Portland City Council Testimony 5-5-10

My name is Richard Ellmyer. I am a candidate for the North Portland House seat that testified on September 30, 2009 in support of the Portland city council’s Single Payer resolution. I return today to ask if the council believes the tooth fairy will leave passed Single Payer legislation under their pillows. Perhaps you expect Tinkerbell to spread pixie dust over the capitol and turn 90 naysayers into a chorus of believers in Single Payer.

There are 535 members of congress and 90 members of the Oregon legislature. These are the ONLY people in the United States that can bring a Single Payer health care system to America and Oregon. Not a single member of Oregon’s congressional delegation nor candidate for those offices nor a single member of Oregon’s legislature nor candidates for those offices, expect for me, Richard Ellmyer, have campaigned in support of a Single Payer health care solution to Oregon’s moral and economic health care crisis.

In the 7 months since the council passed a Single Payer resolution it has FAILED to give written instructions to its government relations team to lobby anyone at the state or federal level in support of Single Payer. The Portland city council has FAILED to contact the Lane and Multnomah county commissions, who also passed Single Payer resolutions, to devise a unified strategy to accomplish their similar goals. A letter to the North Pole will not get Santa to deliver a Single Payer bill in each of your stockings next Christmas.

A resolution of support for Single Payer means the removal of the for-profit health insurance industry as the foundation for delivery of health care to Oregonians. It means the repeal of the recently passed federal health insurance bill and the Billion dollar health care bill passed by the Oregon legislature in 2007.  A resolution of support for Single Payer means POLITICAL CONFRONTATION of the highest order. This is what you voted for. But this is NOT what you are delivering.

Unlike the Portland city council, when I tell the voters of North Portland that Richard Ellmyer will fight for Single Payer they know that I have already proven my commitment many times.

My opponent, Tina Kotek, did NOT testify in support of the city council’s Single Payer resolution because she opposes Single Payer and did her best to prevent Oregonians who do support Single Payer like me and presumably you from participating in the health care debate.

Single Payer reform does NOT come from wishing upon a star. Politics is a contact sport. It is often a blood sport. If you are not prepared to bleed and draw blood then take off your sparkling clean Single Payer uniforms and get off the field.


Richard Ellmyer

Candidate for the North Portland House seat in the May 18, 2010 Democratic primary

http://www.ellmyer4staterep.com

Oregonian Voter Guide, http://thevoterguide.oregonlive.com/race-detail.do?id=193097205&party=D