Insurers’ grip on officials sickening

It makes me feel sick and hopeless to realize that the insurance industry has such a grip on the nation’s elected officials. The insurance industry has long been taking the people’s money and using it to influence legislation to restrict people’s freedom while increasing the industry’s bottom line.

Now the fight is over people’s lives versus maintaining corporate profits. The unspoken reality is that “campaign contributions” can be withheld if a candidate doesn’t vote as the insurance industry desires. At the same time the industry can back an opposing candidate to defeat “uncooperative” elected officials. The people’s representation has been trumped by the money and organization that the lobbyist system provides.

I realize that I’ve become one of the cranky old men in this country as I see that money is the only thing that matters. Health-care legislation will only pass when it has the blessing of the insurance industry.

Don Polson
Snohomish