Eric Massa NY29: Reflections on my 49th Birthday

[trillian]

Cross posted at dKos

Greetings from beautiful Western New York. Today the sun is shinning, the trees are just about to turn for fall, and I grow another year older. That's right, today is my 49th Birthday, and as I look back, I am proud of all that I have accomplished thus far in my life, but I know that it is not enough. I tell every audience that I speak with, that if I am elected and I can cast the deciding vote to end the war and to institute single payer healthcare, then I will have accomplished more in my life in those two actions than everything else combined, other than raising my three children. Today, I want to take the opportunity to remember the past, assess where we at are today and look to the future.




In my 49 years, I've done quite a few things. As most of you already know, I am a 24 year retired Naval Commander. I grew up the son of a Naval officer and as such, I traveled all around the world, never really having a place to call home. When I decided to follow in my father's footsteps and join the Navy, I entered into a similar life style. In 1981 I graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis and began my career in the Navy. I served all over the world and commanded over 5,000 personnel on battleships, guided missile ships, and strike destroyers. I was deployed to Beirut and Operation Desert Storm. I've lost friends in combat and know what it's like to issue commands in hostile conditions.

I often tell folks that the last few years of my Naval career were really in the Army, as I was assigned to serve as an aide to General Wesley Clark. At this time, General Clark was the Supreme Allied Commander to NATO and we successfully ended the genocide in Bosnia without losing a single American life. We took a three way ethnic civil war, united the world behind the mission and overthrew a dictator. We did this by separating the warring factions, creating three semi autonomous states with a government of their own choosing and leaving - exactly what we should be doing in Iraq.

Then in 1998, I was forced to return to the States to take on a terminal diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I have never smoked a day in my life, but that was the first thought of the doctors who saw me. As it turns out, my specific type of cancer has since been seen in a number of Gulf War Veterans- in other words, it's one of the really bad versions of Gulf War syndrome. At age 40, with a 10% chance of surviving the surgery I was about to have, my wife and I had to have the conversation that everyone dreads - Do we have enough money to send the kids to college, when do we pull the plug, what kind of funeral do we want to have... it's never easy to have these conversations.

Despite the grim outlook, I managed to pull through and survive the surgery and ultimately beat cancer. Today, I am a nine year survivor, and having past the five year window of recurrence, I am cured thanks to the skill of our high quality military doctors. I owe my life to Veterans healthcare and I know full well that had I not had healthcare, I would have died and my family would have likely gone bankrupt.

Today

Today, it is so obviously clear that we need real change in Washington. Right now, around 49 million Americans go without healthcare, and those that do have it, often don't have adequate coverage. Most Americans are just one illness away from bankruptcy and it doesn't have to be like that. We can pass real reform and institute a single payer healthcare system which would not only save Americans millions of dollars over the long term, but would save thousands of lives every year. If we changed from a private system to a public system, there would be no reason for people on fixed incomes to avoid visiting the doctor's office. This would fundamentally shift our system from expensive taxpayer funded emergency room model to a less expensive and more intelligent preventative medical care plan. Imagine that, healthcare designed to save lives rather than line the pockets of billion dollar insurance companies. Makes sense doesn't it.


My opponent, George Bush Rubberstamp Randy Kuhl, will never back any system like this, as he's taken thousands of dollars from insurance companies, HMOs and organizations such as the American Healthcare Association. At the same time, he's continued taking money from RJ Reynolds... makes sense eh? Take money from smoking lobbyists and then get more money from HMO's by sending them business.

On Iraq, Randy Kuhl once again pledged his loyalty to George Bush this week. Even as the Republican rubberstamp in our neighboring district, Jim Walsh (NY-25), has flipped and now opposes funding the war any further, Kuhl has re-glued himself to George Bush. We know that the war is not going well and many people, such as myself, have known this since it began. President Bush has never had a plan for success in Iraq, and our soldiers continue to pay the ultimate price for his ignorance. We cannot continue our failed Iraq strategy any longer, and this past week was the last chance for rubberstampers to change their minds. Kuhl drew a line in the sand and decided that he will stand with the President no matter what.

Looking Ahead

I know 2008 will be one of the most successful elections for Democrats ever. I know that we can make a difference by getting our troops out of Iraq and implementing real healthcare reform, but this will only happen once we build an FDR majority in Congress and take the White House. This is a government of, by and for the people, so it is time for us to stand together and show the George Bush Legacy Republicans the door in 2008. Bringing this change about is up to you though. For my 49th birthday, I'm asking for donations of $490 or $49 to demand a change of course in America. I want to remind everyone that this is not a gift to me, rather a donation to demand change in a district where I came within 1% of winning in 2006. I am one of a handful of candidates in the entire nation who refuses Corporate PAC contributions, so if you want real change without strings attached, then I need your support.

I know we can win in New York's 29th District, but I need your help. We can get out of Iraq, and we can fix our healthcare system, but it means standing together.

Thank you for your support,



Eric Massa
Commander US Navy (ret.)
Congressional Candidate, NY-29