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Democrats kill public option choice in healthcare reform
Activists have called the public to action to convince Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer and Congresswoman Barbara Lee to restore the public option in healthcare reform, to stop greedy healthcare industry groups from ripping off the public!
Democrats kill public option choice in healthcare reform
by Lynda Carson December 10, 2009
Oakland - In a huge set back to healthcare reform, Democrats killed off the public option needed by the 40 million and more non insured Americans that will be criminalized with huge fines, penalties and possible jail time if they fail to comply with the mandatory health insurance proposals that may soon become the law of the land.
On Tuesday December 8, Democrats sided with the GOP, ruthless insurance companies, greedy doctors, and pharmaceutical companies to scrap a government-run health insurance option from sweeping health care legislation being proposed in the House and Senate.
The recent debates and proposals for healthcare coverage of Americans has turned into an ultra right-wing ideological war against a women's right to choose, single payer healthcare proposals, a government-run public option insurance program, and imported low-cost pharmaceuticals from other countries.
Enforcing mandatory health insurance with out achieving major cost savings for the general welfare of the public will create more poverty and destitution, among a generation of citizens being turned in to criminals and penalized for not being able to afford health insurance coverage.
As reported in a recent November letter by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the health reform bill H.R. 3962 already passed by the House of Representatives will criminalize citizens who fail to buy a $15,000 health insurance plan, and threatens them with up to five years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 for those who fail to comply.
In protest against the Democratic and Republican joint efforts to kill off the public option needed to reign in the costs of exorbitant rip off insurance policies currently being foisted upon the general public, on Dec. 8 "Move On" a liberal grassroots organization, sponsored hundreds of vigils across the nation to protest and send congress the message that Americans want a public option.
Powerful Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman has made demands that the public option be stripped from healthcare reform on behalf of the wealthiest insurance companies that have corrupted and payed him off, and with other powerful democrats joining in the chorus to kill off the public option, any meaningful cost containment healthcare reform that would actually benefit the welfare of the nation's public has been terminated, and dashed to bits for the foreseeable future, and many years to come.
In another effort to save the public option, Health Care for America NOW, a large coalition fighting for the public option has an online petition called, "Say No To Joe," which says, "A public health insurance option that is accountable to voters and Congress and available nationally from day one is essential to lower health care costs and to keeping insurance companies honest. Otherwise, the insurance companies win. Health reform cannot be held hostage by Joe Lieberman. We the American people, reject this so-called compromise."
Organized calls to action have also been on-going, asking Californians to call Senator Boxer, Senator Feinstein, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee to demand that a public option not be abandoned by the democratic party, and their allies.
The $848 billion healthcare reform bill that has the public option eliminated from it, is being supported by President Obama, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democratic Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, and other lawmakers and industry groups with considerable influence on Capital Hill.
Democrats hope that their sell-out on the public option question will keep the healthcare legislation on track for a final passage, sometime before Christmas.
Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com
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The problem is not the Democrats per se but us voters. It is silly (as this article puts it) to PRETEND that the reason a very conservative "Democrat" like Senator Lieberman is an opponent is that he has been corrupted by the insurance lobby (very powerful in CT) but really the overwhelming mass of the people of CT are demanding "single payer".
The reality is that the reason we have such a conservative Democrat as senator from CT is that is the political reality of that state (which might otherwise be electing a liberal-moderate Republican). The reality that we are losing this battle on the hill is NOT that the politicians are ignoring "the will of the people" but that WE have not managed to assemble a groundswell of support behing "single payer".
To believe otherwise is self delusion, not good if we want to make progress on the issue. We can't sit back and simply blame those that don't want "single payer" (for whatever reasons). Irrelevant whether we think their reasons bad, their business toleel payor" to mobilize enough support among the people, to prove that there are enough votes here that representatives better get on the right side of the issue. Don't bitch, organize!
The reality is that the reason we have such a conservative Democrat as senator from CT is that is the political reality of that state (which might otherwise be electing a liberal-moderate Republican). The reality that we are losing this battle on the hill is NOT that the politicians are ignoring "the will of the people" but that WE have not managed to assemble a groundswell of support behing "single payer".
To believe otherwise is self delusion, not good if we want to make progress on the issue. We can't sit back and simply blame those that don't want "single payer" (for whatever reasons). Irrelevant whether we think their reasons bad, their business toleel payor" to mobilize enough support among the people, to prove that there are enough votes here that representatives better get on the right side of the issue. Don't bitch, organize!
I sure am glad that I voted for Ralph Nader who was endorsed as a U.S. Presidential candidate and Matt Gonzales for Vice President candidate by the Peace & Freedom Party. The democratic party is really the republican party.
Lieberman is a traitor to the American people as far as I am concerned, as well as most of the two parties..
This is my opinion only.
Dina J. Padilla
Lieberman is a traitor to the American people as far as I am concerned, as well as most of the two parties..
This is my opinion only.
Dina J. Padilla
For more information:
http://kaiserpapers.org
But perhaps the wrong way to look at American political parties.
The Democrats are not "leftists" but all that means is that they are nor, primarily representing leftists. For the very simple reason that among "the people" far too few are for the left. That's the reality of the US political system. The parties are not (in the long run) "ideological". Better to think of them as "businersses" in search of cutomers, interest groups which they wil represent in exchange for votes at the polls. The job of putting together a "party" then is one of successfully combining a set of these interests that are compatible (under one tent) which collectively makes up enough votes to win an election.
Rarely in this system is it necessary for a third party movement to replace one of the major parties. Usually if "outside interests" can be put together coming up with over 10% the major parties will rearragnge their coaltions so as to be able to absorb some or all of these interests. That results in the collapse of the third party BUT the interests it represented are now "inside". ONCE this did not happen and the nascent Republicans replaced the Whigs because neither the Democrats nor the Whigs could absorb the aolitionists.
HOWEVER -- this is not a fast process. Takes a decade of organizing at least. At the moment the "left" interetions "because they are the right thing to do" even though these positions aren't key to the coalition and result in some of the interests dropping out. In other words, the"leftists" seem unable to arrange under the tent/ But stay tuned because it is possible that the Republicans will self destruct and we will have a general realignment.
The Democrats are not "leftists" but all that means is that they are nor, primarily representing leftists. For the very simple reason that among "the people" far too few are for the left. That's the reality of the US political system. The parties are not (in the long run) "ideological". Better to think of them as "businersses" in search of cutomers, interest groups which they wil represent in exchange for votes at the polls. The job of putting together a "party" then is one of successfully combining a set of these interests that are compatible (under one tent) which collectively makes up enough votes to win an election.
Rarely in this system is it necessary for a third party movement to replace one of the major parties. Usually if "outside interests" can be put together coming up with over 10% the major parties will rearragnge their coaltions so as to be able to absorb some or all of these interests. That results in the collapse of the third party BUT the interests it represented are now "inside". ONCE this did not happen and the nascent Republicans replaced the Whigs because neither the Democrats nor the Whigs could absorb the aolitionists.
HOWEVER -- this is not a fast process. Takes a decade of organizing at least. At the moment the "left" interetions "because they are the right thing to do" even though these positions aren't key to the coalition and result in some of the interests dropping out. In other words, the"leftists" seem unable to arrange under the tent/ But stay tuned because it is possible that the Republicans will self destruct and we will have a general realignment.
regardless of the bill they pass we are going to have to deal with this http://www.typobounty.com/Funny/Health_Care_Reform3.htm just be prepared
If we get a compromise reform Bill through this Congress that extends coverage to millions of people, ends the pre-existing conditions exclusions, adds full insurance portability, makes it illegal for insurers to drop patients or raise their rates just because they get sick, repeals the anti-trust exemption, allows for national programs and gets the same prices congressmen and women get - as well as setting up exchanges to increase competition, then we will really have done something important.
Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home
Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home
For more information:
http://members.cox.net/journeyhome/index.htm
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