After seeing our last posting on the very important issue of health care “reform” now being managed underground by Democrat leaders in Washington, Congressman Walt Minnick’s staff contacted us to share some of the work Minnick has already done to ensure that any reform measures are adopted in a fair and open legislative process.

In our previous update, we publicly challenged Minnick to take a fierce stand on behalf of all Idahoans to ensure that we have ample opportunity to challenge any “health” measures being imposed by President Obama – especially in the area of tax-funded abortions and policies designed to foster euthanasia.

John Foster provided us with a letter that Congressman Minnick co-signed on May 8th with some 44 other Democrat members of the Congress, urging three pivotal committee chairmen to abide by the regular legislative process. These members of the “Blue Dog Caucus” state that they are “increasingly troubled” by the immense groundwork being laid without input from members of Congress – including their group.

“[T]he process has yet to be structured in a way that includes the contributions of the majority of our [Democratic] Caucus,” the letter adds.

We are encouraged by this initial step by Congressman Minnick. We are particularly impressed with his staff. Minnick is to be commended, as we did Senator Crapo, for recognizing the huge threat posed by a short-circuited legislative process giving Obama a blank check to make revolutionary changes in the American health care system.

As a Member of Congress who helps maintain Speaker Pelosi’s power base, Minnick is, perhaps, in the best position of any Idaho delegate to defend Idahoans from Obama’s most outrageous plans.

While the letter is a good beginning, we must judge Congressman Minnick by the results. We note that his letter was addressed to three chairmen who are undoubtedly enjoying their tremendous power over the future of American families. Congressmen Waxman, Rangel and Miller are patently unlikely to yield their immense control voluntarily. It will likely take direct threats from Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer to ensure that this whole process is opened up to the American people.

Congressman Minnick and his Blue Dog colleagues will have to throw their collective weight around in a big way to wrest control from powerful leftists like Charlie Rangel. But the stakes in this battle are such that Minnick & Co. must do whatever is necessary to get that job done.

In addition, we challenge Congressman Minnick to use his influence to ensure that the final product coming out of Congress contain iron-clad safeguards for preborn children, the infirm and the elderly. This package, in defiance of Planned Parenthood’s darkest wishes, cannot be used as a back-door method for obtaining taxpayer paid abortions. Nor can it be used to force health care professionals and hospitals into delivering immoral medical services or denying life-saving treatment to those in need.