So local nine-term Congressman, John Shimkus-R  15th Collinsville, Illinois is home for an extended weekend in observance of the Martin Luther King holiday, hoping, I’m sure, for a little peace and privacy.

As I see him enter the neighborhood Walgreens today, my immediate response is to approach him.  After all, this is as rare a sighting as the Snowy Owl that was recently spotted in the area. However, I debate with myself.  We all know the quote about the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting a different response.  There have been several occasions where I have had the opportunity to question Representative Shimkus.  And every time I’m offered stale platitudes to meaningful questions.  Nevertheless, I decide to go for it. 

Re-introducing myself, offering the same (dis) respect he has shown to his constituents when steelworkers, including me, have lobbied him to support policy, supporting the middle class that he invariably and consistently ignores, I ask my questions.

For those who don’t know Shimkus, he is the House Representative who ingloriously and disrespectfully walked out on President Obama’s 2009 State of the Union in protest as seen in the accompanying picture. He also is the guy second to the left of Trump in the oval office during photo ops as the recent tax bill was signed.

Not one to pass up many opportunities of significance, knowing if I approach him with a policy question I must act fast as I have only minutes before he will most certainly head for the checkout.
The light bulb in my head turns into an inferno. Why go into public policy ideology with a rigid right-winger?

I want to ask questions such as why he supported the recently signed tax bill?  Even though I know, whatever canned, scripted response he may give me, his efforts next year, along with majority leader, Paul Ryan, will be a call to starve the beast with the federal debt they have created with the tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.  This valid discussion will take much longer than the time it takes for him to select a bottle of wine and a bag of snacks. Although, the writing is on the wall, he and Ryan will ask for help in cutting the federal debt as we must cut “entitlements” i.e. cutting my earned Social Security and Medicare benefits, but I don’t have enough time for that topic.

Instead, duh, I am in a pharmacy after all, trying to work through all the details for a top tier pharmaceutical my Dr. has prescribed for me. This drug, without having the benefit and savings through my USW negotiated retiree prescription drug plan, retails for $120,458 per year! That is not a typo. That astronomical number has been substantiated by all medical and insurance officials I have interacted with over the past week- One hundred twenty-thousand per year!

I ask Shimkus, “Why didn’t you and the Republicans allow the government to negotiate drug prices for those seniors who would be using Medicare Part D (prescription drug plan) when you had the opportunity during committee meetings and debates before you voted in favor of the legislation? Instead the drug manufacturers have a monopoly with patented, high priced drugs,” I said.

Shimkus deflects by asking me, “Did you know that prior to Medicare Part D seniors had no assistance with prescription drugs?” I says, “Yeah, but you gave big fat pharma a gift by not forcing them to negotiate pricing and this is what I am left with, over a hundred thousand per year for a prescription!”

He goes to his strength, talking points, as he reminds me, “Veterans don’t have the option to select formulary, top tier drugs.” I told him, “And I have no option to choose a generic because the pharmaceutical industry and all their influence in politics can secure a patent for years before an affordable generic becomes available and you guys failed to force them into negotiating with the government on taxpayer, seniors behalf."

Shimkus punted again saying, “We can’t force companies into prices that we prefer.”

By this time I realize I didn’t have to travel to D.C. I didn’t have to make an appointment or track him down. I didn’t have to go through another insulting experience as in the past when our USW political action committee or now through our SOAR Chapter or the other advocacy groups in which I participate, just so we as a group have the “luxury” of speaking with his local junior staff member when in the end, we are ignored by Shimkus. I got my point across.

Besides, I had followed him to the checkout at that point and other customers were likely becoming annoyed with me as was he. But we do what we can when we can, even if it means advocating while shopping.