Our congressman, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tyler), loves attention, so at first glance we blew off his dramatic declaration this weekend that he was delivering copies of the proposed health care bill to local libraries as a publicity stunt.
On second glance, we think it's actually a pretty good idea.
We sincerely doubt anybody in Lufkin and Nacogdoches, whose libraries are among those that received copies of the bill, will take the time, or even be able, to read all 1,990 pages. The text of the bill is pretty readable (if you're an attorney), but even Gohmert had not read it all by Wednesday morning, according to a spokeswoman in his office.
Yet people are interested in the topic, and Gohmert is providing his constituents a way for them to get involved in a matter that will greatly affect them and their families for decades to come. Officials at Kurth Memorial Library in Lufkin said Wednesday morning that a good number of patrons had looked at the document; one couple looked over it together for a while. Staff at the Nacogdoches Public Library said they had noticed just one person looking at their copy. Gohmert's office is getting feedback, said Laura Mszar, the congressman's spokeswoman.
"We've heard from many constituents who are extremely concerned about the legislation and don't know where to find the text or don't have Internet access," Mszar said Wednesday.
Gohmert and his Republican buddies contend the bill would require the use of federal dollars to fund abortions, that it would tax citizens who do not purchase "bureaucrat-approved" health coverage, and that it would impose an 8 percent tax on businesses that cannot afford to purchase the coverage. Whether all that is true or not, Gohmert is attempting to do something few others have been able to do: get people involved in the legislative process again.
Any step Americans can take to repair the disconnect between them and their elected officials is a good one.
———
On the Web: Louie Gohmert's home page at www.gohmert.house.gov and the full health care bill at http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf (a big file)
