The current health insurance legislation being foisted upon the American people as healthcare reform does nothing but further entrench discrimination based on economic class, race, gender and age into our national healthcare system, (with or without the Stupak Amendment).
With universal healthcare, Medicare for all, every taxpayer pays their fair share based on income, for healthcare based on need, not economic class, race, gender or age.
The reasoning adopted by Obama and his advocates that somehow the same insurance companies responsible for discrimination resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands every year will change once they have complete control of the system is fundamentally flawed and designed to perpetuate, not only discrimination, but political corruption.

The demand for Single Payer is more than a call for healthcare reform. It’s a demand for social justice; an end to discrimination in all its forms.

Is there any way we can get the CBO to score Single Payer before this health insurance bailout is passed?

Health care for all? It just ain't gonna happen....

The greed driven corporate capitalist system knows no morals or values beyond profits by any means necessary. And their bought and paid for political front men are well paid/bribed to do their will. As the big PHARMA and insurance bucks flowed into the pockets of Congress members in little disguised acts of political prostitution, Obama and crew have shown no leadership on behalf any healthcare program to cover the country in a single payer system, the basic model used in numerous countries worldwide.

Donna Smith is to be praised for her persistence along with many others at PNHP and people across the country. People can call the capitol switchboard toll free at 1-800-828-0498. Then just ask for the member of Congress whose office you want to connect with.

The problem is corporate control of our gov't. This will not stop until we have a corporate personhood amendment.

Insurance companies have made bad business decisions in the face of out-of-control costs. They could have easily funded the research that would provide unassailable evidence for the efficacy of low cost treatments but they chose to play another game. That should be their death sentence.

Most drugs are useless most of the time. And most drugs have far more downsides than upsides.

But the costs will not change under a gov't program and, will, most likely, increase because they will be given a blank check. Costs are out of control because the AMA and Big Pharma like it that way. And the FDA, USDA, Justice Dept are the co-conspirators. Free market my a**.

Until corporate control has been eliminated, I would suggest that Donna Smith starts learning about and promoting root cause medicine. The West coast is a hot bed of this, although most of those docs try to stay under the radar. Then, most of us can pay cash for primary care because it will be much cheaper. Slowly, costs will come down as products and services are not needed. Medical Savings Accounts for all--that is the end run around a huge wall.

Donna, take a field trip to Seattle and vist with Dr. JV Wright of the Tahoma Clinic and talk to the nurses there. Talk to the docs who have gone to cash only practices. You might really learn something new about medical care.

Search: "FDA and Pyradoxamine", IV Vitamin C and viruses", "Dr Mark Hyman and functional medicine"

IT. IS. NOT. HUMAN NATURE. It IS NOT my nature!

Thanks Donna, once again, for your words of truth. You have really become the voice of conscience on this issue. My disgust with America's corporate toadyism led me to leave the US for more just pastures and I'm ever glad I did. It is little consolation to my family and friends stuck in America, some of whom are among the victims of health care piracy. Keep the outrage raging. God bless you all and for America's hope and America's posterity, may you smash the Privateers.

Not a single job in more than 10 years. And despite the increase since March, not a single dollar added to the stock market averages in more than 11 years. Interest rates on savings are below 2 percent. Homelessness, hunger, abandoned housing etc. are all at, by far, all-time records. Adding both insult and additional injury is that there is even a half-abandoned city: New Orleans, Louisiana. This is obviously a collapsed, failed system, yet it grinds on because of the super forces of greed and arrogance, because of the closed, corporate-controlled political system, because of good old-fashioned living in the past, and perhaps because non-right-wing people do not seem to understand the concept of political marketing, as for example the Canadians running the New Democratic Party do and as many Europeans, Asians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Americans, and still others understand, as shown by the healthy existence of their successful to one extent or another non-right-wing parties.

Meanwhile, in America there is just this big political hole and this show of futility by marginalized figures like Dennis Kucinich, Howard Dean, and Bernie Sanders, in the background. Overall, it seems that American non-right-wingers are more likely to be arrested where they are not welcome for trying to make their views known than they are to be serving in Government!

As a result of the futility of the non-right-wing in the US, there is virtually no real representation in US government anymore for workers, so it will be no surprise if we reach a 15 or even a 20 year milestone with no jobs.

By the way, is it actually essentially a conspiracy that American non-right wing forces develop only futile political parties, such as the Greens, who are inevitably tagged as one-issue wonders? Very plausibly so, because although it is the right wingers who are known as the great marketers, it seems hard to believe that ALL non right wingers could be naturally less than competent at political marketing. I mean, I know I am probably less than competent at political marketing, but are ALL non-right-wingers less than competent? I find that hard to believe, thus the conspiracy theory.

Anyhow, it was nice not only to check out this Donna Smith article, but also this from Jeffrey Flier, the Dean of the Harvard Medical School:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704431804574539581994054014.html

As you can see if you go there, the Dean of the Harvard Medical School knows that this legislation is dead on arrival in the sense that it does almost nothing about what was most in need of doing, which was real, true, no pretending, and no kidding cost control. What was by far most needed was left out.

As a major member of the establishment, Mr. Flier had to support the mandate, since there has been an unstated rule in 2009 that every respectable member of the establishment must support the mandate. He had to support people, unless they wisely dodge it, being on the hook for the gross overcharging for health insurance. But at least he was honest about the overall failure and futility of this legislation, which when all is said and done is simply about the Democrats being able to say they did something.

Let's face it, American politicians, the ones in the two corporate parties anyway, in the context of a collapsed system that has been very, very right wing for 30 years and counting, are most likely not going to think of themselves as being responsible for passing legislation that is actually good and effective.

Admittedly, it’s a lot harder to pass truly good legislation in the present context than it was before the system collapsed. So maybe we should have some sympathy for their passing garbage? No, common sense tells you that no one in government should ever be excused from peddling garbage and playing pretend games.

Which brings us back to the need for a non-right wing party that is not a dead on arrival marketing failure like, unfortunately, the Socialists and the Greens and the Independents are. A New Democratic Party-US would be one option that would actually work.

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It only took the Europeans a few thousand years to finally figure out that looking out for the welfare of all of their people was a good way to avoid the wars that ravaged that continent for millennia. This country won't survive that long at the rate we are going ......

Thanks Donna. Single payer is the right thing to do, maybe someday...

We can call, write, email, etc... our pols 24/7 but as long as most voters continue to put empty fluff and puff over substance, that's what we will get. I've done my part and I am sure plenty others have too but I've had it with all this "make them do it" nonsense. Forget trying to knock any more sense into them. I don't know about you but I am working on getting to know my next batch of candidates running for office on all levels. Congress has already failed this year so it's time to stop wasting time begging their support and start preparing for electing Independents into office. Most independent parties are sympathetic to single payer health care though I would prefer the Green Party. Single payer health care will not happen this year or next or for that matter ever until both parties face real election challenges from Independent candidacies on all levels. I like it that you correctly make the connection between Christmas Carol and the health care crisis but there is no way this will resonate with our current Congress. Even John Conyers refuses to fight for his own bill, HR 676, and is even voting shamelessly for HR 3962.

"Tell them to give us all what we buy for them, for our seniors, our disabled people, our veterans - what we give from our labors on this earth: Access to a doctor and to care when we need it. And protection from financial ruin. All of us. Give us a little peace of mind during this season of peace on earth...."

Thank you, Donna.

I would like equality under the law, to not only pay taxes to provide others with care, but to have it myself.

And thanks for the 800# up-thread, as I no longer have long distance telephone service.

My problems pale in comparison with someone I know, a person with a terminal illness, that is losing their home to pay for the donut hole, a problem this latest bill does not fix until some distant date, which by then the corporations can make some other arrangement.

This bill does nothing to help us.

Not to burst the bubble on Social Security Disability, but once you have been declared disabled by the Social Security Administration, there is a 24 month waiting period to get on Medicare. Even if you can afford COBRA, that only lasts for 18 months. THINK ABOUT IT! If you can't afford COBRA, you might qualify for your state run health care, except that most state run health care agencies are so broke they can't even cover all of the kids in their state so if you are an adult, tough luck. Disabled people are put off in the hopes that they will die before the system has to take care of them. Our morals and values as a country suck.

Donna captures the essence of the tightwad American Middle Class who constantly give gold out to the Super Rich (their military and police most especially) and begrudge the Poor a few copper pennies. Bah! Humbug! You idiots!

As a native born US citizen now getting up there in years, I have come to despise the 'American' national character just described for us by Donna. It's what has made America not so great at all. When I retire soon, I will leave the US.

I'm simply sick oƒ having these typical and denying Americans as my constant hateful neighbors who would seemingly blow off their own foot just to deny someone worse off even a dime. Many learned this mindset in their churches, too! It's all very sad.

It will probably come down to "Single Prayer" or No Insurance Company Left Behind.

Even with a complete failure of the health care reform, that will leave more money to drop into Afghanistan. We will need all the opium we can get to take care of the pain and suffering.

You can have all the health care insurance in the world but it won't stop mischievous doctors from going greedy and personal or drug companies from using profit as an excuse to justify shooting out poison pills. I have no hope for single payer as long as all the players in the medical system allow profits and personal opinions to control their thinking. I had good insurance but still had to put up with greedy and racist doctors charging more for cheap quality treatment. The drug companies, insurance companies, and rich doctors benefit but not the patients. I strongly support single payer but Tiny Tim will still be the victim of the vicious medical system until all players are dealt with.

Similarly, unemployment numbers only tell part of the story. Even when the unemployment was low, it was because low wage and quality jobs were replacing high quality jobs that were being outsourced. In 2004, unemployment kept rising but after low wage jobs from companies like Walmart and Mcdonalds poured in, suddenly unemployment numbers dropped, actually fudged from BLS, and nobody complained. People who worked in low wage jobs where labor abuse, longer working hours, and lack of safety regulations were likely prevalent would have run into higher health care costs and no protection whereas someone who is unemployed would have been free of those factors. That's not to say that unemployed people don't face higher health care costs and big trouble for no coverage. It would be better if steps to prevent these rising costs could be averted rather than letting it happen and then trying to cover it with insurance. Again, I strongly support single payer but we need steps to prevent health care costs from rising. If people had better quality jobs, health care costs could be reduced and even if they had gone unemployed, the last thing they would have to worry about is being covered while looking for another job.

This email was forwarded to me by anti-liberal folks. Note the "We the sensible people" frame versus the "terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters" frame.

"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness... Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights..

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!

(Lastly.....)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!
________________________________________

RE: [Dickens' story] "resonates through history, human nature being what it was then, what it is now and what it ever shall be."

The comparison with Dickens' time is apt but less so the story. Dickens, just as the author above, blamed greed for the extreme injustice of his (and our) time.

During the very same period in England as Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" Karl Marx was developing his critique of capitalism. He demonstrated that the very real poverty experienced in England and represented by the fictional Bob Cratchit and family was the direct result of the capitalist economic SYSTEM - not individual greed. Blaming the "Scrooge" mentality means not seeing the forest for the trees. By not understanding the source of our problems; we will perpetuate them.

Maybe the GOP will pull a real coup and propose Medicare for All. I've given up on the Dems.