In a letter to a constituent, Sen. Mike Crapo outlines his anxiety over the president’s proposal to completely remake America’s health care system. Many of his concerns mirror ones we raised in our last posting.

“While I agree that the nation’s health care system needs to be reformed, I am opposed to nationalizing our health care system, as it would certainly lower the quality of care that Americans currently enjoy,” writes Idaho’s senior senator.

Indeed, we fear the new system may become lethal to many of us. In his letter, Sen. Crapo writes that the prospect of the federal government using “comparative effectiveness” tables to determine appropriate patient care is “alarming”.

“[D]octors and patients should always have the right to choose a method of care that best suits the patient’s needs without government intervention,” Crapo adds.

Beyond the tortured manipulation of “health care reform” as a means to strengthening Death’s grip on our culture through abortion and euthanasia policies, Americans should be nearly as alarmed over the catastrophic costs associated with Obama’s initiatives. One report low-balled the figure at $1.5 trillion over a ten year period.

That kind of massive new spending comes at a moment when two other monstrous government programs have been declared “broken and bankrupt”. Yesterday, in classical liberal fashion, Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius declared that the key to “fixing” Social Security and Medicaid is to create yet a third gargantuan social welfare program: universal health care.

We were most gratified, however, by Sen. Crapo’s obvious frustration with the process (or lack of one) being used by Democrats to impose this insanity upon America. In fact, he cites this failure as a primary reason he opposed Secretary Sebelius’ confirmation to HHS:

“I have grown increasingly concerned with the Majority’s use of the budget reconciliation process to force health care legislation through Congress. This strategy would result in a partisan, unbalanced bill that would be immune from the thorough vetting under the Senate’s normal process.”

This brings us to Congressman Walt Minnick. He has proven masterful at fundraising and public relations. Many Idahoans, because of the steady diet of positive press, suspect he may be a “fiscal conservative”, at least in the context of maniacal spending by a run-away liberal majority. But casting throw-away votes for re-election purposes is one thing. Let’s see how responsible and effective he really is.

We hereby publicly challenge Congressman Minnick to use his renowned influence with the Majority Party to demand that any and all health care “reform” legislation go through the normal legislative process. Something this big and fundamental should not be rushed through a back-door omnibus appropriation bill that almost no one has read. Minnick would thereby spend real political capital in defense of the Constitutional process – as well as the public’s right to be fully heard on a matter which will impact all of us for generations.

It would take real guts for Minnick to demand such accountability from his own party leadership; and if he could get Nancy Pelosi to actually listen to him, perhaps he will have proven he is actually worthy of consideration for another term in Washington, serving alongside a man of Crapo's caliber.