Mark Buesgens and Tim Pawlenty Vote to Doom Poorest Minnesotans

Savage Pacer Letter to Editor for 2010-02-27

I’m embarrassed that Mark Buesgens is our state representative. Embarrassed and saddened. By obstructing legislation, he is signing a death warrant for some of our most vulnerable Minnesotans. The MN State Legislature recently overwhelmingly passed 125-9 a bipartisan bill to extend General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) for over another year. One of the nine legislators to vote against this bill was Mark Buesgens. GAMC provides medical and mental health care for 35,000 of the poorest and most needy in our state. Governor Pawlenty vetoed this bill to the consternation of Democrats and Republicans alike. His response was that the affected people can go onto Minnesota Care, a state-run health plan. Unfortunately, this is NOT an option, as Minnesota Care requires premium payments that the people on GAMC cannot afford! For many of the people currently on GAMC, the $203 per month that they receive is the only way they can afford medications and treatments for severe medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Taking this away will doom a number of these most vulnerable to early death.

We, as a caring and moral community, must not let this happen. It’s vitally important that we let our legislators – specifically Mark Buesgens – know that Minnesotans take care of our fellow citizens, and demand that they override Pawlenty’s veto to continue GAMC. To turn our backs on the most impoverished people in our state would be criminal.