Since 1994, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have considered it politically risky to offer a plan to fix America's broken health care system. The American public, though, has paid the price for this silence as health care costs skyrocketed, millions went uninsured, and millions more grappled with financial insecurity and hardship.

With a host of proposals on the table and a President examining new ideas for health reform, we have an obligation to give real reform our best shot.

I think I've got the best job around.

When the Veterans Affairs Department implemented a program to provide home-based health care to veterans with multiple chronic conditions - many of the systems most expensive patients to treat - they received astounding results.

Merging the ability to conduct surveillance that reveals every aspect of a person's life with the ability to conjure up the legal authority to execute that surveillance, and finally, removing any accountable judicial oversight, creates the opportunity for unprecedented influence over our system of government.

When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry.

It's correct that I wanted health reform to do more to create choices and promote competition.