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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009 | 2:08 a.m.
Insofar as health care reform is concerned, this summer has belonged to the people attending tea parties and shouting inanities in town-hall meetings.
Their Republican-led misinformation campaign, typified by their hysterical charge that the government will require senior citizens to appear before “death panels,” has actually worked — polls that once showed overwhelming support for health care reform currently show a majority of people opposing it.
But now there is hope that autumn will belong to people with more sensible views on health care.
It was encouraging Monday when Richard Trumka, incoming leader of the AFL-CIO, said he will recast this, the nation’s largest labor federation, into an “agitating, mobilizing” machine.
In a speech here at a convention of the international painters union, Trumka said he supports the Obama administration’s vision for health care reform and that he has helped keep alive one of its key components, the public option. This option would give the tens of millions of Americans who are now without health insurance the opportunity to become insured through a government program.
Las Vegas Sun reporter Michael Mishak, who covered Trumka’s Las Vegas visit, wrote that the labor leader said he is up to the challenge. Mishak also quoted him as saying, “It is up to us (organized labor) to help Congress and the president do what’s right by working people. Trust me, we intend to help them do what is right.”
It is nice to hear that there will be a counterbalance to the inaccurate talk about health care reform. The voice of the AFL-CIO, which has 11 million members, will be welcome.
This week also brought news that Health Care for America Now, a coalition of national organizations that supports President Barack Obama, has plans for 500 rallies in large cities before Labor Day. It wants to let the president and Congress know there is still widespread support for health care reform.
It is about time that people whose views have not yet been heard stand up and join the debate.
....sorry to disapoint you but the latest Rasmusson polls indicate that the majority of
"average" Americans are against the Obamacare
legislature in it's present form. The Union thugs can organize all the rally's they want but there are still more of us "non union" citizens
out there than union members....and we will continue to voice our opposition to this health care debate.
WE the protesters are not all repubs, I am an independent. I do not agree with all the "junk" Congress has thrown into this bill. They have got in the habit of adding in what ever they want and nobody questions it. NOW Americans are asking questions and rightly so. Lets just slow down and get the RIGHT plan in place. Lets lay out a plan that is well thought out not a bill that no one has even read. I do not trust Congress and I don't think Obama does either, it's just all he has. He needs to instruct Congress (both sides) to stop playing their usual games and get down to business. We should not have a group like Acorn writing anything into this bill, yet they have more perks in there for them then we have for the hard working tax payer.
Hey Birdie, time to put your helmet on. The short bus will be there in 5 minutes.
.....excellent post americangirl. It's refreshing to finally read something from the
political middle that makes great sense. I think
it may be wishful thinking but I hope your
suggestions come to pass. Keep it up !
While you wait you can watch Dr. Walter Williams discuss why good intentions can produce bad results
http://www.writeonnevada.com/2009/08/goo...
and maybe learn why the unions, once very racist institutions, still advocate policies which harm minorities the most.
"We should not have a group like Acorn writing anything into this bill, yet they have more perks in there for them then we have for the hard working tax payer."
EXACTLY!!!
I am going to have to get up earlier as Birdie's 0331 rant was removed by LV Editors before I had an opportunity to read it. I guess the old saying is correct. "The early bird catches the worm." What am I to do??? How can I start my day without a squawk from the Birdie? By the way, what is Birdie doing up at 0331 on a workday? Maybe looking for a big fat political worm of an editorial in the LV Sun. This one might be more then even Birdie can stomach.
Once again, please note Americangirl10 didn't quote a word from any written proposals that name ACORN in the proposed bills. Unfortunately, they must depend on fear and ignorance to win this debate.
All they are left with, as did Ronald Reagan, when he shilled for the for- profit private insurance companies, is make outrageous claims of doom if Medicare were to be enacted.
Every fear and lie they cook up comes from their own paranoia and hate. Today 40 years later they continue to pimp for the for - profit private insurance and Pharma industies.
One has to wonder whether the "no government", "no taxes", crowd will ever admit that the U.S. has moved away from "your on your own pal" and "screw you if you don't" ideology since we entered the 20th century?
America is a better nation because we were able to adapt to the changes and challenges of the modern era.
I wonder if these ideologues will ever admit that the U.S. has adopted models of service and industry where the private sector co-exists with the public sector very securely and profitably.
Ask yourself do we have public universities co-existing with private universities?
Do we have private hospitals co-existing with public hospitals?
Do we have private and public mail and delivery services?
Do students, the poor, the disabled, widows and their children under 18, and farmers and even corporations receive tax benefits and subsidies from the public tax system?
Do we have private and public correctional institutions?
Is there a private military component in Iraq working and serving along side our own military?
Are our roads built and run for profit by toll producing private companies along side the public road system?
Do we have a public K-12 school system that competes with private schools?
Do we have public utility systems, such as the TVA, serving customers along side the profit-making utility systems?
Do we not have Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, all government run and funded working to sustain the needs of our people along side private insurance, pension and health care systems? Yes we do.
Inspite of the need to fix the funding sources, Social Security and Medicare are appreciated by those who are served and benefit from the programs.
Do some research and expand the list of how this nation has found the balance between the public and private sector co-existing.
You are reminded today's opponents of government supporrted human service programs made the exact same arguments to try to defeat these same programs when they were originally proposed.
Progress came to his nation and the nation is stronger and more compassionate because we rejected their ideology.
Since the start of the 20th century this nation has been able to withstand the ranting of those decrying "creeping socialism". It appears we have survived their empty claims and preserved our unique blend of "capitalism and the free enterprise system".
"Their Republican-led misinformation campaign, typified by their hysterical charge that the government will require senior citizens to appear before "death panels," has actually worked -- polls that once showed overwhelming support for health care reform currently show a majority of people opposing it."
So if you are saying that the opposition is a result of misinformation the answer seems very simple. Have an independent panel go through the bill and publish bullet point explanations of each item in the bill that we all can read and understand. Then we can have a national debate on the merits of the bill. I tried to read the bill and just can't understand the legal wording of it. It seems that they don't really want the public to understand what is in it.
I would think that if they published a simple description of what is in the bill it would do more good than calling citzens unamerican or a mob.
jldour has hit it squarely on the head...
Let's take the time and go through all the health care bills that have come out of committee, section by section and clarify the vagueness of the legislation.
This would/should end the misinformation put out by both political parties...
The problem here isn't what's in the Bill(s) (or actually the draft Bills), because there are lots of summaries online of what's actually in them. The problem is that its much easier to listen to a "medigogue" rail against big government because we all know how horrific government programs are. You know big government program failures like the Water District, Unemployement Insurance, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and on and on.
There are no death panels in any of the Bills (other than in the fertile imagination of Betsy McCoy, a CEO who benefits to the tune of hundreds of millions from the current system), there is no death book (other than the the pamphlet put out by the VA under several prior administrations) and there is no provision that will take people's current current coverage away from them (although lots of people are likely to change to a government plan if its better and/or cheaper so its no wonder private carriers are against a government plan).
The problem is that too many people don't want to read the summaries available. Too many people don't want to do any critical thinking. Too many people make short term decisios like being against a program because it has any cost when taking no action is far more costly in the long term. And too many politicians know that voters will vote based on emotion rather than rational analysis if they are scared into beleiving change will take something from them.
Patrick please don't site us to an article you wrote as authority for your conclusion.
hss46, I was sending you to the video.
Here is the YouTube version if you don't feel like reading an intro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1r-r6iLB...
You'll have to find part II and III yourself in the column on the right.
PS, that means Dr. Walter Williams an econ professor at George Mason University is the authority figure...not me.
Free and informed,
Now ask yourself which performs better?
Medicare and Social Security are highly indebted and on their last legs.
Public schools have flatlined for 5 decades while costs continue to rise.
Public universities have, on average, far lower graduation rates.
Public transportation systems cost far more then they budget, and almost always end up running on a subsidy.
What we have today is NOT a free market system. We have a government managed and regulated system. And you are asking for MORE government management and regulation. It does not make sense.
Here we go again... Being told not to worry about whats in the bills, or that this is a draft bill. HR-3200 has cleared the House Committee and is ready to be voted on anytime the House Speaker desires. I have read the bill myself and have legitimate questions. Summaries are not going to suffice for me. Summaries are written by people as they interpretate them. I want the details spelled out and discussed as mentioned in an earlier post by jldour.
So... Let's slow down, discuss and pass a piece of legislation to reform healthcare that we can all understand.
More accommodating voices about to enter the debate over health care reform
The LV Sun reports "It was encouraging Monday when Richard Trumka, incoming leader of the AFL-CIO, said he will recast this, the nation's largest labor federation, into an "agitating, mobilizing" machine."
Did the LV Sun forget to remove this statement
It Okay for Democrats
When conservatives do it it is unAmerican and evilmongering
friedanddeformed: you're correct, I do hate Leftist and their ilk. I really do. Now do you feel better?
Patrick- you again miss the point. As a free marketer and anti-government proponent, you ignore the scale that's served by public institutions as compared to the private profit-making institutions.
Are there more registered students in a public university than a private university?
Do private schools take everyone who applies?
Therefore the outcomes may be different.
Great progress made by this nation came because of public institutions and policy opened up opportunities for all citizens, rich and poor, young and old, all races and genders of this nation.
Under your model only the wealthy, privileged could succeed and survive.
Your model resulted in the moral failure by private corporations such as Enron, AIG, Haliburton and so many others.
The important fact you consistently miss is that public institutions and services serve all americans with all their faults and problems and have made this country more just and more creative.
Your ideology was tried in the 18th and 19th centuries and we were a poorer, less pluralistic, less just, less democratic nation.
It's time you enter the 21st Century and recognize that private and public institutions can and do co-exist for the betterment of this nation.
The scale of who they serve matters far less than how they are served.
Of course government can serve more people. It can subsidize the cost allowing more people the opportunity to afford the service. Duh.
But that does not mean the quality is better. Some people on here think UNLV is some big success because its so cheap, but the reality here is that it can only graduate 11% of its students in 4 years and just 39% in 6 years. That is embarrassingly bad.
So no, subsidizing government operations so more people can have access to a substandard product is NOT good. Especially if it results in price inflation in the long run which is EXACTLY what has happened with medical care and education.
You also named several corporatist enterprises...especially Halliburton. Corporatist means they use government power to extract profits through government regulations and restrictions that harm their competition.
Furthermore the incentives companies faced in this recent recession did drive companies to making very bad choices. But those incentives were created by government policy - at times via threat of force.
Plus, there isn't a realistic example of big government functioning properly over a long period of time. There are serious problems with sustainability that the Left cannot explain away - without completely ignoring history.
Your ideas are NOT 21st century; they're just repackaged ideas that have been around before free market liberalism was born. They get a new name, a new focus, they get tried again, and usually within 30 years, collapse or need a major overhaul.
There is a very good reason why there was so much social and economic upheaval in the world from the 1970s through the 1980s -- that was socialism dying. Unfortunately people like George W. Bush were in power at the moment of capitalisms ascendency and they brought us corporatism -- capitalism for the rich socialism for the poor. That didn't work either. Now we will experience a period of socialist resurgence followed by another collapse followed by a return to what works -- capitalism, limited government, and free markets. Hopefully next time we'll have the right incentives in place to make sure its capitalism and free markets for everyone, not just the rich.