Urgent: Support Kucinich Single-Payer Amendment Today

[G_j]

Rep. Dennis Kucinich proposed a crucial amendment today for single-payer healthcare and we urgently need you to call one or more of the 12 Democrats on the House Education and Labor Subcommittee. Our message is simple:
Please support Rep. Kucinich's Amendment today in the HELP Subcommittee to allow states to create single-payer healthcare systems. The federal government should give states the freedom to fix our health care crisis.

You can call any time and leave a voicemail if no one answers. If you do speak with a staffer, please post their reply here:
http://www.democrats.com/support-kucinich-single-payer-amendment-today

You can also urge your Senators and Representatives to support a nationwide Single Payer Health Care plan (H.R. 676) by signing our petition:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-petition?cid={cid_enc}

The Kucinich Amendment would let individual states create single-payer healthcare systems even if Congress fails to create a nationwide single-payer system.

That's exactly how Canada evolved towards single-payer: one province at a time. Given the corporate-funded resistance to single-payer in Congress, the U.S. may have to follow the Canadian path.
Progressive activists in California and Pennsylvania are leading the way for single-payer systems and the Kucinich Amendment would remove the legal roadblocks they face.

The fate of the Kucinich Amendment rests in the hands of the 12 Democrats below. Please call as many as you can.
Thanks for all you do!
Bob Fertik


Robert Andrews NJ01 202-225-6501
Yvette Clarke NY11 202-225-6231
Joe Courtney CT02 202-225-2076
Marcia Fudge OH11 202-225-7032
Phil Hare IL17 202-225-5905
Rush Holt NJ12 202-225-5801
Dale Kildee MI05 202-225-3611
David Loebsack IA02 202-225-6576
Carolyn McCarthy NY04 202-225-5516
Joe Sestak PA07 202-225-2011
John Tierney MA06 202-225-8020
David Wu OR01 202-225-0855

[slipslidingaway]

1. He just offered the amendment....

Congressman Andrews just said he opposed the amendment and now Congressman Miller.

:(

[slipslidingaway]

2. Kucinich now explaining the amendment again - the amendment

does not establish a national plan, but allows states to obtain a waiver.

[G_j]

4. thanks for the update

that's two disappointments..

[slipslidingaway]

6. YW, their arguments were that we're not moving to SP with this

bill, but that is not what this amendment was about.

Woolsley up now.

[slipslidingaway]

3. "We should not stop the efforts of states" link to livestream...

http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/2009/07/americas-affordable-health-choices-act.shtml

[Gabi Hayes]

5. thanks for that. the man who should be president.

too bad things are the way they are, but corporate media would never allow someone like DK to accumulate enough power to make meaningful change happen

even if he did, he'd be instanly killed, as soon as the threat to the powers that be became eminent, just as happened to RFK, JFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and even the former head of the CIA, who mysteriously died in a 'boating accident'
you'll recall he was fired by Ford for being too willing to cooperate with the Church Commission, I think

but I paranoically digress, some would say

[slipslidingaway]

7. Ayes won!!! In edit - voice vote - there could be a recorded vote later.

[G_j]

8. really?

that's great!
:applause:

[slipslidingaway]

9. Yes, the ayes were loud...Miller was a bit stunned as well :)

Thanks for your thread.

:)

[slipslidingaway]

10. New amendment to limit executive salaries of health insurance

companies to the salary of the POTUS.

Quoting Wendell Potter now...'you think about the numbers, meeting WS expectations.'

[slipslidingaway]

11. Execs rewarded when they deny care and increase profits. n/t

[G_j]

12. excellent

please let us know what happens

[slipslidingaway]

13. Miller told Kucinich that Mr. Frank will be offering another amendment

based on that Kucinich withdrew his amendment.

The Frank amendment will give shareholders a right to vote on exec compensation, seems a bit weak to me, but Kucnich probably knew his amendment would not pass.

:shrug:

[chill_wind]

14. K & R.

[stuball111]

15. Canada..

I was just reading "The Making of Socialist" A book on T.C. Douglas, the "Father of Medicare" in Canada, and the #1 "Most Important Canadian" and he said just that, that there was no way they could bring it all in at once. They had to "chip away' at the private system. He also introduced government auto insurance, liability and house insurance as well, and all the private systems faded away because they couldn't compete with a not for profit system. I think you have a point, open it up to the individual states to decide, and I guarantee you, once one state gets it, the neighboring states will be screaming for it when they see how cheap and efficient it is.

[stuball111]

16. Here it is.. good reading, and a very interesting guy

http://books.google.com/books?id=Sa4XOY_xRKsC&dq=tc+douglas&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=JDxXmWV1Zx&sig=daBmqtR4yU5QQ2NGlZ0LPimQQEw&hl=en&ei=NixgSsulFsSFtgeP6OjWDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3

He was a baptist Minister, hardly a Marxist Commie like they tried to portray him, the guy was incredible, witty, and a real humanitarian.

[stuball111]

17. another one.. T.C. Douglas

http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/douglas_thomas_clement_1904-86.html

If people are serious about universal health care, they need to read up on Ol T.C. and see how he did it.

[YewNork]

18. If you want to sound like you know about him, you'd refer to him as Tommy Douglas.

That's how nearly every Canadian refers to him. They also know him as the father of "medicare" which is the generic term for the health insurance system there.

He faced a lot of resistance when the government of Saskatchewan implemented single payer health insurance.

[stuball111]

19. I'll have you know,

Yes, We called him Tommy, My Father took me to one of his speeches once when I was a kid (I'm Canadian, living in the US), and my dad was the a Campaign consultant for Grant Notley, who was the Alberta NDP leader, when he won his seat in 71, and was the first NDP leader in Alberta to sit in an elected position. And yes, "Tommy" was the Father of Medicare, which is the generic term, but for the sake of the people here, I used "Universal Health Care" , which is what Tommy intended it to be, and used that term himself many times. And the story of the resistance to the plan he introduced is not unlike the struggle here. The republicans are using the same old scare tactics and lies that they used back then, so a lot can be learned from the CCF/NDP tactics of countering that crap. Another reason I used the term "Universal" instead of Medicare, is that there is a difference between the US version of Medicare and the Canadian, The US version is simply a back up plan for poor people, and is not a total coverage, Universal system. If I am incorrect , please educate me on it.

[stuball111]

20. And T.C. was..

another endearing term for him...

[Echo In Light]

21. K&R