The Texas Tribune has a lengthy investigative article revealing that doctor-donors to former Republican State Representative Bill Zedler made contributions to his campaign around the same time the former legislator requested confidential information about the doctors to the Texas Medical Board:
Records show that the doctors gave Zedler a combined total of $25,000 in the past half-decade and that some contributions were made just weeks before Zedler requested their case files.
Republican Zedler is running to reclaim the House District 96 seat that he lost to Representative Chris Turner in Tarrant County in 2008. This rematch is most certainly one to watch this cycle. District 96 has been trending moderate for some time while Bill Zedler has not only been leaning extreme-right, but some of his positions and statements are downright bizarre too.
The doctor-donors in question were disciplined by the state board, which is made up of fellow physicians. Despite the board's decisions, Republican Zedler felt that because he was a medical equipment salesman that he has the expertise to fight a medical board made up of doctors:
Zedler believes his experience as a medical equipment salesman gives him the knowledge to determine whether doctors were violating standards of care, or, as he argues, wrongly investigated. "I know what appropriate treatment is and isn't," he says. "I sold equipment, so a lot of times my customers were doctors. I've been inside surgical suites before - that kind of stuff."
Using the same logic as Republican Zedler I suppose that because I have my routine doctor's visits for check ups that I have enough expertise to determine whether doctors are providing adequate care. Surely a patient would have more expertise on this matter than a medical equipment salesman?
Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Representative Chris Turner has been endorsed by influential Texas veteran's groups, every major state educator's organization, and most recently the Texas Association of Realtors. The consensus in House District 96 is to send Chris Turner back to Austin. Doing so will allow Republican Zedler to continue and expand his expertise in standards of care by selling medical equipment, but also ensure the constituents of House District 96 have a representative not beholden to donors and special interests. |
