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Union Members Must Make Voices Heard in Health Care Debate |
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Last night, John Durso, president of the Long Island Federation of Labor, attended a health care reform town hall meeting held by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.). Like many around the nation, it became quite contentious. Here’s the e-mail Durso sent to the members of his local union, RWDSU/UFCW Local 338, describing the meeting and the need for union members to take political action.
Last night I, along with many of our staff, attended a town hall meeting in Brookhaven hosted by Congressman Tim Bishop. There were 800 people inside and 500 people outside—quite a turnout. As most of you have seen or read, it is a hot topic and one that brings out strong feelings on both sides.
What truly troubles me is the lack of manners, the hatred and the misinformation that was spread on this subject. There was at least one shoving match, a near fight and because I did not live in the district and let that be known. I was shouted down, quite a disruption developed and Tim had to ask me to yield the floor. One guy wanted to fight, to which I asked him to step up but he chose not to join me at the microphone. It was quite a night; very interesting. Tim Bishop showed nothing but class and grace under very uncomfortable conditions.
OK, so why am I telling all of you this story? Well, I think it is interesting, but it underscores why we need to be involved in the political process, these people who were screaming and carrying on did not want to talk. They wanted to disrupt. They were told the truth and still refused to listen. They were shown the passages in the bill and it showed them that their information was wrong and still they would not listen.
If we are not engaged in the process, the crazies and the radicals win. If we do not get our people registered to vote and get our people to sign up for [political action], we concede this fight and all our fights to others who wish us harm. We are in a fight for the future of our nation and for the generations that come after us. It is our job, our mission, our destiny to fight and protect the less fortunate then ourselves. It is our duty to be involved and to speak for those who have no voice. It is our country and we must protect it, we need everyone to get involved.
We need our members registered to vote and to sign up for [political action]. I am counting on all of you. Don’t let me, our members and yourselves down.
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Support the public option. March on Washington for Health Care and the public option.
Marches are being organized in all major cities.
Sign up at:
http://www.marchforhealthcare.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118144661546
SF march:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpkgrz
national marches:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpkqgh
Why has the Obama team and Congressional Democrats had such a difficult time selling meaningful health care reform? Everyone knows that Republicans are anti people and essentially represent the corporatists and special interests; say the upper 25% of the American people. The rest of us are really in the “little people” category, you know, working Americans who work hard to make better the lives of their families. Some in that
category are well off, most struggle to make ends meet, others are very poor and struggle just to survive. All of those in the “little people” category would personally benefit through the enactment of a “single payer” universal health care system, one that is founded in public wellness, one that is less expensive and one that is more efficient than the current insurance monopoly. All of those goals can be realized, but not through the current system; to the likes of the anti people Republicans and their wealthy backers. Their pocket books like things just the way they are. The “little people” know, that if there is to be true health care reform, that it’ll be the Democrats and only the Democrats who can see it through. So do it! As the NIKE ads say, “just do it!” The “little people,” the 75% of the American people will be better-off for it and will respect the Democrats for their bold action.
Albert Colone
Oneonta, NY 13820-2238
607/432-4057
PS: It’s the Christian thing to do, too.
At a demo in front of SF City Hall on Wednesday i will be carrying a sign that reads on side 1 - “Break from the Democrats/Republicans - Build a Fighting Workers Party - Struggle for A Workers Government”. Side 2 reads “We Need Nationalized Health Care - W/O Insurance Co’s -
Under Workers Control.”
That is what we need and that is what i will be proposing. Any fool can see that the Democrats and Republicans will struggle together to defend the interests of capital just as the Democrats struggled to defend slavery. We need to fight for what we need not wait for the bosses to throw us a few crumbs.
From Progressive Democrats of America / ILLINOIS:
Medina, Ohio.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) told 100 PDA and Single-Payer supporters meeting in Central Ohio recently that the Democratic legislation related to health insurance mandates currently moving through Congress is deeply flawed and should be defeated. The bill, HR 3200, would require people to buy private insurance. It also makes provisions for an as yet undefined ‘public option’ plan that would be available to a relatively small portion of the population* (See below).
Kucinich said that HR 3200 would actually worsen our nation’s health care system. The legislation according to Kucinich would enshrine private insurance–the cause of our health care crisis–into the nation’s health care system giving private insurance companies a permanent role that would make true cost reduction impossible.
The Congressman also stated that he would vote against HR 3200 even if his own amendment is included. (The Kucinich amendment would clear federal barriers to state based single-payer programs.) Instead, the Congressman said he would offer his amendment as stand alone legislation.
Kucinich’s strong announcement is probably intended to cut through the confusion and conflict that has arisen among health care activists, progressives, union leaders and the Democrats about whether to support the so called ‘public option’ as an incremental step toward achieving honest reform of the country’s broken health care system. Single payer supporters such as PDA insist that the public option is more deception than solution and that only Single-Payer (Medicare for All) can bring guaranteed affordable and quality health care to all.
Kucinich’s announcement adds to the rising chorus of criticism aimed at Obama’s failure to champion the progressive reforms promised during his campaign, but particularly in health care. In addition to critics on the left, main stream liberals such as Paul Krugman and Robert Reich have recently castigated Obama and the Democratic Party leaders for their repeated concessions to corporate donors on issues of banking, health care, EFCA and war.
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In addition:
After repeated denials from President Obama and many Congress members that illegal aliens could receive benefits under the health care bill, the Congressional Research Service has stated: “HR 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitizens — whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently…”
The official report of the Congressional Research Service-the authoritative, nonpartisan research division of Congress-puts to rest claims to the contrary.
http://www.cis.org/articles/2009/CRS_Report_on_HR3200.pdf
I attended a town hall meeting Sat. Aug.29th Spring Valley San Diego, chaired by (D) Susan Davis.1,000 people attended. The loud mouth Reps. tried to disrup, but the majority had some great signs,(I am a millionaire,keep every thing as it is) (my insurance company paid my way here to stop all reform) We need more meetings to educate all the (No,No) minority.