I tell off Dick Armey on health care.

[TeddyKGB]

Dick digs up this old chestnut to http://time-blog.com/swampland/2007/06/joe_says_no_i_say_it_is_sadly.html">post on TIME's blog:

There are two ways to organize economic resources in a society. On one hand are market forces guided by millions upon millions of individual decisions made by consumers. This type of social organization rests on freedom, as the late Milton Friedman said, the freedom to choose. On the other hand, we have collective decisions. Absent unanimity, which simply doesn’t happen in a diverse nation of more than 300 million souls, collective decisions require some sort of coercion or force to implement. For this reason, we have laws and governments. On health care, Americans can go the route of markets, innovation, flexibility and efficiency, or we can turn to government agencies, one-size fits all programs, rigid payment schedules, formularies and wasteful rent-seeking.

I respond:

Ask all the people who are stuck with all the charges their plans used to pay for but don’t anymore how “free” they feel.

Ask them how “free” they feel being stuck with their in-network doctors, because they can’t afford the out-of-network ones.

Ask the doctors how “free” they feel having the procedures they’d want done limited by managed care, how “free” they feel having to stick to the medications in a plan’s formulary.

You no doubt have the freedom to get the best available care, while the poor and ever-shrinking middle-class (thank you, Reaganomics) are told what care they can and can’t have.

What a Dick.

Entire blog here:
http://quietdesperation.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/what-a-dick/

[Erika]

1. 47 million Americans now uninsured

The rest of us middle class are paying through the nose.

[liberaldemocrat7]

2. http://medicare.dmocrats.org

For those retired or disabled go to http://medicare.dmocrats.org and make some phone calls.

If people will boycott Rush's sponsors, boycott some GOP sponsors too.




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[TeddyKGB]

3. This hits Democrats and Republicans everywhere alike

...and still they regurgitate this Milton Friedman "freedom" garbage the way Armey does.

As Bill Hicks said, "How far do they have to go up your ass before you realize you're getting fucked?"

[KT2000]

4. Maybe Armey can sit

next to or ride on elevator with lots of TB infected people who do not have health insurance.

[EFerrari]

5. I spent all afternoon trying to find a clinic that would see me.

As soon as they hear "no insurance", they're booked up.

[bobbolink]

10. Which is why a lot of people give up.

[wtmusic]

6. Ah yes, the free market will fix everything,

federal mandates need be "one size fits all", all 300 million Americans have the same freedom to choose.

How much elitist propaganda fits into one paragraph these days.

[bobbolink]

7. Steps to Feeling More And More Free!

Steps to feeling and being more free!

1. Find out if your Representative has signed onto HR676 as a co-sponsor:
http://www.healthcare-now.org/resources/hr676.htm, towards bottom of page

If you find her/him on that list, please call/write to thank them! If they are missing from the list, please call/write and ask them to sign on, and ask those in your district to do the same.

2. Determine if there is a Universal Health Care action group in your state:
http://healthcareforallcolorado.org/?p=7
If so, join and offer to help. Ask for speakers on HR676 or related bills for any organizations you belong to.

3. Watch the short video explaining Single Payer Health Care, and share it with all you know!
http://www.grahamazon.com/sp/whatissinglepayer.php

4. Do all you can to show others how possible it is to have GOOD health care, and encourage one and all to help make it a reality.

5. Do everything you can to encourage others to see SICKO!

6. We can keep griping about the sad state of health care in the U.S, or we can take action!

[antigop]

8. Write a LTTE

I was sick and tired of all of the coverage on "health care reform" but HR 676 was NEVER mentioned. I wrote an LTTE that got published.

Just write a simple LTTE explaining that HR 676 exists, the number of co-sponsors it has, and what the advantages are.

I got a phone call out of the blue from someone who tracked me down and called me at home -- he said it was a wonderful letter. (Kind of creepy, though, when you think about it, that someone would track you down and call you. But in this case it was OK.)

PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT HR 676 SO WE HAVE TO TELL THEM. <caps for emphasis, not for shouting.>

Item #3 above (watch the video and share it) can greatly help here.

[bobbolink]

9. Have done.

And, I certainly hope many others will take your advice!

And, I'm glad the contact you got was a good one!

Yes, I think that video is helpful, for those who really don't understand the issue cuz all they've heard is the talking points. Unfortunately, a couple of people who really needed to get the information from that video don't have sound on their computers, so... it was a bust. :(

Mostly, I wrote that for people here to take as a call to action!!

Thanks so much for all you do! :applause: