Unfortunately, we also have to face the fact that there is a substantial part of the US population - possibly a majority, that either:

1. have never heard the phrase "Single Payer healthcare",

2. are smugly comfortable with their own job-provided plans, and so really don't care about the less fortunate - Obama has expressed this himself in so many words; or,

3. are completely indoctrinated with the nonsense scare story, of "socialized medicine"

- or are all of the above.

The majority of the supposedly educated, "professional" engineers in my work place usually fall under all three of the above categories.

The thing that is missing in the US that is present in every other civilized nation, that is necessary if we are ever going to suceed on this effort, is compassion for the less fortunate, and a sense of "I might be in that person's shoes someday". This is especially missing among it's much fawned-over, smug, contemptable, suburban, "middle class".

A google search indicates that this action was not mentioned in a single mainstream news outlet. Totally memory-holed.

This story has been bothering me more and more since I first read it yesterday. It just boggles my mind, though by now I suppose it shouldn't, that NOT ONE representative voice was allowed for the single-payer, medicare-for-all, publicly-insured plans, that have more than 70% support from the public, and that at what was billed to be but a Senate exploratory "roundtable" on health care "reform" packages!!! The Democrats have truly become every bit as Stalinist as the Republicans. [Make sure you watch the you-tube videos on this one!] All the Senate participants, and their insurance-industry packed audience, just pretended there were simply no other options available than more of the same corporate fleecing of citizens that we have now -- the most expensive system in the world by far! And then when the demonstrators, including many respected physicians and nurses, attempted to protest the phony-ass proceedings, -- one truly can't help but think of the Stalinist "show trials" of 1930s when watching them -- the Senators, under "chairman" Baucus, had them all handcuffed and hauled away by the Senate cops!! So much for either party caring in the slightest about the most basic principles of democracy, or even the pretense, thereof!! Good Lord, how hard could it have been for the committee to at least allow a representative or two of the Single-Payer idea a few minutes of time to speak within all the hours they had set aside for their "exploratory" hearings? Evidently their bosses in the mega-insurance industry, who are every bit as fraudulent as their associates in the so-called financial industry, simply couldn't allow anyone to bring up the fact that the American people are more than a little tired of paying a 40+% premium to the mega insurance corporations for making health-care far LESS efficient than it is when run by the government under the medicare program we have right now!! Congress has truly become nothing but one big cat-house! At every turn they are concerned only to enrich their corporate pimps, while the American citizens are regarded simply as "Johns" to be fleeced -- except, of course, that real pimps and prostitutes, -- or these days mostly sex-slaves, according to last night's Frontline -- at least have the decency to provide some small "service" before fleecing their marks. It's truly an outrageous moment when even the MAJORITY view, -- which Tocqueville mistakenly thought we had most to fear -- will no longer even be heard, however briefly, much less thoughtful considered, by the people's alleged "representatives"!

THIS STORY SIMPLY MUST BE TOLD AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLE!! [The news blackout on it is almost as big a scandal as the story itself.]

For a Youtube link, and Kevin Zeese's fine comments, go to:

http://www.counterpunch.org/zeese05062009.html

sierra7
My recent Letter-to-editor of local paper here in Sonora, Calif:

"Letter about Single Payer Health Care
Submitted to Union Democrat
Published on line March 25, 2009

President Barack Obama promises health-care reform, but he has taken single-payer health care off the table. Single-payer is the system that removes private insurance companies from the picture; the government pays all the bills, but health-care delivery remains private. People still get their choice of what doctor to go to and what hospital to use. Single-payer reduces the administrative costs and removes the profit that insurance companies add to health-care delivery. Single-payer solutions, however, get almost no space in the debate.
So far only two people have been invited out of the 120 to contribute to the “reform” that has been promised by this administration. The major media has been very reluctant to cover any Single Payer stories.
Coming to mind would be the accusations (like in the financial disaster) of “socialism” or other derogatory descriptions. Most who impugn the prospect of Single Payer and use those types of accusations haven’t a clue what they are talking about and will not spend time to research the subject objectively.
And, of course the hugely profitable corporations, who have made a disastrous commodity out of our societal well being, have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat even a remote idea of Single Payer.
From economics Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, "I've reluctantly come to the view that it’s the only alternative," to health-care providers themselves, who witness and endure the system's failure firsthand. The newly formed, 150,000-nurses-strong United American Nurses-National Nurses Organizing Committee said: "It is the only health-care-reform proposal that can work.”
Will we join the rest of the civilized world and consider the health of our citizens as, “the wealth of our country”?

We need follow up letters.....

yet again, more arrests in the senate of single-payer folks. Madness.

Do any of the multi-payer folks whom seek real reform believe they can pass laws to amend our broken system without the participation of single-payer folks?

ch> We have 13 brave soldiers, in this movement for a single-payer.
they seek healthcare justice, it's because they care,
these men were arrested, for things he knew was right
may serve time, pay heavy fines, for our wellbeing they fight.

2 Hebrew men arrested, for things they knew were right,
thrown in the fiery furnace, they trusted in God's might,
But God delivered these men, for us can do the same.
have our soldiers acquitted, and bring our heroes to fame.

3 Daniel was arrested, for things he knew was right,
told that he must not pray, he prayed both day and night.
But God delivered Daniel, calmed the lions' mouths,
For us can do the same, and bring us Healthcare-Now.

chorus and 2 verses of a song I wrote for our heroes who were arrested.

I have learned about Marilyn Clement; I am still mourning her death. I have promised I would do everything I could to keep that flame burning bright. We will win single-payer, HR-676.

Last verse, parody to Maxwell Silver Hammer

What can we do, we must remove the insurers and their crimes,
install HR 676 for now it is the time.
with a single-payer healthcare everybody's covered and noone's left behind.
At last healthcare will be our right, oh won't it be so fine.
Hand and hand we'll fight this fight, healthcare will be our right.

Bang bang then our silver hammer falls on insurers heads, bang bang then their wicked practices will one day be all dead.