It was a memorable highlight in the health care reform debate, one that will undoubtedly be replayed often in the coming months. Afterwards John McDonough, professor at the Harvard School of Public Health credited Mitt Romney with the "most effective and persuasive rationale and defense of the individual mandate" to date during the Presidential campaign.
Rick Santorum elicited the response from Romney during the January 27 debate between the remaining Presidential candidates in Florida. When he tried to attack "Romneycare," what many believe to be Gov. Mitt Romney's biggest policy success in Massachusetts and a model for the federal health care overhaul, Romney responded with one of his best moments of the evening. "If you don't want to buy insurance, then you have to help pay for . . . your bill . . . no more free riders. We're insisting on personal responsibility. Either get the insurance or help pay for your care."

Dr. Margaret Flowers, of Physicians for a National Health Program, will bring her expertise and discuss her experiences at a free presentation, "Medicare and The Deficit: How to Improve Health Care and Save Money at the Same Time," 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, at the Murdock Theater, 536 N. Broadway, Wichita, Kansas. A reception will follow the presentation. For more information call 316-440-3271.

WICHITA, Kan. - Margaret Flowers, MD, mother, pediatrician, human rights activist, crackles the phone line with her passion as she speaks about single payer health care. Dr. Flowers, of Baltimore, Maryland, is the mother of three teenagers. She trained and worked as a pediatrician until 2007, when she left her practice to become an advocate for health care reform with Physicians for a National Health Program. Because of her advocacy and activism, she was arrested when she spoke out at the Senate Finance Committee Roundtable on the Expansion of Health Insurance Coverage.

WICHITA, Kan. - I was 19 when the original Summer of Mercy descended upon Wichita. I had moved to Wichita that very month from a small Kansas town. While I was busy trying to navigate the 'big city' and find my way back and forth from my waitressing job without getting lost, one landmark that I quickly came to rely upon was Dr. Tiller's clinic. I had to drive by it every day and it was impossible to miss with masses of people that were in front of it.

My small town upbringing had not given me cause to ever really think about abortion. I dare say that I hadn't even really formulated a view one-way or the other on the issue. Seeing those shouting people, what struck me most was the mob scene that they created. I knew I didn't like bullies and these people were most certainly bullying the women that entered that clinic.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Earlier this week, over 600 Lawrence residents convened in a local church to voice their concerns about the pending closure of the local Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) office.

A sense of anger and anxiety filled the room as people wondered what would happen to their families, students, clients, or neighbors. All of the frustration and rage that resonated in the overflowing sanctuary seemed to stem from a community's deep compassion for its citizens.

Those in attendance claimed that among individuals directly affected by the closure of the SRS offices are employees who cannot afford to relocate, children, the disabled, law enforcement, battered women, the impoverished, and the elderly.

One woman in Lawrence said that she read comments from Brownback-appointed SRS Secretary, Robert Siedlecki. He had compared the difficult decision to close 9 SRS offices to deciding which child a family should sacrifice.

That woman, Kathleen McGee, faulted the Brownback-administration's analogy ...

WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita and abortion have a long and tumultuous history. The city epitomizes the climate of intolerance against this legal and necessary medical procedure. Wichita was once a town with five abortion clinics. A hostile political climate combined with organized terrorist activity, which ultimately culminated with the murder of Dr. George Tiller has successfully eliminated abortion in the city - for the time being.

We stand ready and waiting for our next physician and abortion rights champion, Dr. Mila Means, to open her clinic and offer the abortion access that this city needs. Meanwhile, the election of a new clan of anti-abortion zealots passing more restrictive laws, combined with the threats of violence against our new doctor leaves our community's fate in the balance.

Everyone is invited to come on June 24 and join Kansas NOW, Dr. Mila Means, Attorney Lee Thompson and Stephen Singular, the author of The Wichita Divide: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller and the Battle over Abortion for a discussion of the intersection of religion, politics, abortion and terrorism.

Event details here...

TOPEKA, Kan. - Kansas NOW is "TIRED" of legislators, who in efforts to pass their moral agenda, ignore the horrifying reality of crimes such as rape.

In a recent House debate, Representative Pete DeGraaf (R- Mulvane) told women that they should plan ahead for pregnancies that they can't control. Representative Barbara Bollier (R - Mission Hills) pointed out that the insurance restrictions on abortion that were being debated did not make exceptions for unintended pregnancies (such as those resulting from rape or incest), and the two exchanged the following remarks:

Rep. Pete DeGraaf replied, "We do need to plan ahead, don't we, in life?"

Bollier asked him, "And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with pregnancy?"

DeGraaf then responded, "I have a spare tire on my car."

WICHITA, Kan. - A few committed students from Wichita State University took it upon themselves to organize a rally in support of Planned Parenthood. They were compelled to do so as they watched the recent national and state attempts to defund the organization that is often the only access point to obtain low cost reproductive health care for many low income college students and other low income women within their community.

Shanna Kay Crowe contacted me and asked me to speak at the rally. I accepted and was inspired to see so many men and women across all spectrum of age, gathered to voice support for this important organization. Local media covered the event and gave great exposure to this great cause. Several people commented on the speech I gave, so I have included its text below.

Dr. George TillerWICHITA, Kan. - Apparently anti-abortion fanatic Angel Dillard can intimidate and threaten Dr. Mila Means. A federal judge maintains that Dillard's violent rhetoric is really not all that threatening and thus is political speech to be protected.

History should not repeat itself in Wichita. For too many years public officials allowed threatening mailers, violent rhetoric, confrontational protests and other abuses to be hurled against Dr. George Tiller. This protected speech escalated until Dr. Tiller was murdered. One would hope that those same public officials would have learned how words can be the trigger to physical violence. As Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. stated: "Freedom of speech is not absolute." Dillard's irresponsible speech leaves little doubt that her words were not loaded with bad intentions.

HAYS, Kan. - "My name is Wendell Potter and for 20 years I worked as a senior executive at health insurance companies, and I saw how they confuse their customers and dump the sick -- all so they can satisfy their Wall Street investors." This is how he introduced himself to a Senate committee.

As a senior vice president of CIGNA, Potter had access to the inner workings of major insurance companies.

He had walked away from a six-figure salary and two decades as an insurance executive because he could no longer abide the routine practices of an industry where the needs of sick and suffering Americans take a backseat to the bottom line. The last straw: when he visited a rural health clinic and saw hundreds of Americans standing in line in the rain to receive treatment in stalls built for livestock.

Truth tellers, like Potter, are becoming the insurance industry's worst nightmares.

HOBOKEN, N.J. - I could make a long list of things I am disappointed about with Obama. His vigor in challenging the most venal aspects of the Bush administration, the wars, the torture, the Big Brother spying, the coddling of corporations and banks, has fallen way short of what his soaring rhetoric during the campaign might have led us to expect. I could go on and on, but that is not the purpose of this article. In a few days election day will come and we are facing an onslaught of sadly misled and manipulated Tea Partiers, funded, driven and brainwashed by billionaires intent on rolling back democracy and establishing unchallengeable corporate control over our country. These poor Tea Partiers are people with legitimate complaints and problems whose populist fervor has been channeled by cynical and sophisticated propagandists into supporting the same corporate powers who have marginalized them in the past and are intent on pushing them even further down if they consolidate control over the House of Representatives.