When I spoke to both Drs. Bakke and Phillips the morning after their respective elections, they reviewed the many hurdles they faced, most of which were common to politics. But they both agreed that the lack of support from the chiropractic profession was not expected, nor could they overcome that obstacle.
Both Drs. Bakke and Phillips spent an enormous amount of their own money on their campaigns, but both were substantially outspent by their opponents. In the final weeks of his campaign, Dr. Paul Phillips was outspent by his opponent $5 to $1!
Winning elections is all about communication. Without the proper funding, neither Dr. Bakke nor Dr. Phillips could deliver their messages as chiropractors running for Congress.
Why did this happen? Perhaps you feel that a chiropractor has no business representing the profession in Congress. Perhaps deep in your heart you don't believe that DCs are up to the challenges of politics.
Perhaps you didn't realize the difference it would make in our lives if we had a chiropractor at the table when legislation was being created, rather than hoping we can change it before it comes to a vote.
Whatever the reason, if you didn't donate money to one of our three congressional candidates, you let this profession down.
So what should our enemies celebrate first?
- The defeat of two of our congressional candidates in the
primaries. - The death of PARCA with limited hope that the democrats will include anti-discrimination and patient choice language in their bill.
- The intrusion of the FTC into chiropractic patient
communication.
Chiropractic has had little to cheer about on a national level. Fortunately, we do have one more chance. This is an all or nothing event. If Dr. Ferguson wins in November, we will have our own representative in Washington DC. If he loses, we will be forced to continue to "buy" the little representation we have now. This isn't complicated. We have one candidate with one chance. If we all pitch in, we CAN put a DC in D.C.
Please donate what you can. This is a one-time request. After November 3rd, we will either be celebrating or planning how we can endure two more years of chiropractic crushing legislation.
Reflect in your heart how much you can give and send it to Pete's campaign. If you can fax him your credit card number (VISA and MasterCard) with your donation amount and signature, that will put the money in his hands immediately and give you 30 days to pay for it.
A note of encouragement with your donation will also be appreciated. Send/fax it to:
Friends for Ferguson
P.O. Box 224
Middlebrach, OH 44652-0224
fax: (330) 493-7410
phone: (330) 493-8030
e-mail: Pete4U-neo.Lrun.com
P.S. Even if you can donate a large sum, remember that contributions are limited to $1,000.
Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.