Key health care senators have industry ties

[Old Coot]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Influential senators working to overhaul the nation's health care system have investments and family ties with some of the biggest names in the industry. The wife of Sen. Chris Dodd, the lawmaker in charge of writing the Senate's bill, sits on the boards of four health care companies.

Members of both parties have industry connections, including Democrats Jay Rockefeller and Tom Harkin, in addition to Dodd, and Republicans Tom Coburn, Judd Gregg, John Kyl and Orrin Hatch, financial reports showed Friday. .

Jackie Clegg Dodd, wife of the Connecticut Democrat, is on the boards of Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cardiome Pharma Corp., Brookdale Senior Living and Pear Tree Pharmaceuticals.

Dodd is filling in for ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will soon start work on a health care bill.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090612/ap_on_go_co/us_sena...

[panader0]

1. I'm getting that sinking feeling...................

Maybe Dodd's too old to care what his wife thinks, but I doubt it.

[Cleita]

2. Yes, how did these foxes get in charge of the hen house.

I'm afraid we are going to have to organize MLK style civil rights protests to get them to do the right thing.

[Cleita]

Dupe!

[Jackpine Radical]

11. He's a shill, I tell you!

[Cleita]

15. Perhaps I should have spelled that 'dope'.

[Cleita]

3. Dupe

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Nah. Dodd's not a dupe. He's a shill.

[pleah]

4. Dems are just a kinder, gentler corporate connected group.

Anyone who hasn't figured this out years ago, well, welcome to the real world.

[mbperrin]

5. Politicians bought and paid for by industry? Whoda thunk?

Well, me, of course....

[Solly Mack]

6. K&R

[dhpgetsit]

7. We have the best government money can buy.

[UrbScotty]

8. In other news, Rush Limbaugh is conservative (nt)

[kath]

9. I'm shocked, SHOCKED I say!

Government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations - it's a great and fabulous system we have, I tell ya!

[MasonJar]

12. One word covers it--GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sarcasm intended.

[farmboxer]

13. I am probably going to move to Europe, Canada, Norway

perhaps Spain. I can't take corporate America the Plutocracy anymore. A place where people mean nothing, only the rich are human. We need a revolution? I just don't think "We The People" will ever get anywhere. The rich get rich off the rest of us. Why do you think we have electronic voting machines? We have the numbers, but they have the money, so they get rid of paper ballots and create voting machines that can be hacked to keep the rich in power.

America is France, "before" the Revolution.

We will all die a very horrible death just to make the rich a few dollars more. I am not afraid of death, but I am very afraid of how I will get there being used as money meat for the doctors, insurance companies and the criminal drug companies.

[KillCapitalism]

20. You're exactly right.

I wish I could leave here & go to one of those countries with a social democracy, but they generally do not take immigrants unless you are rich, or have multiple PhD's.

America is like France before the revolution. Michelle and Barack Obama sit in their palace & think to themselves "Let them eat cake."

[EFerrari]

14. LOL

The AP is always the last to know.

[Jackpine Radical]

17. "Associated" Press, alright.

Associated with the Corporate Masters.

[JoyD]

16. Health Care in the US

Our health care system is broken for sure. I am retired from
the medical/pharmaceutical industry, and I can tell you that
the name of the game is $$$$$$$. The profit margins for the
insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are some of
the high test on the Fortune 500 list. It all went downhill
when the decision was made to make our health care a
profitable business. More information on this is at
www.joyonboard.blogspot.com  Should Health care Be For
Profit?  Nixon jumped on board and made this happen, and it
was by design to give less care, and make more money. I don't
remember anyone going bankrupt because they got sick when I
was growing up. The folks on the right can't stand the
thought that someone might get health care who is undeserving
of it; you know, someone poor.  The Jesus party of torture,
can't you feel the love?

[No Elephants]

19. The name of almost every game in this country at this point is $$. Welcome!

[No Elephants]

18. Why do WE re-elect legislators with wives or kids sitting on corporate boards? Unless

some of these guys get primaried, their seats will be lost to Republicans, Dodd first.

Let's see if Democrats in office put their fellow office holders ahead of their Party and country.