Congressional Lottery #2 - Is Your Representative Among the Four Lucky Winners?

As promised, we have drawn the second four names of representatives selected by random lottery to submit voluntarily to legislation of their own making (H.R. 3200). If the representatives feel this puts them on the spot, good! We feel they have some explaining to do to those of whom they pretend to represent.

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A commenter has made us aware of one member of our U.S. Congress who actually did step forward on July 15, 2009. Connecticut Second District Congressman Democrat Joe Courtney (a lawyer) told his constituients that he will not take the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), a government-run purchasing exchange with lower costs than similar private exchanges and without the pre-existing condition loopholes, suggesting it is is precisely what the America's Affordable Health Choices Act in the House will provide for the American people.

Despite promising in 2008 to support universal health care, Joe Courtney has not introduced nor supported legislation to guarantee that every US citizen has access to quality health care. As of February 2009, he had neither supported nor co-sponsored HR 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act..[1]

The winners of this week's lottery drawing are shown above. Here are their names and a few statistics:

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5 Robert J Wittman VA-01, Lawyer -No; Veteran -No; Party -Rep

6 Albio Sires..............NJ-13, Lawyer -No; Veteran -No; Party -Dem

7 Judy Chu................CA-32, Lawyer -No; Veteran -No; Party -Dem

8 Cliff Stearns, Sr.....FL-06, Lawyer- No; Veteran -Yes; Party-Rep

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If one of the above is your representative, you may want to acquaint him/her with their random selection to opt out of FEHBP and ask them why he/she has not committed to actually representing their constituents by voluntarily subjecting themselves and their families to the terms of HR 3200.

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Every Monday, the names of 4 more House members drawn in Rex's lottery over the weekend will be announced here until the total reaches 24. At that point, the list will be repeated with the addition of 2 senators a week until 30 members of Congress are listed in total. If Congress can involuntarily draft us by lottery for military service, and subject us to controversial healthcare, it is time to call their bluff about the proposed HR 3200 being as good as what the Congress has now. One of them actually said words to that effect in a televised townhall Rex listened to on UNC-TV.

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Please feel free to apprise the rest of us, if you ever receive an answer from YOUR elected representative.

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NOTE: A sample size of 30 for a Congress consisting of 535 members (435 in the House and 100 in the Senate) was selected as a statistically valid sample in the circumstances, and as a fun way to apply random heat absent satisfactory explanation of unwillingness to submit to what they propose for the rest of us.