Teamsters Union Member: "The life has been sucked out of the public option"

Better Believe It

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Mon Aug-03-09 01:01 PM
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Teamsters Union Member: "The life has been sucked out of the public option"

Rallying for "Medicare for All," Union Activists Shift Focus to States
� Chris Garlock and Mischa Gaus
Labor Notes

In blazing midday heat in Upper Senate Park, a small but vocal crowd of about 1,000 sweated it out Thursday for single-payer health care. The rally was organized by Healthcare NOW to celebrate the 44th birthday of Medicare, the federally administered system of health insurance for the elderly.

President Obama�s longtime physician, David Scheiner, urged his former patient to support single payer, saying that �A single-payer program could be implemented comparatively easily, without disruption, as was the case with traditional Medicare.�

Senator Bernie Sanders called it �immoral� that the United States �spends twice as much as any other nation and still leaves 46 million without health care.�

Sanders brought the crowd to its feet when he called health insurance �the greatest civil rights issue of our time,� pointing out that 18,000 people die every year because they lack access to health care.

�The Democrats are as responsible as the Republicans,� said Robert Score, recording secretary for the Stagehands (IATSE) Local 1.
�They�re protecting the interests of insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and stuffing their pockets with industry money.�

�The life has been sucked out of the �public option,� so if there�s going to be change it�ll have to be at the state level,� said Michael Carano, a Teamsters Local 348 member and Ohio single-payer activist. �We�re not going to get anywhere until the unions and faith communities come together and invest in a few states�it�ll be easier to mobilize once we see the benefits start to accrue in some places.�

Please read the complete article at:

http://labornotes.org/node/2368

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uponit7771

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Mon Aug-03-09 01:04 PM
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1. Peoples perceptions of the very few dems are close to being correct and that's why Bayh

...and Baucaus and Nelson have to go

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Amos Moses

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Mon Aug-03-09 01:29 PM
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2. �The Democrats are as responsible as the Republicans,�

�They�re protecting the interests of insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and stuffing their pockets with industry money.�

It's not just Republicons and a few Blue Dogs. A lot of Democrats will say they want a "strong public option" but what they really want is a government enforced insurance scam. They just want to be able to say they did something while they're really just helping their corporate overlords rake in the few extra dollars we have left to spend.

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truedelphi

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Mon Aug-03-09 01:30 PM
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3. +1 for the absolute truth.

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bvar22

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Mon Aug-03-09 01:37 PM
Response to Original message

4. K&R

Now BACK to +5.
Health Insurance Industry trolls will try to kill this psot.

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BlooInBloo

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Mon Aug-03-09 01:53 PM
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5. Um.... you're confusing the public option with your dick, you wuss.

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Better Believe It

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Mon Aug-03-09 02:13 PM
Response to Reply #5

7. Why do you engage in personal attacks on Teamsters and other progressives on DU?

Personal attacks on progressive union members and/or posters and calling them names on Democratic Underground is not a good thing to do. Such attacks do not encourage civil discussion and debate. They are highly disruptive.

But putting that aside let me make a helpful suggestion.

Before you comment on healthcare legislation you might want to read the legislation first!

From your brief comment it seems you're totally unfamiliar with the "public option" part of proposed healthcare legislation in Congress.

I'd be more than happy to help you understand what's going on!

For starters, I can direct you to some helpful posts that can educate you on what is actually being proposed in Congress regarding the public option.

Since you seem to be totally uninformed in that regard please let me and others help you.

We got a deal?

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high density

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Mon Aug-03-09 02:05 PM
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6. Seems too early to tell for me

Has this guy seen the future or something?

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Better Believe It

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Mon Aug-03-09 02:39 PM
Response to Reply #6

8. He's clearly been following the healthcare debate & legislation in Congress

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high density

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Mon Aug-03-09 02:48 PM
Response to Reply #8

9. I'm quite aware about what has been discussed

Edited on Mon Aug-03-09 02:49 PM by high density

It's still too early to declare what this person has said. Not to mention he's obviously biased on the subject since nothing short of single payer will satisfy him.

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Better Believe It

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Mon Aug-03-09 03:21 PM
Response to Reply #9

10. How do you know what he thinks, have you talked to him or can you read his mind?

Edited on Mon Aug-03-09 03:23 PM by Better Believe It

You wrote: "he's obviously biased on the subject since nothing short of single payer will satisfy him."

Really? What did he say that indicates he is opposed to a strong, viable public option?

Were you at the rally and did you speak to him at that event?

Can you read his mind .... from a distance?

Have you read comments he made somewhere else indicating he's opposed to a meaningfull public option?

Are you merely guessing what he might believe because you're opposed to single payer legislation?

I'm listening!

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