Well, they are wrong. Health care is an issue that is as politicized as education and social security. Even the practice of medicine is grist for the political mill. Each year there are more and more scope of practice issues debated at the legislature. Our mission is to protect the health of the public and this means that we need to be involved in politics.
Every physician needs to do two things.
There are only 3000 physicians and spouses in South Dakota, so numbers are going to have to be supplemented with political donations. Giving to individual candidates is not enough because organized medicine may have a crucial race at the far end of the state. The other is to attend the district meeting to which the legislators are invited. This will show them that their physician constituents are interested. Pan of our difficulty is simply cultural.