Seven presidents before him - Democrats and Republicans - tried to expand health care to all Americans. President Obama got it done.

In speech after speech on his health care plan the President has tried to convince us that what he is proposing will be good for America. But how can it be good for America if it raises taxes by a half trillion dollars and costs a trillion dollars or more to implement?

Raising taxes is the last thing we should do amid the weakest economic recovery since World War II. Unfortunately even if we avoid the full 'Taxmageddon' scenario President Obama's health care law also contains a new surtax on investment that will take effect in 2013.

Health care for all Americans is the most pressing domestic issue today. It's far past time for the President and Congress to deliver health care to everyone.

After I had gone through this matter with the President I told him of my condition of health and that my doctors felt that I must take a complete rest and that I thought that that meant leaving the Department finally in a short time.

Well what did we buy? Instead of a leaner smarter government we bought a bureaucracy that now tells us which light bulbs to buy and which will put 16 500 IRS agents in charge of policing President Obama's health care bill.

We see tremendous excitement from small-business people about the administration and about the attention and commitment that the president has to do things that really make a difference. I think they recognize that health care is one of those. I think they recognize that what we've been doing in the Recovery Act with our loan programs has mattered.

President Obama stands ready to work with everyone because that's what the American people expect and deserve - not for the short term political advantages but the long term health of our country. We don't spend time trying to figure out what's in the minds of Republicans we try to keep our focus on the American people.

Please be assured that as we move along through the implementation of health insurance reform making sure that we find efficiencies within the existing system is foremost on the President's mind.

We've had Town Hall meetings we've witnessed election after election in which the American people have taken a position on the President's health care bill. And the bottom line is the people don't like this bill. They don't want it.