By the way, I am a doctor

Below is a letter that I sent to my representative this past week.


Dear Senator Cardin,

Don't do this. Please. Take a precious moment to reflect even though everyone including the President and the Secretary of Treasury is screaming for you to act now. I can empathize with what you're going through. Being a physician practicing emergency medicine in Baltimore, there are few non-military professionals that can match me in the frequency and severity of making life-altering decisions. What I’ve learned is that the best doctors couple speed with deliberateness.

Jack Bogle, founder of Vanguard, has written about the battle for the soul of capitalism as boiling down to shareholders confronted by managers. The recent round of passed and pending bailouts has brought this into sharp relief. No plan should be enacted that doesn't undertake to limit the exorbitant remuneration for corporate executives despite company losses and ends abuses born out of deregulation. Additionally, individual, at-risk homeowners must be afforded some modest degree of protection.

We are in crisis. But it's the kind of crisis that the Senate was designed to meet. As a United States Senator, you are uniquely capable of providing the leadership and skill required to navigate the current economic challenges while enduring the turbulence of a national election. The White House, market, and public are clamoring for action. Without wisdom and reason, however, the proposed cure may result in something worse than the disease which inspired it. I trust that you will uphold your constitutional duty and not merely consent but also advise.