Health reform's 'gang of 6' reaps political cash

[kpete]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle


Health reform's 'gang of 6' reaps political cash

Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/20/MNA519NGGU.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1#ixzz0RfMcWADx


The bipartisan "gang of six" senators who helped craft the health care reform bill going before a key Senate committee Tuesday represent less than 3 percent of the U.S. population - but they hold a lot of power at a crucial policy-shaping moment in Congress.

That's why, analysts say, health care industry lobbyists have showered them with more campaign cash on average than other senators this year, in an attempt to influence the outcome.

Three Republican and three Democratic senators in the group, all of them members of the Senate Finance Committee, received an average of $74,600 from health industry lobbyists, according to The Chronicle's analysis of records through June.

That is about 25 percent more than the average of $59,632 in such donations that the gang's other Senate colleagues raked in from lobbyists for the pharmaceutical, hospital, insurance and nursing home industries, according to the analysis, which was based on records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit watchdog group.




Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/20/MNA519NGGU.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1

[politic_vic]

1. "Gang" is the right word to use, They're stealing our future.

[IndianaGreen]

2. They should be shot for treason and corruption

They give whores a bad name.

[boomerbust]

3. WOW

I did not know that.

[madamesilverspurs]

4. Sheesh.

Or more accurately, baksheesh.

[loudsue]

5. If we did not have MONOPOLIES controlling the media

Then Americans would be hearing THIS on the news, and maybe something could be done before it's too late.

[Missy Vixen]

6. I'd break my finger off in the "recommend" function if I could

THIS is the bottom line.

In any other profession, the "gang of six" would be forced to recuse themselves from any decisions on health care due to the sheer amount of funding health insurers and big pharma line their pockets with. When I was a city councilperson, I recused myself from more than one vote due to living 300 feet from a local development being voted on.

I could do it. What the hell is wrong with them?

:eyes:

[Trillo]

7. Yes. One of the primary ways that "representation" has been undermined

over the years.

As the population grew, representation should have grown. Instead, smaller groups of congress critters, called "committees" became more important and central to law making.

It's a flaw in the U.S. Constitution.

[SandWalker1984]

8. Did the White House sell us out on health care reform in JULY???

There's a story at this link titled PHARMA's Big Bribe Comes In.

http://trueslant.com/matttaibbi/2009/09/14/phrmas-big-bribe-comes-in/

"The drug industry’s trade group plans to roll out a series of television advertisements in coming weeks specifically to support Senator Max Baucus’s health care overhaul proposal, according to an industry official involved in the planning."

According to the article, the deal was cut with the White House in JULY.

"Tauzin, who has never been one for subtlety or finesse (he took his $2 million-a-year PhRMA job about ten seconds after he finished pushing through the Prescription Drug Benefit bill), stupidly later revealed some of the contents of that shady meeting, saying that the White House had “blessed” a plan involving the $150 million. He disclosed to reporters that he had extracted a promise from the White House to drop two important reforms: one, to allow the government to negotiate bulk rates for drugs in Medicare, and the other to permit the importation of cheap drugs from Canada (which was once an Obama campaign saw)."


IS THIS WHY OBAMA WAS SO SILENT ALL DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST? BECAUSE HE ALREADY AGREED TO THE BAUCUS BILL WITH BIG PHARMA AND INSURANCE IN SECRET?

[inna]

9. damn!! this should be ILLEGAL.

this pisses me off to no end, it's just institutionalized bribery and corruption.

:argh:

[Desertrose]

10. Bastids.

Our health care system is a joke and so are these bozos.
:grr: