Please read this with the same tongue in cheek as when Steve Martin said, "The new phone books are here!"
I did in fact write this letter, abiding by the Herald-Leader requirements that it be 250 words or less. Bastages did not publish it though. :-/
"I read State Senator Jensen's indignation at handing off his so-called “Meth” legislation, due to a perceived conflict of interest. While I am unaware of any conflict, Senator Jensen must understand that – from the outside – it looks like the only reason anyone would support such an ill-conceived bill would be that they were receiving some benefit. He should be flattered to be thought compromised and scheming, rather than simply to be thought a fool.
"The so-called “Meth” legislation means that anyone suffering a cold must visit a doctor to get the same relief that, under the current scheme, they already have to show ID to get. Instead of treating my own cold, I have to wait for morning, contact my doctor, miss work, pay a co-pay, and then sit waiting for my prescription. Anyone without health insurance almost certainly cannot afford to treat their cold.
"And it imposes the phenomenal obstacle on methamphetamine makers of asking the same doctors who currently write bogus oxycontin prescriptions to write a scrip for cold meds.
"Reading this I felt the fresh, raw frustration of a recent survivor of a miserable cold, finding my only solace in a box of Mucinex-D. This legislation will not stop methamphetamine, but will make miserable the lives of the law-abiding.
"Greg Stumbo, defending Jensen, was quoted, “Obviously, methamphetamine is a scourge to our communities and needs to be addressed.” I agree, but I would add, “Let's not do something stupid.”"
