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Jan

29

Man Pondering 2

Here is something to ponder.  I have been watching a lot of the coverage of the massive tragedy in Haiti.  Most estimates put the death toll at an unbelievable 200,000.  A tragedy that is hard to comprehend and so many of us feel very helpless in what we can do beyond financial support.  Americans have always responded to such tragedies with benevolent donations, no matter where they occur in the world.  We demonstrate generosity like no other nation on the planet.  It makes us proud to be Americans, as well it should. 

Here is what we should ponder.  Most experts tell us that 40 million Americans go through life with no health insurance what so ever.  Of that number the vast majority are employed in jobs that offer no such health care benefit.  These hard working people have become known as the “working poor”.  Once again, the experts seem to agree that one percent of that 40 million will die simply because they could not afford to get treatment for whatever disease they may be afflicted with.  If you do the math, one percent of 40 million equals 400,000 deaths.  Double those who are estimated to have died in the Haiti earthquake. 

Today Americans are more opposed to health care with a public option than ever before.  When tragedies like the Haiti earthquake strike we have no qualms about putting aside our own needs to help.  For some reason, Americans can’t see the tragedy that is occurring everyday right here in front of them.  Maybe it’s because there isn’t enough visible rubble laying around the victims.   Most die quietly in their homes, or in an alley or under a bridge.  We don’t see the courageous first responders pull them back from the brink of death. Because there are no miracle workers for people without health insurance.  Perhaps we don’t comprehend that this tragedy is occurring because we just don’t believe the statistics that experts tell us.  Could it be that it’s because most don’t understand the magnitude of the problem.  Unless you have diabetes, cancer, MS, a heart condition or some other dreaded disease and at the same time have no way to treat it, that you just couldn’t understand it.  What we come to find out all to late; you never know when it could be you or worse, someone you love that faces those dire consequences.  In the meantime we find it easy to chastise our elected officials for trying to do something about the health care tragedy in this country.  We confuse socialism with social responsibility.  We allow misinformation to rule the day.  Tragically those who shout the loudest, come up with the vilest remarks, end up denying the uninsured and the underinsured the same quality of health care that they themselves enjoy. 

When you kneel down to pray this weekend for the victims in Haiti, try to take some time and say a prayer for those who are suffering without health insurance.  More than likely it will be someone you know, instead of a stranger.  Of course, both need our prayers.

Jan

17

Sad Lady LibertyThe outrageousness of the Cheney/Bush years has left a toll on all Americans. Those on the right who agreed with the GOP agenda during those days, now seem determined to undermine President Obama as he tries to straighten out the mess left him by Bush. It is indeed a sad state of affairs. Our society has become a society of skeptics. We say we love our country, but in the same breath these same folks shout out their hatred for all things government. For instance some on the right find it much easier to trust the insurance industry to administer our health care than they do the government. Given the track record of insurance companies I always find this attitude astonishing. How do you justify trusting an industry who makes profits by denying needed services to their customers.

So how do we change this trend that seems to make distrust of our government and the officials we elect, so popular? For one thing we have to hold our elected officials accountable. Most voters simply do not do that. It’s easier to stand on the sidelines and criticize than to do the work, to research our elected persons or quite simply, to get involved. Gandhi tells us “be the change you want to see in the world”. Truer words were never spoken. But that takes hard work, that few people are willing to do. What’s worse is that those who choose to do the work are often looked down on by those who would rather pull themselves into a shell and hide from the problems facing all of us.

We are truly blessed in this country to be able to voice our concerns without being persecuted for it. This is commonly called democracy at work. We the people have to make it work and we can do just that. Voters must stop standing on the sidelines and allowing the talking heads to form their opinions. If we just apply a little common sense, we can see clearly that working families need to be supported by real government programs. Government has a responsibility to make sure those who cannot take care of themselves have help. This is not socialism it is social responsibility. So much in this time gets blown out of proportion. Everything the government does is not bad no more than all politicians are corrupt. Unfortunately the corrupt and the failed programs seem to garner the media’s ire and those who can’t think for themselves fall prey to their power of influence. Many government programs do exactly what they are designed to do, it is human error that breaks down the process. When we automatically assume that these human errors are part of a plot to undermine the lives of Americans, then we are only adding making a bad situation worse. Common sense thinking goes out the door when we allow paranoia to rule our lives.

We find fault with our government, yet congress is full of representatives that have been their forever. If these congress men and women are so evil or incompetent then how do they continue to get elected. To answer that question merely look in the mirror, that person you see is responsible. This is going to be another pivotal year in American politics. The Republicans are licking their chops at the prospect of regaining key elected positions all over the country. Democrats are determined to hold on to the majorities they have. You the voter hold the outcomes in your hand. What happens in this election cycle should be the result of all of us getting involved and making decisions based on wanting the truth from those candidates who have taken on this difficult journey to serve the public interest.

Nov

5

insurance_cartoon-450x354The American health insurance industry has been running ads that, in all likelihood, are scaring the hell out of our senior citizen community.  They are claiming that the government is planning massive cuts to Medicare.  These scare tactics are all too familiar, and I believe will open the doors for Republicans to make political hay with seniors who represent a powerful voting block.   What our elderly community should pay attention to, is who is paying for these TV spots.  It is the insurance lobby.  Which tells me that they are only interested in protecting their profits.  This is inherently, the problem with our health care system.  It is based on big time insurance companies making massive profits on the backs of the afflicted and disabled.  This is nothing short of a moral outrage.  Even though many people work and depend on insurance companies, it is time for the these corporate leaches to have their legs taken out from under them.  Our legislators need to slam the door on the insurance industry money and their demands.

Next year is another important political cycle.  We will be voting on congress members and as we look at these choices we need to make sure we examine who is padding their campaign treasuries.  When you see your congressman taking huge sums of cash from the insurance industry take note and let them know this is unacceptable.  Simply stated , legislators who are in the pockets of the big insurance giants are simply not going to make the right decisions for their constituents.

Sep

12

The President gave a brilliant speech on Wednesday night.  There is no arguing that, no matter what the right-wing Obama haters try to say.  The radical right does not want to see this president succeed.  To the extent, that they would sacrifice the health of nearly 50 million Americans to accomplish that. That’s how despicable the G.O.P. has become.

Their lack of respect for the President set an all time low even for the Republican Party.  It’s as if every elected Republican has morphed into Rush Limbaugh/Glenn Beck clone.  If I were an American who has supported this party at the polls in the past, I would abandon the G.O.P. until they learn how to represent the ordinary people in their party.   The Republicans have demonstrated throughout this whole debate that they are not interested in solving the issue, they are only interested in derailing health care reform.
 

It is time for responsible thinking Americans to stand up and be counted.  This President has met with the most asinine resistance to all of his proposals that the G.O.P. is now the party of obstructionism.  For the moObama HC Quotest part these outbursts are racially motivated.  This blogger is not one to throw out the race card very easy.  Until recently, this country has made great strides in minimizing racial road blocks.  Now that we have a President with African heritage we have decided to demonstrate that we have a long way to go to get past the race issues in this country.

Recently the President wanted to speak to our nation’s children.  His motive was to simply to encourage kids to work hard, study and stay in school.  Using himself as an example of what knowledge and hard work can accomplish, his message was one of triumph and hope.  Something our children could sorely use. Presidents before him have done the same thing.  President George Bush was sitting in a class room when the attacks of 9/11 occurred.  But for only one reason, Americans objected loudly when President Obama wanted send a positive message to our school children.  That reason was racism.  It is disturbing that people could be so hateful and mean.  I say to any school district that did not allow the Presidnet into their classrooms, you should be embarrassed and held accountable.  School Boards who made this decision to bar the elected President from our schools should be held accountable at the polls.  It is the right thing to doand must be done.

We have got to put a stop to the Republican parties grandstanding.  The G.O.P. got it’s ass handed to them last November.  The now believe the only way they can make hay in 2010 is to discredit this President, with lies, lies and more lies.  The truth of the matter is simply this; they are going to protect their wealthy campaign contributors at the expense of working families.  They have always done this and they always will.  It is up to the working middle class to say enough is enough.  The Republicans should never be in the majority when they do not represent that majority.  Working families are the majority in this country.  It is time for working people to stand up and be counted.  It is the only way we will ever stop the slide that the United States is in at the hands of the wealthy.  The working poor deserve better.

Aug

30

HealthcareThis health care debate has brought out the worst in Americans.  Selfishness, greed and hate are all ingredients inserted by the right wing talking heads. Ordinary citizens for some strange reason are taking up this cause that we shouldn’t take care of the uninsured.  If these same people came upon a bad accident most would quickly jump in to help, without any thought what so ever.  For some reason, that same mentality doesn’t translate to those who are slowly dying because they can’t get affordable health care.  Those same “good” Samaritans suddenly become uncaring, mean spirited and selfish. 

This has become a battle that we must win, it has to happen now.  Despite what they say, we are not rushing this bill through congress.  It has been 40 years in the making.  This week we have seen the passing of the one man who made it his life’s work, Sen. Edward Kennedy.  Now is the time to make this bill a reality, so that he will have not died in vain.  House Bill 3200 must become the Kennedy Bill.  Make no mistake this bill falls short in my eyes, but it is a start.  We cannot be satisfied until every man, woman and child can receive what ever health care and medicine they need without spending a dime. 

For those who say; ”how will we will pay for it”, it’s simple.  We restructure the budget, spending less on defense, reel in Congressional spending by both parties and tax those who pay the least. The wealthy 2 per cent, who would rather pay high powered accounting firms to avoid taxes, then pay their fair share to the government.  For those who worry about the insurance industry, I say let the insurance companies get what they so richly deserve, a swift kick in the hind end.  Insurance companies have raped the American public for way to long, it’s time they got what’s coming to them, a lot of oversight and a little competition. 

It’s simple, people before profits.  Profit, by no means is a dirty word.  I want all companies/corporations to be profitable and provide the kind of jobs Americans need.  As long as greed is part of the equation, working families will always get the short end of the stick.  It’s up to the government to make sure the less fortunate are treated fairly and have the necessities to live a fruitful and happy life.  The sooner our elected legislators realize that the sooner we will become a nation of compassion instead of a nation of selfish haters. 

The right wing obstructionists who have incited the chaos at these town hall meetings, by spreading lies should be ashamed of themselves.  Those who bought into their deceitful rhetoric should be equally ashamed of themselves.

Thank the GOP 1

Aug

18

Lately we have heard a lot of talk about the President possibly pulling the “public option” from the healthcare bill, for an insurance “co-op” plan.  Here is what I have found about the co-op proposal. 

Individuals seeking insurance would go to an “exchange” that would list available health care plans, both from private companies and the co-op. The customer could compare prices and coverage and choose a carrier. 

The co-op, as a nonprofit enterprise, would in theory provide the same coverage as the private companies at a slightly lower price. That would force private insurers to lower their prices to compete. The co-ops would be owned by its members, not the government, and eventually be run by a member-appointed board. Co-ops also would have to follow government-established rules for coverage, cash reserves, availability and perhaps premiums. As a result, many conservatives argue that co-ops are just another name for government-run health care. 

The question remains, does this meet the objective of a public plan, which is to provide healthcare to the uninsured.  My fear is that Iit does not.  There are people out there that cannot afford to pay anything to have themselves and their loved ones covered.  Even the public option idea doesn’t go far enough as far as I am concerned. Here is why. 

Let’s say and this is true in my case, you are married.  One spouse has a pretty good income and is provided okay healthcare insurance that they are paying for.  The other spouse is unemployed, because of this their income has been cut by more than a third.  For that person to go on their spouses insurance plan would cause the premium to more than double, they simply can’t afford that.  So the unemployed spouse goes without coverage.  Under the current public option model this individual could get healthcare coverage but at a cost.  Because of their household income their subsidy from the government (designed to reduce the cost) would be minimal if at all.  So this individual is still in the same circumstance, no healthcare coverage that they can afford. 

This is why we need a National Healthcare Program that insures every man, woman and child without cost.  If you like your employer provided coverage, then keep it.  At the same time no one should deny coverage to those who can’t afford it through no fault of their own.  Universal healthcare despite what the right says, is working and working well in Europe and Canada.  Doctors and healthcare professionals are thriving and making a very good living in the national healthcare systems everywhere else.  That is a fact and I challenge anyone who reads this to provide tangible evidence to the contrary. 

Congressman and Senators who oppose or want to slow down the healthcare reform movement are receiving millions of dollars in campaign contributions from the insurance lobby.  This is not what they were elected to do, they were elected to serve the needs of their constituents not to protect the profits of the insurance industry.  Americans have got to wake up to that reality, or we are all going see financial ruin at the hands of the giant insurance carriers.  Common people who believe the rhetoric coming from the right,  obviously don’t understand what’s going on, or have jobs and healthcare insurance, could care less what happens to the displaced or dispossessed.  It is a sad state of affairs when the working class choose to believe these unconcerned legislators over what makes good sense, for all and have the ability to persuade those who choose to be uninformed. 

Here are the famous Gang of 6 Senators who are hell bent on derailing healthcare reform:  Those of us who have a conscience and want to see the right thing done for everyone. 

Sen. Mac Baucus (D-MT), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Sen. Kent Conrad (D-WY), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Sen. Olympia Snow (R-ME).  Together these six Senators have received $3,058, 256.00 from the insurance/pharmaceutical industries.  Take the time to visit this website http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/gang_of_6/ let the gang of six know how you feel.  When you get there, sign a petition to send them a strong message that we are not goint to tolerate their stonewalling on behalf of the insurance industry.

Aug

16

Dean Town Hall Meeting at SEIU in Columbus

To see more photos of the Dean town hall meeting click the photo

Yesterday, thanks to my good friend Allie Petonic, I was able to attend a town hall meeting at SEIU in Columbus that featured Dr. Howard Dean the former DNC chairman.  Dr. Dean did a great job of addressing the pros and cons of the President’s Health care proposal.  I thought he made valid points, it was clear to me that this plan will work.  What we have to do in this country is get past the lies and fear mongering be dumped on us by the hate filled right wing-nuts.  Sixty five per-cent of this nation made it clear, last November, that the Republicans were no longer a viable option.   We cannot waiver on that decision, at this early junction of the Obama administration.  Our healthcare system is without question, falling short of covering everyone in this country.  Furthermore, insurance companies do not care about quality health services, all they care about is the bottom line.  People before profits, it’s the only way.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; it is a moral outrage that huge profits are be made on the backs of people suffering from disease or injury.  That’s the system we are cursed with and it needs to stop.

Aug

13

It is unfortunate that so many Americans can’t seem to get past these right-wing nut jobs who vomit up nothing but hate and fear to the general public.  Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity together, couldn’t spell cat if you spotted them the ”c” and the “t”.  Many Americans, seem to have lost the ability to think on their own.  Now these same people have let loonies lead then down a path to hell.  They won’t to drag us all down with them.

We need health care reform, in fact we need a totally free health care system that takes care of every man, woman and child.  The sooner we get the “profit” out of health care, the better off everyone will be.  Insurance companies have dictated, for way too long, what medical treatment people can and cannot have.  It is an industry that makes billions of dollars denying people coverage after years of faithfully paying their premiums.  This is by design.  What is worse they do it over and over again, without any remorse what-so-ever.  It’s time to reel in these insurance magnates.  People before profits has to be the motto of a new generation. 

It is also time for Americans to stop beating up elected legislators who are trying to do the job they were hired to do.  It is too easy to stand on the sidelines and criticize those whose jobs none of us are willing to do.  It’s a thankless job for the most part and it is impossible to make everyone happy.  Believing lies and half-truths spewed out by right wing fanatics who are bitter over their ass-whipping last November, need to shut up.  They have no credibility.  Working families have carried the tax burden in this country for a long time.  Meanwhile the millionaires and corporations never pay their fair share.  This has to change.  Middle America needs a little bang for it’s buck, health care with a public option would be a great start.

For eight years we stood by and watched the Cheney/Bush Republicans financially wreck this country.  Support this President, believe in him and support REAL health care reform.  The President has surrounded himself with the best minds in the country, none of that matters if we allow the idiots to minipulate the facts.  These town hall meetings have become an attraction for derranged individuals who have fallen prey to the haters and the fear mongers.  Be smarter than that.

Aug

10

Tiberi 4Lies, lies and more lies from the G.O.P. The Republicans are doing the only thing they know how to do, is be disruptive no matter what the cost. Mistruths, innuendo, scare tactics, all are the tools of the right wing propaganda machine. People need to receive quality health care at no cost to the working poor. Pat Tiberi for some reason wants to deny the availability of a public option for health care to those who desperately need it. Now this issue is turning ugly, all courtesy of right wing fanatics.

The recent chaos and even violence at recent town hall meetings is originated and encouraged by the Republican right. If you are a Republican voter, you have to be embarrassed. This is what the righties have sunk, too. The truth of the matter is the Pat Tiberi’s of the world are liars. Tiberi knows he is lying and he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about working families. He doesn’t care about the un-insured. Pat Tiberi doesn’t even care about children who are being denied quality healthcare. All Pat Tiberi cares about is himself and the millionaires he can protect from paying their fair share. Of course he has to protect the insurance industry, from which he has literally taken thousands of dollars from in campaign contributions.

Pat Tiberi has to go. We have to get rid of this corrupt, lying scoundrel of a politician. If we don’t, his lack of compassion for working families will continue to deny healthcare to those who need it most. It’s time to get angry, and the only to vent that anger sensibly, is not at town hall meetings. Show your disgust at the ballot box and send Pat Tiberi packing in 2010. It’s time to get rid of this arrogant, lying dunce of a politician.

Aug

2

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