Editor:

This letter concerns how our senators and House of Representatives person make up their minds about crucial national policy.

I know that we live in a market economy, but I didn't think that the same market principles apply to our politicians that we send to Washington.

Specifically, the health care debate brings this point to the forefront.

I personally felt completely left out that our representatives in Washington were bought and sold like a sack of potatoes on the health care issue. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso each took over $300,000 from the insurance industry. Rep. Cynthia Lummis received only a bit over $30,000.

We all know about the hundreds of billions of dollars the insurance industry is scoring on the American public every year, and the millions of dollars that are given to the CEOs of these companies. This much is obvious: this is a high-stakes game.

However, since these politicians are theoretically supposed to represent the citizens of Wyoming, I think that our representatives should throw us a crumb by letting us, at least, bid against the insurance companies for their vote.

Let me see. The insurance industry put up over $630,000 for our three politicians' votes. Now what could we do, as Wyoming citizens, to meet and surpass this purchasing price for Enzi, Barrasso, and Lummis? I think we could, as citizens, start raising money locally to buy our politicians back.

One idea that comes to mind is that we could circulate in our local communities money donation jars for our Washington politicians. We could put Enzi's, Barrasso's, and Lummis' pictures on these jars, with their hands out looking needy and pathetic. This would be a win-win situation.

We could buy back our politicians, and they would address our health care needs and not vote with the billionaires of the insurance industry.

This might really catch on. When you go into the liquor store and see a jar to buy back our politicians, throw in your change. Maybe we could collect enough to get Enzi, Barrasso, and Lummis to vote for us, and not the insurance industry. Oh, happy days!

LEIGHTON WESSEL, Rock Springs