical students to staff them, in exchange for forgiveness of a portion of their student loans.

6. Check into how medical equipment is priced. Currently Medicare and most insurance companies are paying far more for the same piece of equipment that if one were to buy it on the open market. It is us, the taxpayers, who end up paying these outrageous costs.

7. I do not like proposing this, but perhaps it is time to look at the amount of profits made by major health insurance companies.

The following issues must also be tackled and the public must accept the fact that someone will have to pay the bill.

1. A plan offering basic coverage, for those who cannot afford full coverage.

2. A special plan that covers catastrophic health costs.

3. Regulation that requires insurance companies to provide coverage to those unable to get insurance because of preexisting conditions.

4. Regulations protecting the insured from being dropped because they have the misfortune of getting sick.

Health care is, however, just a symptom of far more serious problems.

There was a time when America was a manufacturing giant. We built things, our workers were the most efficient, hardest working and most inventive in the world. Yet, in just a generation, we have exported most of our manufacturing jobs overseas. As this country exported its manufacturing jobs, the number of citizens without medical coverage increased. How did this happen? What went wrong? How could our government have allowed this to happen?

There were several forces at work in the destruction of this country’s manufacturing base. The unions played a major role. (I realize this will offend many.) I will agree, it was the union efforts that built a strong middle class during the ’50s and ’60s. However, unions in their blind greed for ever higher wages and more benefits, failed to realize that there were millions of ambitious people around the world willing to work for a fraction of what American workers were earning. Congress rode to the rescue, removing trade restrictions making it easy for our manufacturing companies to move their operations overseas, and then import their products back to the states for sale to their former employees.

There were several additional factors that contributed to the erosion of America’s industrial base. This country’s corporate tax burden is one of the highest in the world. There is a point where the concept of taxing the rich becomes counter productive. The rich are mobile. They can pack up their factories and move to countries where the taxes are more favorable, where labor is cheap and no one has ever heard of Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The result has been the loss of millions of jobs and the health benefits that went with them will never return. Yet our Congress, in all its infinite wisdom, is currently taking action that will cost every citizen thousands of dollars in higher energy bills and send even more jobs over seas. The “cap and trade” energy bill will put this country’s remaining industries in a untenable position. I agree that the environment needs to be protected. But we must be careful not to put such a burden on the corporate sector that more jobs are shipped overseas.

We have got to get our national bloated budget, with its trillion of dollars of deficit spending under control. If our government keeps borrowing and printing money, it will not be long before the dollar is worthless. It can and has happened to many countries before, the big simply fall harder.

At the current rate there will be no need for China to go to war to dominate the world. It will win by default, and we will have done it to ourselves.

The voices of far left and far right have dominated in our Capitol for the past several decades. “The Minnesota nice” that the greater part of this country’s vast silent majority subscribe to has got to end. The “tea parties” were a start. If we wish to save our way of life, we must get organized, become active and vocal. We are being outmaneuvered by radical organizations like ACORN, ACLU and many others. Their voices are being heard. Is yours? It will take a tremendous outcry before Congress will even begin to listen. The foundation that will turn our great country into a democratic socialist country is being laid as you read this. The task before us will be difficult as the majority of the media outlets in this country are ultraliberal.

There will be threats and acts of physical violence as groups on far left and right try to block any change of direction. While we need a revolution, we must not take the bait and allow it to become violent.

Keep in mind that “all you need for evil to flourish is for good people to stand silent.”

Don Sorensen is an Albert Lea resident.