Who is John DeStefano?

And what does he have to do with this woman?



You can all blame my brother, Richard from New Haven, for this one, but, let me tell you, I have been an advocate of Universal Health Care (UHC) since about 1993 when Hillary was named to chair the Health Care Task Force by her husband and supporter in liberalizing health care in America. I spent nearly a month of my "home leave" with my wife in Florida (I was stationed in Saudi Arabia with the Royal Saudi Air Force at the time, having previously retired as a civilian with the USAF) watching Hillary taking on Big Insurance over live TV on this issue -- actually, a big step towards it -- and realized how important this was for persons like myself at the time, who had zero health insurance because I was working for Lear-Siegler Arabia, a Saudi-owned company.

Until yesterday, I had no idea who John DeStefano was (he's the Mayor of New Haven and currently running for Governor of Connecticut) nor that Massachusetts already had such a program, its Health Care Trust, in place as my brother and I were chatting on the phone.

Study after study has backed up (proven conclusively!) that such a program would cost the taxpayers less, not more, if put into place.

The cost of emergency room treatment over primary care is perhaps the biggest reason -- and I only recently found that cost to be almost prohibitive for the uninsured -- together with the fact that most uninsured persons (elderly, disabled, children -- you name it!) are forced to face this rather than visit their Primary Care physician -- which they couldn't afford to even have!

Let's all get behind the various states that are pushing for UHC -- and both DeStefano and those in Connecticut who are paving the way in one state after another, as well as Hillary Rodham Clinton, who in her very first address from the Senate floor, made that her #1 topic.

And while I'm at it -- applause, applause, applause to Massachusetts and the Democrats there who showed us it can be done. And thanks, Richard, for bringing what's going on in Connecticut to my attention; it's been a top issue with me for years, but living in my little cabin on the shores of the Pacific, Connecticut's issues don't often get published in the North Coast News.

But whatever, no American should go without full health care - rich or poor, insured or uninsured -- after 2008! Hopefully, Gore, Clinton, Kerry or Edwards (or Barack Obama -- who knows?) will make that a key issue in 2008.