Tammy Baldwin - Credit where credit is due

I rarely write anything political in my blog but as a retired member of the US Military I wanted to share this. Tammy Baldwin is the Democrat representative for the 2nd district in Wisconsin (my legal address) which includes some of the most liberal neighborhoods in Wisconsin (the Madison and University of Wisconsin area.) I wrote her to complain about proposals to increase fees for Tricare and, given that she is a Democrat expected some "we need to give more to government spread the wealth around" response. My surprise when I received the following letter ...

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December 2,2011

Dear Mr. Jones:

Thank you for contacting me regarding TRICARE coverage and fees. It is good to hear from you and I apologize for the delay in my response.

Like you, I strongly believe that the United States government has a responsibility to provide our servicemembers, retirees, veterans, and their families with access to affordable and comprehensive health care services and support. Created in 2002, TRICARE For Life supplements Medicare for military retirees and their family members eligible for Medicare, while TRICARE continues to cover servicemembers, their family members, and survivors.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (H.R. 1540) allows the first increase in TRICARE enrollment fees in more than 15 years, including increased prescriptions and co-pay fees. On May 26, 2011, H.R. 1540 passed the House of Representatives, and is now pending in the Senate. You may be interested to know that I opposed the increases in TRICARE fees, and I voted against this legislation.

We call on servicemembers and veterans to sacrifice their safety, security, and, oftentimes, wellbeing and happiness, for the interests of national security and to fight in wars abroad, and the government has a responsibility to ensure that we give back. For this reason, I have and will continue to support increases in military wages, Veterans Administration disability compensation, and Survivor Benefit Plan payments. Rest assured I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue to fight for full benefits for our nation's veterans and servicemembers.

Again, thank you for sharing your views. Your opinion matters to me. If I can be of service to you in any other way, please do not hesitate to let me know. As a security precaution, all mail sent to Congress is first irradiated. This process causes significant delays. To ensure the fastest response, I encourage all constituents who have access to the internet to contact me through my website at http://tammybaldwin.house.gov/.

Sincerely,

Tammy Baldwin
Member of Congress
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Credit where credit is due...