Democrats Sell Out on Healthcare
A national health care plan of any meaningful kind is doomed. There are many reasons why it doesn't have a chance. Democrats, even with their overwhelming majority in Congress, show us once more that they don't have the courage to lead. It is as if they have already forgotten about their years of irrelevance that were brought on by their own terminal timidity. They really are such an easy target for Republicans because even as creepy as Republicans look today, they at least stand for something. Americans respect that. It's not only cowardice that will doom national health care. Seventy-two percent of Americans want meaningful health care reform. The bad news is that organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the pharmaceutical industry, and the insurance industry, want to maintain business as usual because for them, our dysfunctional system is a cash cow.
Drug companies showed a profit of 80 billion dollars last year while the health care industry collected 13 billion in profits. Life is good, and they are spreading all those billions around to the Democrats -- the same way they did for the Republicans. For every one member of congress, there are four health care lobbyists. Where money and politics is involved, a donkey looks exactly like an elephant.
Max Baucus is the head donkey with his hand out this time around. He is a Democrat senator from Montana who is supposed to help lead the reform legislation. It would be difficult to find a senator in Washington who is more beholding to drug companies, and insurance companies. Those groups adore Baucus to the tune of almost 4 million dollars in campaign contributions. So here's how Baucus repays the favor: He works to derail real health care reform, the kind that three quarters of Americans want. He helps negotiate a "deal" with the drug companies where those companies promise to lower drug costs so older Americans can afford the medicines that keep them alive. The trade-off is that government is not permitted to limit costs like they could under a national health care system. In other words, there will be no cost oversight... business as usual.
But the Baucus scam doesn't end there. Baucus wants to protect the profits of the people who own him by passing on reform costs to families that receive health insurance benefits from their employers. The value of health benefit plans that cover hospitalization, drugs, vision and dental care would be taxed. Baucus is no doubt certain that his plan would be difficult to sell. But that's the point. The people who paid him 4 million dollars don't want reform of any kind. To them, it's better to kill reform completely.
So here's the fallout: The United States remains the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health care system.
- 46 million Americans remain uninsured;
- 20 thousand people continue to die each year because they are uninsured;
- Elderly Americans continue to make the choice of whether they should eat or buy medicine;
- Health care costs continue to bankrupt American families.
But there will be some justice. Democrats will lose in midterm elections because voters will remember that they are nothing more than Bill-Clinton-gutless moderates.
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Here's a link to Ralph Nader's single payer effort and petition:
http://sin
Montana voters, if you don't know already, there's a Dem Congressional candidate named McDonald, who is for single payer. His article is on this site under the Wire section.
I am urging that everyone who commented, call/write your Democratic congressperson and your 2 senators, and threaten to vote them out if they don't pass a national health insurance program. I just did that with mine, Feinstein and Boxer. Believe me, it will freak them out. Enough people need to do this. In the meantime, look for people in your community who are more progressive and get them to start mounting primary challenges. Start now and help campaign for progressives in the mid-term elections. What we don't want to do is to replace Democrats with more Republicans. What we do need to do is replace the Baucuses and Nelsons with better and more progressive Democrats. This means everyone is going to have to get off their duffs and work and put their money into these campaigns.
See Joseph A. Palermo's Profile
No public option, no second term.
Please specify what you mean by "public option." How would it be funded? Would it charge premiums and impose deductibles? If so, at what rate? How would it differ from an HMO? Can you point to a specific bill or proposal that corresponds to your idea of the public option?
give everyone the option of joining Medicare.
pay for it by stopping all American wars
Well at least all members of congress have great insurance and excellent healthcare. And that’s all that matters – right?
So, Democrats will lose in midterm elections, and Republicans will gain seats.
This is progress?
It is not so much progress as karma.
"But there will be some justice. Democrats will lose in midterm elections because voters will remember that they are nothing more than Bill-Clint
Who the He11 are they going to lose to???? What Justice???
Granted they are spineless, status quo sock puppets, but WHAT or WHO are viable alternatives???
Wearescrewed!
Well guess we will find out names like Baucus and Nelson to bounce out of the Senate when their turn comes up. Daschle was historically bounced out and now his true colors as well as his tax returns shows he was and always will be owned by Big Pharma and the insurance companies. It may take a while to clear out the roaches from the kitchen but the light has been turned on .
I wonder how much those Pharma Corporations based in Switzerland charge for the same drug in Switzerland vs. USA.
Betcha we are getting hosed big time.
Switzerland has socialized health care....Th
No public insurance plan, no commerce. Period. Set a date and keep it. Don't just spend less. Anyone with a brain knows clearly what I'm talking about. The alternative is serious- a Constitutional Convention organized free of D.C. interference. Do not take this action lightly, as it is the last resort.
Corporate is subverting our country and cannot be permitted to escape it's well-earned taming. It may be the only way to remove the scourge. Compromise is no longer acceptable, as we've seen and experienced a thousand times before. Public Health care is what America needs. We should demand it now and not allow our "representatives" to again serve their lobbyist masters over us. If representative government fails, as it is doing now, we must conduct a total rebuild from the bottom up. That is what a CC does.
We would need lawyers outside the Beltway to create the paper we need just like John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin created in the face of occupation and maximum unfairness.
We will need revolutionary zeal to accomplish the task, should Obama and the Democrats fail us in securing a single payer solution. We need thinkers to organize and move forward. Most of all, we need people with courage and focus.
Corporate may own Congress, but we the people must learn to captain our own ship in the absence of effective leadership and a legitimate legislature.
http://www
COWARDS ALL!
Yep, only a general strike will get results. 76% would make a very persuasive statement to Corporate. We hold the power to shut down any industry we choose...i
Begin thinking general strike: Our only non-violent communication to Corporate, since our "representatives" are actually nothing more than made mobster. Corporate must be tamed and words aren't enough. It's time to shut down amoral profit-making at the theft level entirely.
Strike!
Let him know
http://www
Just sent this letter:
The idea of health care for all is a good one. Almost every industrialized Western nation that we compete with has it. That gives them an unfair advantage. The Conservative idea to level the playing field, and return America to a competitive work force, is that wages and benefits must be cut to equal these other countries!
Universal health care! It is the only way to really have a chance to continue as a competitive nation! It is a right, and the majority of Americans demand it! Please do not let the lobbyists for multi billion dollar companies sway you with tales of woe to their bottom lines; they made $80 billion in profits, while 20,000 Americans died because these companies put profits before treatment!
Their rationing of care and their denial of payment for specious reasons are allowing Americans with insurance coverage to die in order to keep the industry's profits high!
Mr. President, you stand to lose your Democratic majorities and perhaps your second term over this issue. Please do not put corporate profits ahead of American citizens again.
Thank yo for your consideration.
Respectfully
Me....
BINGO!
The ethics of how business is conducted by our government completely baffles me. It is obviously unethical and not in the best interest of the people for a government official to accept money from a lobbyist, but it seems like this happens regularly anyway. Why is this legal?!
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