Everybody in, Nobody out, another Dr. King speaks out

[maryf]

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_13269823

Everybody in, nobody out
By Susanne L. King, M.D.
09/04/2009

The disruptions at town meetings in August were not just the work of
conservative hecklers and their corporate backers. The wave of anger
also revealed that many Americans feel left out during the current
recession. It is not just the 50 million people who are left out
because they don't have health insurance, or the tens of millions who
are left out because they have inadequate health insurance, or even
the many people who have been bankrupted by their medical bills (the
most common cause of bankruptcy in the United States).
Millions of other Americans also feel left out and angry, frustrated
by the bailouts for Wall Street and other corporations which profit
from the tax dollars of struggling Americans.

The current health insurance reform bill being created in Congress is
looking like just another bailout - this time for health insurance and
pharmaceutical companies. With their lobbying dollars and influence,
these companies are crafting health insurance legislation to expand
their profits and power.

A proposed individual mandate to force 47 million citizens to buy
health insurance will be a windfall for private health insurance
companies, and will be partially paid for with taxpayer dollars for
subsidies to support premiums for people who can't afford health
insurance.

And the drug companies pulled a real coup. President Obama agreed to a
promise of $80 billion from the pharmaceutical companies over ten
years in exchange for an agreement with the government to not bargain
down medication prices for Medicare, and to not allow people to buy
cheaper drugs from Canada. The drug companies did not give the
government $80 billion, nor agree to cut prices, but only to reduce
the amount they would otherwise have raised prices. $80 billion over
ten years translates into savings of only 2 percent of the projected
U.S. spending on prescription drugs. What was Obama thinking?

What ordinary people seem to be thinking is, "We've given enough
bailouts to the private sector, and we are sick of our government
continuing to subsidize private corporations."

At a "Community Meeting for Healthcare" in New Hampshire during his
campaign for president in 2007, Barack Obama talked with 200-plus
people about health care reform. He said, "I want to be held
accountable for establishing a universal health care plan by the end
of my first term, but I have to insist on the voters rallying for this
change. When I take office I have to feel I have a mandate for change."

much more at link

We have to demand mandate for change!!

[eleny]

1. K&R

[maryf]

3. Thanks! I love applause! nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. K&R

[maryf]

4. Thanks! please check this out:

great info here as well:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6478181&mesg_id=6478181

[Edweird]

5. If he is unwilling to do what we hired him to do, then we need to replace him with someone that will

It's that simple. The 'mandate' happened in '06 AND '08. Yet we are still being dicked around. Bailing out big pharma while stiffing us with the tab is NOT acceptable. The current status quo is unacceptable. This whole 'now you have to make me' schtick is a bunch of bull crap. If you hired somebody to do a job , any job, and they pulled that, you would (rightly) fire their ass in heartbeat. And sue for your money back. The stakes are far too high for bullshit games.

[maryf]

6. Hear, hear..."The current status quo is unacceptable"

absolutely right, if I could still edit, I'd take out my last part about making him. As somebody else said recently, "I want my change back", thanks for your post.

[blindpig]

7. k&r

Single payer is the only option that will work for the people, as it does not work for capitalists interests it is considered beyond the pall.

In a nutshell, profits are more important than the wellbeing of the people.

[TBF]

8. K&R n/t

[slipslidingaway]

9. knr n/t

[Toasterlad]

10. "We have to demand mandate for change!!"

Didn't we do that by electing this clown?

He doesn't give a shit about us.