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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Howard Dean: You Can't Vote for a Bill Like This in Good Conscience (Video)
Must see. Howard Dean discusses the Senate health reform bill last night on Countdown. Just one point he mentions: Insurers will have to cover pre-existing conditions, but guess what? They can triple the premium price when they do.
December 16, 2009 at 01:05 AM in Healthcare, Obama Health Care Reform | Permalink | Comments (0)
Holding Progressive House Members' Feet to the Fire on Public Option
Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake lays it all out as to why House progressives need to keep their promises to vote against any bill without a robust public option -- in other words, this bill that's being waylaid by Lieberman et al. in the Senate. Do liberal members of Congress have as much power in unity as do a handful of Senate pseudo-Dems? Only if they stand their ground. Read the entire FDL post and you'll see why.
As Jane says, instead of a public option, what does the Senate bill contain?
- A removal of the ban on annual limits that Reid slipped in at the last minute, in violation of the President’s promise in his September address to Congress
- An exemption from anti-trust law for insurance companies that will reduce competition
- Taxes that start up in January, but benefits that don’t start until 2014
- No ability to negotiate for Medicare drug prices (you know, when it didn't matter)
- No cost controls, so health insurance premiums will continue to rise at a rate of $1000 a year
- A tax on middle class insurance plans that is designed to cut back insurance benefits, reduce coverage, and increase co-pays and deductibles.
In other words, that reduction in our insurance benefits is a feature, not a bug — it’s how they’re going to “bend the cost curve.” The post goes on to quote an email from Dave Johnson that pretty much sums up the situation we face:
Most other countries provide health care as a right – a core function of government. But here privateers have seized it for themselves for profit. So to maintain this, to keep taxes low for the rich and keep the profits privatized we are ordered to buy it from companies instead of having it provided as a government service. This is the battle between democracy and corporatization.
We need to ask our members of Congress which side they're on. We need to insist that they vote against any bill that doesn't provide the premium price controls and public plan that are essential to any bill that's considered genuine reform. You know what to do. Make your views known!
December 16, 2009 at 12:08 AM in Corporatism, Democratic Party, Healthcare, Obama Health Care Reform, Progressivism | Permalink | Comments (2)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Howard Dean: Kill the Senate Health Care Reform Bill
According to :
In a blow to the bill grinding through the Senate, Howard Dean bluntly called for the bill to be killed in a pre-recorded interview set to air later this afternoon, denouncing it as “the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate,” the reporter who conducted the interview tells me.
Dean reportedly said this in the interview:
“This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”
I don't know about you, but I trust Howard Dean more than I trust almost anyone else in politics. Health care reform has long been his signature issue. If The Doctor says this ain't real reform, I believe him. Dean was generally supportive of the compromise that would have replaced the public option with a Medicare buy in provision. Now he's drawn the line.
December 15, 2009 at 01:48 PM in Healthcare, Obama Health Care Reform | Permalink | Comments (4)
Stephen Jones: On Staying the Course
This is a post by contributing writer, Stephen Jones, who is a progressive political activist and a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
On the hot summer day of August 31, 1910 Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech to a crowd of over 30,000 at Osawatomie, Kansas. The speech would become one of his most famous orations. Ostensibly, the former President was in Osawatomie to dedicate a park and memorial to abolitionist John Brown, a park and memorial built to commemorate Brown’s “Battle of Osawatomie” against pro-slavery forces during the “Bleeding Kansas” era, prior to the Civil War, in 1856.
It wasn’t an accident that Roosevelt chose the site of John Brown’s attack on the slave power in Kansas for such an important speech, or that he chose to invoke the memory of so controversial a figure as Brown in making it.
In his speech, Roosevelt sought to renew and reinvigorate a dispirited progressive movement, and to issue a warning to the elected officials and leadership of both political parties; elected officials and leaders who had gone back to the old ways of doing things, ignoring the people who had elected them, and instead had chosen to pander to, and return to the practice of representing the special interests and corporations that showered them with favors and cash.
In 1908, progressives had rallied around the candidacy of William Howard Taft, Roosevelt’s hand-picked successor, and elected the Ohioan along with huge majorities in Congress, committed, they believed to press forward a progressive agenda for the nation. Now, less than two years later, they found themselves helplessly watching events in Washington as the President and the Congress embraced the very corporate interests they had promised to oppose in the last election. Progressives were told to lower their expectations.
At Osawatomie, Roosevelt said the central issue facing Americans was human welfare versus property rights. He encouraged the independence and prosperity of the private sector, but insisted that only government and not the market could regulate the economy and guarantee social justice. Above all, Roosevelt argued, “Our government, National and State, must be freed from the sinister influence or control of special interests. Exactly as the special interests of cotton and slavery threatened our political integrity before the Civil War, so now the great special business interests too often control and corrupt the men and methods of government for their own profit.” To end that influence, it was incumbent upon progressives to fight the toxic influence of the corporate power on the government, with its army of paid lobbyists, and the influence of the corporations on the making of legislation. “The Constitution guarantees protection to property, and we must make that promise good. But it does not give the right of suffrage to any corporation,” Roosevelt said.
Roosevelt charged State governments, generally, and the Congress, specifically, with failing to uphold their obligation to the voters that had sent them to Washington and their respective state houses, and vowed that progressives can, must, and would set the balance right. “The absence of effective State, and, especially, national, restraint upon unfair money-getting has tended to create a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men,” Roosevelt charged, “whose chief object is to hold and increase their power. The prime need to is to change the conditions which enable these men to accumulate power which it is not for the general welfare that they should hold or exercise.”
Now was not the time for progressives to withdraw into the shadows and withdraw from political and electoral action, but rather to redouble their efforts. Without progressive agitation on the part of the voters themselves, our leaders simply revert to form and embrace the corporate interests that pay for their legislative services. “If our political institutions were perfect, they would absolutely prevent the political domination of money in any part of our affairs. We need to make our political representatives more quickly and sensitively responsive to the people whose servants they are. More direct action by the people in their own affairs under proper safeguards is vitally necessary.”
Continue reading "Stephen Jones: On Staying the Course"
December 15, 2009 at 01:32 PM in By Stephen Jones, Contributing Writer, Corporatism, Economy, Populism, History, Progressivism | Permalink | Comments (1)
(Updated) Community Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth Set for Dec. 17 in Silver City
Update 12.16: The location of the forum has been changed to: Grant County Business and Conference Center located at U.S. Highway 180 East.
**************
From USDA Rural Development:
Terry Brunner, USDA Rural Development State Director
Invites you to a Community Forum on
Jobs and Economic Growth
On
Thursday, December 17, 2009
USDA Rural Development is leading an effort to hear ideas from Rural America on what is needed to create jobs and economic development in rural communities
across the country.
So please bring your ideas and recommendations. Your input and participation would be greatly appreciated.
The meeting will take place at:
Southwest Bone and Joint Conference Room
1268 East 32nd Street
Silver City, NM
(Please use the south entrance)
Tuesday, December 17
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
The public is invited to give their input to President Barack Obama’s initiative on the creation of jobs in rural America.
December 15, 2009 at 12:13 PM in Economy, Populism, Events, Jobs, Rural Issues | Permalink | Comments (0)
Reminder: Brian Colón for LG Campaign Holiday Reception Tonight
From Brian Colón for Lt. Governor: A festive fundraising reception in honor of Brian Colon for Lt. Governor is set for tonight, Tuesday, December 15, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The event will take place at Casa Esencia at Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW in Albuquerque.
Casa Esencia is a wonderful new event space just in front of the Hotel Albuquerque and next to Little Anita’s on Rio Grande. The space was formerly Maria Theresa's.
All are invited and donations of any amount are welcome. Be sure to bring a small, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Click for a FLYER (pdf).
December 15, 2009 at 09:57 AM in 2010 NM Lt. Governor Race, Brian Colon, Events | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Lots of Energy at Grand Opening of Joe Campos for LG Campaign Office in Albuquerque
Joe Campos comments about grand opening
"Energizing New Mexico" is the campaign slogan of New Mexico Rep. Joe Campos, who's running in the Democratic primary for Lt. Governor, and lots of energy was zinging around at Saturday's grand opening of the campaign's Albuquerque office. There was a standing room only crowd for Joe's speech to the crowd, and a wide variety of visitors coming and going throughout the afternoon. The office is located at 1014 Central Avenue SW (near 10th and Central) in Albuquerque.
Campos (white shirt) mingling with supporters Saturday
According to Mary Ellen, who attended the event, Campos was very moved by the enthusiastic turnout in Albuquerque, where he's working hard to reach out to those who might not know him as well as the locals do in Santa Rosa or his House district.
Click images for larger versions
Joe Campos has been Santa Rosa's Mayor since 1998, in addition to serving the area as the Representative of House District 63 in the New Mexico Legislature since 2003. Previously, he served a term on the Guadalupe County Commission, and he presently serves as Chairman of the Council of State Governments West, members of which include legislators from the 13 western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Oh, and he also owns what many believe is the best family restaurant in Santa Rosa -- Joseph's -- which he took over in 1985 and expanded, growing the staff from 8 employees to 34. Quite a resume.
We've had an opportunity recently to have several in-depth conversations with Campos, and he consistently mentions that one of his most important bills in the Legislature is the authorization of RETA (Renewable Energy Transmission Authority). The meausure would facilitate New Mexico's alternative energy industry and create potentially thousands of jobs for New Mexicans. Joe frequently and enthusiastically talks about the opportunities New Mexico has in terms of green jobs, given our abundance of wind and solar resources. But he also warns there's only a small window of time for New Mexico to take advantage of the burgeoning demand for renewable energy by getting our transmission projects in the mix early, and beating surrounding states to the punch.
Joe and wife Christina at office grand opening
Joe hopes he gets a chance to be Lt. Governor so he can help energize the state to take advantage of the coming boom in renewable energy. He says that his dream is to help make our state an international center for renewable energy research, technology, production, and transmission. You might say he's gung ho on that point.
December 14, 2009 at 06:10 PM in 2010 NM Lt. Governor Race, Joe Campos | Permalink | Comments (1)
Politico: White House Tells Reid to Cut Deal with Lieberman on Health Reform
According to Politico, the White House has told Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid to "cut a deal" with the awful, corrupt and dishonest Sen. Joe Lieberman and remove the Medicare expansion provision from the Senate health care reform bill. We all know that Politico, backed by lots of right-wing money, isn't exactly the most credible source on "scoops" like this one but, given how things are going on the Dems' health care reform bill in the Senate, it's believable.
The article describes the reaction of Reid this way:
But Reid is described as so frustrated with Lieberman that he is not ready to sacrifice a key element of the health care bill, and first wants to see the Congressional Budget Office cost analysis of the Medicare buy-in. The analysis is expected early this week.
Oh, heavy. Reid will wait for the CBO report instead of telling the White House and Lieberman to take a walk right this minute. The Senate version of health care reform is already in poor shape, even WITH a Medicare expansion that will do nothing to help hold down premiums for ordinary people under the age of 55. In addition, people who sign up for Medicare on their own would have to shoulder the entire cost, unlike those 65 and older who get a subsidized price, until the insurance exchanges are put into place in 2014.
As usual, it was the incredibly unpopular White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, who reportedly gave the order to kiss Lieberman's arse:
Continue reading "Politico: White House Tells Reid to Cut Deal with Lieberman on Health Reform"
December 14, 2009 at 01:10 PM in Healthcare, Obama Health Care Reform | Permalink | Comments (6)
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish Releases New Gubernatorial Campaign Video 'Our New Mexico'
Lt. Governor released her new three-and-half-minute gubernatorial campaign video, "Our New Mexico," at this past Saturday's heavily attended North Valley petition drive event at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. And it's a keeper.
Now available on her as well as YouTube, the high production value video describes Denish's small town roots in Hobbs, New Mexico. It stresses her wide ranging knowledge of all areas of the state and the myriad issues that confront New Mexicans as we move into an era where we must compete on new ground, as well as preserve our traditional strengths:
There's no place like New Mexico. Here, where the beauty of the land meets the culture and the spirit and cultures of our people, oil and gas meet wind and solar power, the legend of the Old West meets the vibrant energy of new industry and our celebrated history meets our future promise. That's why I'm running for Governor; to keep that promise and and to make sure our second century can be as great as our first.
The video emphasizes Denish's accessibility and the kind of easy-going relationships she's forged with New Mexicans that comes from years of traveling the state to listen to the concerns of ordinary people and meet them face to face, to help create solutions -- and, most importantly, jobs.
We see where the Denish family raised Diane in Hobbs, and are treated to an array of photos of the town and her growing up years there. "Being from a town like Hobbs is a good way to learn ... every community matters," Denish says.
Continue reading "Lt. Gov. Diane Denish Releases New Gubernatorial Campaign Video 'Our New Mexico'"
December 14, 2009 at 11:39 AM in 2010 NM Governor's Race, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish | Permalink | Comments (1)
Guest Blog: State Should Have Flexibility to Develop Own Health Reform Plans
This is a guest blog by Max Bartlett and Jose Aguilar, who are the chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign. This guest editorial was distributed by American Forum, a non-profit op-ed syndication service.
One issue has generated little discussion during the heated health care reform debate: whether states should have the right to develop their own approaches to universal coverage.
The Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign wants to see language included in the national proposal that gives states flexibility to develop their own approaches to solving rising health care costs and growing numbers of uninsured.
The focus of current health care reform proposals is to create “insurance market exchanges.” These one-stop-shopping insurance exchanges must offer consumers -- primarily the uninsured -- choices of different insurance products, including some type of public option. A less than robust public option is in the proposal passed by the House of Representatives. The Senate is in the process of negotiating an alternative to the House version.
Unfortunately, the health care reform debate has skirted the issue of whether states can take a different path that reaches the same goals. States always have been laboratories for innovation. Women’s suffrage, civil rights, child labor and minimum-wage laws were developed in the states first and then became federal law. Why shouldn’t states be allowed to continue that role in health care reform?
If a state can develop an approach that is not based on the insurance market exchange model, an approach that still provides comprehensive health coverage for its residents and contains rising health care costs, why shouldn’t it be encouraged to do so?
The recently passed House bill contains no language enabling states to develop anything other than an insurance market exchange. The merged Senate bill now under consideration mandates that by 2014, states must set up an insurance market exchange and experiment with it for three years before requesting any waivers.
Why should states be forced to go through a long, expensive, complex and time-consuming process when they already may be working on approaches more appropriate to their circumstances?
Continue reading "Guest Blog: State Should Have Flexibility to Develop Own Health Reform Plans"
December 14, 2009 at 10:15 AM in Guest Blogger, Healthcare, Obama Health Care Reform | Permalink | Comments (1)
