Walberg Weekly Wrap-Up

Op-Ed

WALBERG WEEKLY WRAP-UP

This past week has been one of the highlights of my year and a half in office. As many of you know, I love riding my 2002 Harley Davidson Road King. On Monday, I kicked off a "Harley Tour" across Michigan's Seventh Congressional District.

Throughout the week I drove across south-central Michigan to highlight how high gas prices are affecting local communities, families, farmers and small businesses. On the tour, I made stops to meet with local residents and community leaders in every county. With gas prices so high, I wanted to travel across the district in a fuel efficient manner and meet with my constituents.

During the tour, I made 26 scheduled stops, toured 11 communities, met with dozens of local officials and community leaders, toured eight businesses, met with five local organizations and pumped gas at three different gas stations. Throughout the tour, I spoke with the people of south-central Michigan, in all walks of life, about the need for a comprehensive, "all of the above" energy plan.

The general message shared with me by the citizens I spoke with and local governments and organizations I met with was we need to change course, as a nation, and begin to again meet our own energy needs. People are tired of paying other countries for oil and tired of buying gas from the Middle East and Russia. Our country's reliance on Middle Eastern oil means we send large amounts of money overseas to countries that generally do not share our interests, putting our national security at risk.

I believe our country needs a new comprehensive, "all of the above" energy plan that includes more oil exploration, more alternatives and more conservation. When Congress reconvenes in September, it is my hope that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will allow a vote on a long-term "all of the above" energy policy.

Another big topic I heard about in several communities during the Harley Tour was taxes. Small business owners are unhappy with massive tax increases passed last year. Job providers in Michigan are feeling the negative impact of the new taxes that have sent Michigan jobs and businesses to other states.

Michigan needs to once again become a state with regulatory and tax structures that encourage business growth and innovation. Michigan families and businesses are hurting and we need to make sure tax rates are not raised again. In Congress, I am working to stop a $683 billion tax increase, because Michigan's families absolutely cannot afford more taxes.

On Thursday, I had the unique opportunity to tour two Jackson County health care centers with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Tevi Troy.

We visited Great Lakes Home Health and Hospice of Jackson, a locally owned business providing personalized care in the comfort and privacy of patients' homes. Businesses like Great Lakes Home Health and Hospice need to be encouraged, and I was proud to show the Deputy Secretary a fine example of quality home care and the benefits this business provides to patients and Michigan's health care system.

Our second stop was Allegiance Health Heart Center, a unique partnership between Michigan's public sector and private sector. The Heart Center is a collaborative program with the University of Michigan's Cardiac Surgery Program. The successful programs at this center are a national example.

While the Deputy Secretary was in town, I had an opportunity to discuss both our nation's and Michigan's health care systems. Nationally, our current system is fatally flawed, and right now more than 47 million individuals find themselves without coverage and millions more are underinsured.

We also discussed the Making Health Care More Affordable Act, a comprehensive bill I introduced that ties together six core reforms to make patient-centered health care more affordable and accessible. We must move away from a Washington, D.C. bureaucrat-driven health care system which would hold the ultimate decision-making authority over every American's medical coverage and move to one that empowers patients and makes health care more affordable and accessible.

Overall, this week left me feeling challenged, excited and encouraged. I heard many new ideas, was encouraged by constituents, gained valuable first-hand accounts on many issues and had to the chance to meet many new faces. I look forward to seeing many of you in the weeks to come.

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