Open Letter To Senator Rob Portman

Dear Senator Portman,
I am really glad that you switched your position on gay marriage. While it is disappointing that it took you two years to do it, I forgive you. It takes a lot of courage to go against your political party on an issue like this especially when so many religious institutions preach the evils of homosexuality.

I am however still disappointed that your change of heart came from a personal experience. I think you should take my disappointment as a personal experience as well. You see, a reasonable person should be able to empathize with other people’s personal experiences without actually having to have those personal experiences for themselves.

You are a pretty successful person, Senator. The government pays for the best healthcare you and your family could ever need. But not everyone is as well off as you are. You should be able to empathize with those of us who are forced to buy private health insurance from companies that do everything they can to not actually pay medical claims.

Maybe if someone in your family was told by insurance companies that an expensive medical procedure wasn’t covered because the particular doctor preforming it was “out of network” you could claim a personal experience and understand why so many Americans are not supportive of private health insurance and are fighting for some sort of Medicare for all program. Could you imagine if one of your family members had to foreclose on their home because of an insurance company’s refusal to pay a claim?

You’re a money man, Senator. So perhaps you need some personal experiences to help you to see how the lack of Wall Street regulations is robbing the rest of us. We can talk about any number of financial issues that you feel comfortable with, but in the end it just boils down to your lack of personal experience or your lack of empathy for other people’s personal experiences.

You are a United States Senator. You are supposed to represent all of our personal experiences and not just your own narrow personal interests. You are expected to enact laws that help and protect all Americans. What if one of your sons lost their job or got seriously hurt and can no longer work? What if your daughter didn’t have a Senator for a father and had to negotiate with the health insurance companies over a dispute about coverage?

I would like you to take some time (hopefully less than two years this time) to seriously consider this. Please consider the personal experiences of other people and how we are affected by the votes you cast. Thank you again for finally coming around on gay marriage, but millions of Americans also need you to come around on pretty much every other issue in politics today.
In Reason,
-Staks Rosch