4 committees with a public option, 1 without. 1 we don't know yet.

[Teaser]

equals public option in the final bill.

[tekisui]

1. I like your optimism and I hope you are right.

[KittyWampus]

2. Interesting observation and thanks for noting it.

[MadHound]

3. With insurance industry lobbyists pouring 1.5 million per day into Congressional coffers, not likely

It's nice being optimistic and all, but the reality of the matter is that the insurance industry is willing to spend the money, call in the favors and exert their authority in order to kill the public option.

What we're going to get out of this is what I predicted months ago, mandatory health insurance for everyone, and no public option, thus forcing everybody to enrich the pockets of the insurance industry.

I would love to be proven wrong, but I doubt that I will be. This is, after all, the two party/same corporate master system of government and what is good for corporate America is what will be done, the rest of us be damned.

[Teaser]

4. pessimism is self defeating

you don't have to be optimistic. But to be effective, one must not be paralyzed by pessimism.

I accept that the odds are daunting. I also believe we are more than capable of overcoming them.

We're bad motherfuckers, and never forget that.

[MadHound]

5. Refusing to live in reality is foolish.

You can live in pretty pony land all you wish, but the fact of the matter is that corporations control our government, on the local, state and national level. Furthermore, they exert more and more control over politicians the farther up the food chain you go. This is the reality of our current political system. If you don't recognize this fact, then you are going to be played time and again by politicians.

You state that we're "bad motherfuckers", well prove it. Going back to the Clinton days and beyond, the Dems have done as their corporate master wished, deregulating the financial sector, eliminating our social safety net, outsourcing our manufacturing. During the Bush years, what did the Dems do? Oh, yeah, voted for the Iraq war, the Patriot Act, and so much more. Basically all the Dems did was keep their powder dry while rolling over and pissing on themselves like a whipped dog, all to please Bush boy and their corporate masters. We're already seeing that same attitude now. The stimulus bill was watered down to the point where 1/3, one third of it was compromised of tax cuts, ditching billions upon billions of good stimulus programs that would have created and retained jobs. We're also seeing the start of an attack on our education system, a doubling down on the Afghan war, the continued, ongoing occupation of Iraq, on and on. Bad motherfuckers indeed:eyes:

Wake up and smell the complicity. We're having that age old game of good cop/bad cop played on us, and until we take corporate money out of our political system there is going to be no real progress made in this country. What will it take to wake you up? Well, perhaps we'll find out when we see Obama sign a bill with mandatory health insurance and no public option. Perhaps, finally, you and a lot of others will wake up to what is happening in our country. Until then, thank you but I'll continue to live in the real world.