We want what THEY have! (Health Care)

[Mythsaje]

Anyone who's watched Sicko is familiar with the differences between healthcare in the United States and places like Britain, France, and Canada, not to mention CUBA. Basically what we're getting from Congress is that we're not GOOD enough to get what they have and will have to settle for some half-ass version of something that approaches a limited idea somewhere between that and the train wreck we have now.

And WHY? Well, no matter how much smoke and debris they throw up in an attempt to obfuscate it (socialism, access, waiting lists, etc...)the fact of the matter is that IT'S ABOUT INSURANCE COMPANY PROFITABILITY. Our ability to get the kind of healthcare system we need, that most of the modern world has, is being blocked by the Insurance companies--the only clear losers in a single-payer universal system.

So this is the way it works? The very solvency of the United States, not to mention the health of its citizens, can hinge on making the right choice here. And the narrow interests of a single industry is influencing this discussion to a far greater extent than should ever have been allowed. It's plain that the actions of several of the Democrats in Congress that they're firmly in the pockets of the Insurance industry.

It's unconscionable, intolerable, and just plain wrong. We can't even get a sympathetic outcry from the public about it because the corporate media won't tell anyone what's really going on. I said it before I left DU, many times, that the "MSM" was possibly our most dangerous adversary. Maybe even greater than the Republican Party. They control what the average American sees, hears, and thinks. And their agenda is clearly one that attempts to negate everything we're working for.

If reform fails this time, we know who to blame. Not just the weak or corrupt in Congress, nor the insurance companies, nor the MSM. We failed to make confronting the corporate media an important part of our agenda.


edited to fix a wording error.

[dflprincess]

1. We can call, we can write, we can march

some of us can get arrested confronting Congress face to face but until we can match the bribes the insurance companies are paying into campaign treasuries and provide the crooks lucrative lobbying jobs when they leave Congress, we are screwed.

[dgibby]

2. Excellent post!

This is why we should reframe the message: Health Insurance Reform, not Healthcare Reform.

[omega minimo]

3. Thanks for sharing the Zeitgeist, Mythsage

JINX! :spray:

[bridgit]

4. End for-profit health care, as there should be imo no right-wing, left-wing justices...

There should be no dividend driven share-holder directed for-profit health care end it!!

[FiveGoodMen]

8. Hear, hear!

:applause:

The idea that some people with money (stockholders) should be able to skim more money off of sick people who can't really refuse, is one of the vilest notions ever concocted.

[clear eye]

5. "F" the corporate media--when is the mass march?

Online petitions and phone calls to Congress just aren't cutting it. And if you belong to an AFL-CIO union, tell the highest official you can reach that simply because Obama cut a deal with the SEIU's head, Andy Stern, not to back single-payer, doesn't mean the AFL-CIO unions need to keep silent on it as well. They've already been shut out of the loop--Stern's been invited to the White House for consultation a dozen times already and gotten his person in as Labor Sec'y, while the AFL-CIO officials were asked once for a signing ceremony. They have nothing left to lose with this President and by continuing to beg around his ankles like a whipped dog, they only further lose his respect. The industries the AFL-CIO have organized desperately need single-payer (witness the demise of Chrysler) to compete w/ those of the other industialized nations that already have a national health care system, not to mention the unions' membership. Unfortunately the AFL-CIO's main office in D.C. doesn't take calls from the public, and they don't answer feedback put on the online form on their political action page. So call the head of your local or whole union if you can find a good phone number, encourage your coworkers to do likewise, and let's swell a march on Washington for single-payer w/ union members!

[Norrin Radd]

6. kr

[Wednesdays]

7. K&R

:kick:

[Echo In Light]

9. K&R