Working Families Rally For Public Option As Democrat-Controlled Senate Finance Committee Eliminates

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/11626

By Doug Cunningham

Health Care For America Now, a coalition including unions, rallied in Seattle Tuesday to support health care reform with a public option. Zels Bryan Johnson was there.

:” People here are absolutely ecstatic about the demand for the public option. One of the signs I’m looking at is “Now – I Can’t Afford To Wait”. Another sign is “Pass The Public Option Now”. And you see things from AFT Washington – and they’re saying unity, strength, action and “Health Care For America Now.”

As working families and their unions flooded capitol hill with phone calls Tuesday calling for the House to pass health care reform with a public option plan, the Senate Finance Committee was busy eliminating the public option from their proposal. The chairman of that committee is Democrat Max Baucus. He gets hundreds of thousands of dollars from the monied interests that oppose a public option – the insurance industry, as well as pharmaceutical drug makers and HMO’s. Robby Stern is with the Puget Sound Alliance For Retired Americans, one of the groups supporting the Seattle rally for the public option.

: “They are spending $1.4 million per day to try and make sure that we do not get a public option and that there is not a requirement of some employer responsibility. We’re in a pitched battle. I think we’re in hand-to-hand combat at this point.”

So the political war over health care reform comes down to this. Monied interests trying to protect their power and profits in the existing health care system on the one hand - versus working families, their unions and health care reform advocates pressing for real reform that delivers quality health care to all on the other. The question the politicians and the American people must soon answer is which side are you on?

[newfie11]

1. How crazy is this

It seems to be coming to a biding war. First we elect politicians that we think will represent us in congress. Then when we NEED them to do their job, they vote for whomever pays them the most money. So now does that mean if we, the people, want something passed we need to outbid the lobbyists?

Has this country gone completely insane? With the exception of very few politicians it seems like everyone in congress is there to better themselves and screw this country.