Disgusted by senators

I completely concur with Ralph Ellis’ excellent letter discussing our senators’ lack of support of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and their approval of anti-consumer forced arbitration. I am thoroughly disgusted with their obfuscation of the issues and support of party over people. The likelihood that an individual consumer could take a major corporation to task for its malfeasance is nil. The threat of a lawsuit is a primary reason that some companies follow the rules. Take that away and you take away the only real leverage the average consumer possesses.

So we will not subject any large corporations to the fear of being sued. We will hope that they will just do the right thing, in spite of decades of examples of corporate indifference.

More immediately, Sen. John Boozman and Sen. Tom Cotton appear to be supporting the elimination of the Affordable Care Act in spite of the widespread harmfulness of the proposed replacement. Senator Cotton told the Washington Examiner, “If it comes to the floor, I intend to vote for it.” This, despite lacking a full assessment of the impact on our healthcare system. Who opposes this latest bill? How about the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Hospital Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, ALS Association, Cystic Fibrosis Association, Arthritis Foundation, and the March of Dimes, among others.

We pay the bill, but I am not sure who these guys work for.

RODNEY ARENT

Little Rock