I'm going to Cornyn's office with a group tomorrow.

[Susan Calvin]

Supposedly we're actually going to get in the door and have a chance to speak. We shall see. If we do get in the door and if I'm picked to speak, this is my current version of what I intend to say. Any suggestions appreciated.

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I know I wouldn't be hurt anywhere near as much as many other people if this horrible bill passes, but I probably would be hurt, and I happen to be the one right now that has an opportunity to explain why.

I'm in pretty darn good shape for my age, and honestly have reason to expect at least another 20 years. But if something happened to my medical care, I would not get that, or at least the quality of those years and/or my finances would be significantly impacted.

I have physical issues that are very well controlled by medication. I have good doctors who take care of me well. It would not be pretty if I lost that or had to pay so much for it that I wound up one of the too many medical bankruptcies we have in this country (by the way we're the only developed country in the world with this issue) or wound up having to choose between necessities, as so many other people unfortunately already have to.

I have high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat. If I don't get my meds for that, I'm at pretty high risk for a heart attack or a stroke. I have high pressure in my right eye. If I don't get my med for that, there's a pretty good chance of developing severely impaired vision in that eye. I have wet macular degeneration in my left eye, which a periodic shot fixes up just fine, and I am grateful for that. If I lose access to that shot or can't afford it, I'm going to go blind in that eye, and probably pretty quickly.

Now, these are first world problems compared to the problems a lot of people in this country already have with medical care. I'm sure you're aware of this. So why Republicans want to mess up the rickety system we have even further to give a handout to corporations and billionaires is beyond me. The only explanation I've been able to come up with is being in bed with them, and sheer meanness or criminal indifference.

Thank you for listening.