As your new representative from NESO to the AAO Political Action Committee, it is my mission to ensure that the interests of NESO member orthodontists are heard by legislators in our nation’s capitol. NOW is the time to be a member of YOUR POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE!

Your AAO dues statements will be in the mail in the next month and this presents an opportunity for you to contribute to the AAO PAC: I hope each and every member of NESO seriously considers doing so.

Even if you have no interest in politics personally, the political world affects each and every one of us, especially as employers, small business owners and health care providers. Not to mention serious taxpayers.

Having a presence in Washington, DC is critical in order to have our world view represented as the politicians consider proposed legislation that can and will affect our daily lives. Having good relationships with staff members who help craft much of this legislation pays off now and in the future.

A tax on cosmetic surgery could have easily morphed into a tax on orthodontic care in the opinion of many. Years of work and previous contributions by your colleagues afforded access to people who needed to hear our point of view on this and many other aspects of the health reform debate.

Please consider a $250 donation to your profession’s PAC this election year in order to help your perspective be heard in Congress and to help elect a Congress that is sensitive to your profession’s values and needs. We are all counting on you!