Liberal in the Land of Conservative

The following story is just too crazy to make up but I thought I’d share it with you.

I’m a smoker. I know it’s a bad nasty habit with no redeeming social value what-so-ever and I regret ever starting.

But somewhere along the line the Phillip Morris people got a hold of my telephone number and address and send me offers for various toys and trinkets which they feel will compensate me for the inevitable heart disease or cancer which my addiction will lead to.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming Phillip Morris for my weakness.

Tonight I received a call from Phillip Morris asking me if I was aware that Michelle Bachmann had courageously voted against increasing my cigarette tax. I replied that I was aware of Mrs. Marcus Bachmann’s efforts to help keep my addiction to the most lethal drug in America affordable at the expense of 9 million uninsured children.

I then asked the telemarketer if his job had health insurance. He replied that it did not. I asked him if he had children. He did. I asked him if they had insurance. They did not.

Hmmmm.

I asked him if he had heard of SCHIP. He had. It was the purpose of his call. He wanted to patch me through to Michele Bachmann’s office so I could congratulate her on her vote against SCHIP, The very vote that was preventing his children from gaining access to health care so I could save 3.25 cents per smoke. “Look buddy” he said “This is my job, would you like to be patched through to Michele Bachmann’s office or not?” ( I tend to irritate phone solicitor's who call on behalf of Bachmann or poison)
“Please do” was my reply.

Of course, nobody was there and I got the answering machine.

Hat’s off to Phillip Morris who is using employees that have no health benefits to congratulate congress persons who voted to deny them access to health insurance.

Tom Beckfeld

Big Lake.