Senator Frank R. Lautenberg died Monday June 3, 2013 at approximately 4:03 AM of viral pneumonia at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell. He was the oldest member of the Senate.
Many lord praise for his courage to follow his dreams, for his service as a civil servant to both his community in New Jersey and to his national public views by voting for and against laws of both popular and unpopular opinion. And, like many, his most public statement was his commitment to what he believed in by serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
From one community stakeholder to another, I ask, what would you have wanted to ask this person who had most assuredly impacted most of us through his business, legislative oversight and view of his world by seeing others in theirs? Well back in January 2009 when I first started interviewing guest, first on my My Home, Your Home real estate related talk show out of 1540 New World Radio broadcasting out of Bala Cynwd, Pennsylvania. I had six questions for Senator Lautenberg that even though I will never get his direct response, I can delve into his policy making, search his business interest and from his actionable involvement in the services see what he stood for and perhaps garner some insight into what he may have replied.
– See more at: http://ronaldmallen.com/so-what-would-you-have-asked-your-senator/#more-2917
My questions are as follows:
1. Senator, you have been in public service for some 30 years. You have been witness to many challenges that New Jersey senior citizens have faced during these changing economic times. What do you say to seniors, their care givers and related family members specifically in New Jersey in addressing these challenges that lay ahead?
2. You came into office just around the time as President Nixon approved the health care model we know today as ‘Health Management Organizations’. What do you make of HMO’s and what changes would you suggest for their improvement of delivery of service and care to those that opt to use them?
3. As a senior member of the Senate, what is most important to your relationships with your constituents?
4. When someone who is looking for help and goes to your web site, they will see a clearly thought out map of what your office can and cannot do. Your site also has a ‘Frequently Asked Questions area which contains a number of commonly queried concerns and provides directional instructions to access services.
It is understood that politics is the game of give and take. My question then is, what determines what you are willing to trade given such broad based implications as the Medicare and Medicaid billing issues during the Senate hearings of 2002 through 2005?
5. From your biography on your web site you have the comment, “In a place that is often plagued with gridlock and inertia, Senator Lautenberg has always been someone who bucked the rules, stood up for what he believed, and persisted in making a difference”.
For a citizen who is faced with a difficult situation what would you tell that constituent about fighting for what they believe, want and need without burning bridges?