I haven’t been posting anything in almost a month? Wow, does time fly when you’re holding your breath! You see, the health care reform bill has really got me on the edge of my seat. I’m hoping for the best, but it looks like we’ll all be settling for a lot less, unless the Dems have something coming in under the radar.

I guess we’ll know soon enough. But I’ve been hesitant to state any opinions because things keep changing around so fast.

One day the public option is alive, the next its dead and expanded Medicare is on the table, then its dead too.

All I know is a lot of people are going to be pretty pissed off if they’re forced to pay for health insurance through a mandate, and get no concessions from the insurance companies.

Maybe our last best chance is if the House Dems show the Senate Dems what a real bill should look like and stick to their guns.

Technorati Tags: changing the bill, expanded Medicare, health care reform, public option, senate bill

Senator Harry Reid said today that the health care reform bill he’ll take to the floor of the senate will have a public option, but one that’ll let individual states opt out of if they so choose. Now this seems like a good idea, and it should get more senators to vote for it. But there’s a couple of points I haven’t heard anything about yet . . .

First, who in each state will decide whether to opt in or opt out?

I suppose it would be the governors after conferring with their house and senate leaders, but I sure would like to see it brought to ballot at some point or another. If the states have to opt in at first, like some are proposing, then that would give them plenty of time to allow the people to vote on it.

Sure the senators have said they’re basing their voting decision on their constituents, but that’s what they say. Who knows which one they’ve talked to, and how much money they’ve been paid to hear these people’s opinions? So bringing it to the people is the fairest way to go.

Secondly, if a state decides to opt out, can they change back later on?

I live in a state where, from time to time, we get a Republican governor. If one was in office when the decision was to be made, I know a lot of people around here would be mightily furious. There should be a way of turning back any decision that wasn’t actually brought to a general vote.

Hopefully these questions will be answered soon.

Technorati Tags: health care reform, public option

In his address this week, President Obama urged the passing of the Health Insurance Industry Anti-Trust Enforcement Act. This, hopefully will be passed and become part of the over all health care reform presently going through Congress. But you can help!

Senator Leahy would like your help in making sure everyone involved in passing this is notified about the peoples’ wishes. To give your support, you’re urged to go here: http://ga3.org/campaign/hcr_antitrust and sign a letter addressed to your state’s senators.

You can also see President Obama’s comments about this at the above site.

The Health Insurance companies have literally gotten away with murder, because there is nothing  preventing them from dominating any state’s health care market, and deciding who lives and who dies. Now we get a chance to fight back.

Technorati Tags: anti-trust, health care reform, Health Insurance Industry Anti-Trust Enforcement Act

With sixty-five percent of the American people in favor of the public option, and the majority of the rest not fully aware of what the public option is (medicare for all), perhaps there’s another way for us to bring about a sort of health care redirect that could very well change the playing field.

Imagine if every American who was denied health care, whether it be from a “pre-existing condition,” or for whatever reason, took what they’d normally pay for a monthly insurance premium, brought it down to one of the 1,200 free clinics in the US (see http://freeclinics.us/ for one near you), and donated it with the words, “Here! Grow!!”

Or if you couldn’t donate any money, then perhaps donate some volunteer time. Everyone on staff are strictly volunteers, from doctors, nurses, down to the reception people. No one gets paid, but everyone gets quality health care.

Here’s what their website says . . .

The National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501c(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of the more than 1,200 free clinics and the people they serve in the United States.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAFC is an effective advocate for the issues and concerns of free clinics, their volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, and the patients served by free clinics in communities throughout the nation.

These clinics are not funded by anything other than public donations. The government has nothing to do with them, the big Pharma and Insurance corporations are not involved, yet they help thousands of uninsured or under insured people every day.

With some help from ordinary, working people, these free clinics could very well turn into a real public option, owned and operated by and for the people.

Think about it next time you get the sniffles, or just plain don’t feel well.

Technorati Tags: free clinics, Health Care Redirect, insurance, insurance premium, National Association of Free Clinics

Among all the FoxSpews zombies at the latest 9/12 march, there was a group who had perfect pitch. Billionaires for Wealthcare sang out the praises of letting things remain as they are. These guys were great, but its amazing how many people around them had no idea Billionaires for Wealthcare were laughing at them.

Check them out

And read more here about the Billionaires for Wealthcare

Technorati Tags: Billionaires for Wealthcare, FoxSpews, protest, tea baggers

At this moment we’re facing one of the most historic votes in Congress. More than sixty years in the making, and finally we may have a real health care reform bill being signed by the President. This was Senator Ted Kennedy’s life work, and sorrowfully he isn’t here to see it through. But what’s even worse is, we may not have full representation from the state he came from. At this point it seems the lights are out in Massachusetts and nobody’s home.

State lawmakers are dragging their feet in allowing Governor Patrick to appoint an interim replacement for Senator Kennedy. This is temporary mind you. The replacement will only be in office until a special election can take place, and the person getting the position cannot run in the election. Its merely to give Massachusetts full representation at this critical time.

Now I understand the “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” problem. If the Democrats in Massachusetts allow this now, it could happen again when a Republican governor is in office later. Naturally a Republican governor would appoint a Republican replacement, and that could spell problems for the state.

But its only temporary! Senator Kennedy asked for an interim replacement pending a special election. So even if a future Republican governor got the opportunity to appoint someone somewhere down the road, the special election would remedy the situation with little time to do very much damage to the state’s policies.

So what’s the problem here? Will someone please turn the lights back on?!?

Technorati Tags: interim replacement, Massachusetts, Massachusetts lawmakers, Senator Kennedy, special election

President Obama’s health care speech to the Joint Houses of Congress certainly shook things up a bit, and I in no way want to belittle it. It was masterfully given, and spelled out exactly what everyone wanted to hear. But the best part of the night for me was the behavior and appearance of the Republicans throughout the whole evening.

It reminded me of a group of school bullies who were being brought to terms by their principal. There was defiance for sure, but the majority of them looked like the jig was up for them and they were about to spend the rest of the year in detention.

Though I’m still deeply troubled by the lack of respect given to the office of the President by these supposedly intelligent, patriotic leaders, I can understand their frustration. For so many years the Republican party has stood their ground on purely partisan politics, using fear and misinformation to thwart Democratic liberalism. But now they’re up against a President who’s smarter than they are, totally dedicated to working for the people, and perhaps the best “roper-doper” since Mohamed Ali.

One has to wonder if Obama’s push to get a bill voted on before the August recess wasn’t a calculated maneuver to send the GOP into a frenzy, knowing full well it would nudge them into revealing all their dirty tricks throughout the recess. Let’s face it, they threw everything they had at it, but in the end, health care reform is still the most popular way to go according to the majority of Americans, and all the right-wingers managed to do was expose their lack of a plan and their unwillingness to participate like adults.

Politics is a bit like gambling, and our President seems to have an excellent poker face.

Technorati Tags: behavior, Democrat, health care reform speech, Joint Houses of Congress, political bad behavior, politics, President Obama, Republican

A lot of the pundits on both sides keep pointing to the fact how the Republican got control of the health care reform issue and almost ran it into the ground. That was their intention, because frankly, if President Obama and the Democrats succeed in bringing in major reform, it’ll be a cold day in hell before Republicans can drag themselves back into good graces with the public. But was it a mistake on the President’s part to let them get away with this for so long?

It certainly was unfortunate that so many people got so badly affected by all the lies and deception, but I have a feeling former President Bush’s misquote a while back will come up in the end and haunt the GOP for a long time to come. “Fool me once, shame on me . . . you. Fool me twice . . . and we won’t get fooled again!”

The madness of this past August allowed the Republican right to play out their entire hand and expose them clearly as mere obstructionist. They used every underhanded trick in the Rove Play Book to kill Democratic efforts. But in the end, they never really got away with their phony “grassroots” appearance, and even the spewing of people like Glen Beck didn’t hide the fact it was coming directly from the GOP.

And now they face the “Community Organizer” tonight as President Obama addresses the Joint Houses of Congress. What do they have left to say that could possibly be taken as credible? How will what they’ve already said measure up to Obama’s ability to motivate in a positive and progressive way?

We’ll see who gets the last word on health care reform, but I have a suspicion the Rove Play Book may end up being good kindling for the GOP funeral pyre when this is all said and done.

Technorati Tags: Community Organizer, Democrats, health care reform, Joint Houses of Congress, politics, President Obama, Republicans

A sleeping giant has awoken! And no I’m not talking about some lunatic fringe who wants everyone to just say no to health care reform, or some frightened, unread mob who wave their banners and guns at town hall meetings. We’re talking about labor here!

The incoming president of the AFL-CIO has laid down the law on those Blue Dog “Demoochrats” who beg for votes on election day, but turn their backs on the people when its most important. No more playing both sides of the fence. It’s fish or cut bait time for those who think they can get away with pandering to the big corporations’ funding schemes while playing nicey-nice to the Labor Unions.

The message is clear . . .

You vote for the people, or the people won’t vote for you. You back our best interests, or we won’t back you.

Now we’re talking!

Technorati Tags: AFL-CIO, blue dogs, health care reform, Labor Unions

As we wait for Congress to come up with a viable health care policy for the country, there are things we can personally do to get started on our own health care reform. It has nothing to do with politics or money, big business or insurance. Instead it has to do with breaking a cycle we’ve all grown far to comfortable with.

The fact is, we are all slaves! Slaves to a life style that is, frankly, unhealthy. One of the goals President Obama wants to include in the country’s health care reform, is a health initiative to encourage people to act more responsibly when it comes to their own bodies. Without too much pondering, its easy to see how doing things to prevent illness will drastically decrease the need for pharmaceuticals, doctor and hospital visits, and the over all costs of treating the sick.

For example, we’ve all been snowed into believing the most important aspect of food intake is taste. If it tastes good, we’re all over it. So our food manufacturers go through great lengths and chemical expense to create “delicacies” to attract our pallets with little regard for nutritional value. Our mouths are delighted, while our organs strain to accomplish their natural filtering processes.

As a result, we store too much fat which leads to obesity. We ingest far too many chemical compounds, which leads to illnesses like breast cancer. And we lose the taste for natural foods with their natural healing properties, neglecting their rejuvenating benefits to our bodies.

The sad truth is, we’re destroying our body’s ability to heal itself. So this creates the need for pharmaceutical intervention to right the wrongs that we could have avoided all together by eating the right foods. Naturally, to get those drugs we need to make doctor and hospital visits that add to the demand and the cost of health care.

And this all snowballs because, as we stop feeling well due to what we put into our body, the less active we get. Thus we tend to sit more and walk less, watch TV rather than do some other activity that can pump blood and purify our systems, and seek more comfort foods while we sit depressed in front of the tube.

If we’re going to have successful health care reform, it has to start with us. The way we can lighten the load off the expensive system is to take care of our own body and change our lifestyle choices in a way that gives us a fighting chance to stay healthy.

And we don’t have to wait for a Congressional vote either. We can start right now, this very minute to begin our own health care reform process.

Technorati Tags: eating habits, food, health care reform, lifestyle, lifestyle changes