A New Beginning for Health Care, What happens now?

Lee Stranahan: I'm About To Dive Into Health Reform's High Risk Pool

Health Care Reform has begun. Now the rubber hits the road. What will actually happen now with health care? Is it really the fault-filled monstrosity that's been predicted? Is it simply a starting point that now must be changed and improved? Mr. Stranahan is living in this brave new world now. An Obama supporter who has now removed his support because:

"Key components of this bill, including the individual mandate, the Cadillac tax, the lack of a public option, the lack of transparency, and the influence of the big pharmaceutical and insurance industries are all completely antithetical to what candidate Obama ran on. So President Obama won his healthcare victory, but he lost my support."

He's now getting ready to dive into the new "high risk pool" that's been offered up by this bill. As with millions of others, what he will be faced with will be the requirement to purchase insurance when what he really needs is simple access to health care.

"What I need now is not insurance. It's healthcare. Of course, there are millions of people all over the world who have access to healthcare but don't have insurance. They live in countries where citizens have the right to healthcare but don't administer it through a system of private insurance."

This is where we are.  In order to receive health care, Americans must have insurance.  Insurance then pays for the health care.  The middle man is the American way of life. It's the way market capitalism works.  It's the infamous "status quo" that Tea Partiers and Republicans are defending with violence, over the top rhetoric, and Luntzian talking points.  Standing between Mr. Stranahan and his health care providers is the private insurance industry.  Think about that for a little.  Mr. Stranahan's life is at stake and it's in the hands of the insurance industry, subject to all the rights and privileges bestowed by the free market.  Mr. Stranahan:

"Will I be able to afford insurance in this new world where Barack Obama tells me '"every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage"'?

I suppose that I'm also an American who is guaranteed a high quality affordable gizmo like a 64 Gig iPad with 3G wireless. I suppose I should be thankful that the Apple store will not discriminate against me on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or a pre-existing laptop. Sweet land of liberty, where I'm guaranteed what I can afford."

With the new Health Care reform law in place, Mr. Stranahan worries that he still won't be able to join the new high risk pools because of the expense involved, pointing out once again that this bill is flawed, that insurance companies still stand between patients and doctors and that market forces do not provide health care.

Democrats and Progressives have only won a place to stand with this magnificent effort.  The effort must continue. A lever must be found to move the nation towards  Medicare For All.  Mr. Stranahan's life along with millions of others depends on it.

Brilliant! and Pathetic......

The Most OUTRAGEOUS Quotes From The Health Care Reform Debate

In a nutshell, the Republican Party chose the low road. What would the debate have been like if they had chosen to debate the substance of the bill rather than simply repeating and embellishing the Frank Luntz talking points endlessly? Laurence O'Donnell made this point on Morning Joe this morning. What if the Republicans had spent more time talking about the financing of the bill and how it will need to be paid for? Believe it or not, there were some telling points they could have made on policy, but chose to ignore them. Social Security and Medicare still have to be paid for, just as this massive health care program will have to be paid for.

This was a huge victory for President Obama and the Democratic Party. They worked the margins, they shored up the middle, they kept their corporate ties intact, in short, they played the political game brilliantly. This is a generational event to be savored. An era will be defined as before and after health care reform.

This is a legendary example of the "base support" strategy and it's obvious failings. True, the base must be kept in the fold, but to play to the base exclusively? That's just letting your freak flag fly.... a losing strategy. The Democrats played to their base, but not exclusively so. I told a good friend early last summer as President Obama began his leadership on this issue, "Just watch. He'll be a success if he keeps everyone a little pissed off. Liberals, Conservatives and the Middle will all be ticked. THAT'S what a Centrist IS!  That's LEADERSHIP!"

Brilliant!

The Texas Textbook Massacre.. Rewriting history

Texas Textbook MASSACRE: 'Ultraconservatives' Approve Radical Changes To State Education Curriculum

Politicians, real estate developers, librarians, professionals and experts all except in the world of education are rewriting the history curriculum of the state of Texas. What do these folks know about curriculum? Apply this standard. Let an expert in real estate diagnose and treat your illness. Let a librarian defend you in a court of law. Let a school teacher give you advice and counsel on your stock market investments. Let a General in the armed forces preach on Sunday about peace and good will to all.

Let the same amateur educators determine what should be in the curriculum? It's a complete and utter farce.

Yes they're fighting the battle against "liberalism." I get it. What they don't understand is that the liberal arts curriculum teaches the conservative point of view! It is viewed in it's proper place and in context alongside other points of view. The conservative view of truth leaves out anything that is viewed as liberal or unchristian. That is fatal to education. That is brainwashing. Read the article linked here, find out what's included and what's left out. Then go to your local school and tell your principal and the teachers to stand against this blatant attempt a political propaganda. Tell them to teach all of the history or at least a balanced, contextual version of it.

Why is this important? It's a "free market" issue. The size of the Texas market for schoolbooks means that the rest of the country gets these books too! Fifteen amateurs in Texas are rewriting American History! They are pretending to be "experts" in educational curriculum.  Amazing and Tragic! Call someone, write something, help put a stop to it anyway you can.

"The Evils of Socialism" goes Viral....

Chaos Theory - Rush Limbaugh Takes a Stand on Health Care -- Politics Daily

This great cartoon caught my eye yesterday. Then I began to read the comments. Evidently, this comment, found by "HissyMissy" has gone viral accross the web.  The original source as far as anyone knows is here. The entire exchange is worth a read just for the point/counterpoint discussion.  A civil tone is maintained, but the dramatic difference in point of view is certainly illuminated.  Enjoy...

HissyMissy

3:01PM Mar 12th 2010

Socialism (and this is just to name a FEW)

Fire Departments
Police Departments
Electric Companies
Gas Companies
Medicare
Medicaid
Social Security
US Post Office
Ambulance Services
Public Schools
Public Colleges
Hospitals
Nursing Homes


The Evils of "Socialism"
Author Unknown

This morning I was awakened by my alarm clock, powered by socialist electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the socialist clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the socialist radio to one of the FCC regulated channels to hear what the socialist National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using socialist satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of socialist US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the socialist drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time, as kept accurate by the socialist National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my socialist National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the socialist roads build by the socialist local, state, and federal departments of transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the socialist Environmental Protection Agency, using socialist legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the socialist US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the socialist public school.

If I get lost, I can use my socialist GPS navigation technology developed by the United States Department of Defense and made available to the public in 1996 by President Bill Clinton who issued a policy directive declaring socialist GPS to be a dual-use military/civilian system to be managed as a national socialist asset.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the socialist workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the socialist USDA, I drive my socialist NHTSA car back home on the socialist DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the socialist state and local building codes and socialist fire marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the socialist local police department.

I then get on my computer and use the socialist Internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and browse the socialist World Wide Web using my graphical web browser, both made possible by Al Gore's socialist High Performance Computing and Communication Act of 1991.

I then post on freerepublic.com and Fox news forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right.

Can we only "Starve the Beast?"

PostPartisan - Help schools by helping the poor

 This article in the WaPo got me started to thinking this morning about education, budget cuts, and educational reform.  Then I read this in the Daily News Record Opinion Page.  My response follows:

Shorting Education Undermines Viability    Posted 2010-03-11


The Republicans of Virginia are shorting the public education offered to our children. This is laying off teachers in the process, and furthering the deterioration of Virginia’s roads and infrastructure.

We are not hiring all the different occupations needed for new construction and major repairs necessary. The reason given is to not pay any more taxes.

The prognostication for these actions is that the voters of Virginia will choose more Republican state and congressional representatives in November. Folks, we live in a global economy, which will bury national economies that do not offer the best-educated citizens and the most up-to-date infrastructure.

We have apparently collectively lost our minds. “Taxes are the price we pay for civilization.”

Bob Green   
Singers Glen

My Response:

Mr Green is correct. We have indeed collectively lost our minds when we simply ignore half of the fiscal responsibility equation, cost containment AND revenue. Taxes AND spending cuts. When only cuts are considered (as they have been almost exclusively for decades) the "beast is starved" and at some point must be fed.

Those who would make public education more efficient by suggesting cuts in education spending need to do some extensive homework to be sure that their "suggestions" aren't simplistic or idealistic. Hard choices mean hard research and careful consideration. We have lost our minds when efficiency is equated with testing or when budget cutting is more important than school breakfast and lunch programs.

We have lost our minds when the purposes and goals of public education are subverted for political gain. When students are cheated, they are taught to cheat. When students are hungry, they can't learn. When students are taught to take tests, they only learn to pass.

Reforms must include the revenue streams that will educate our students to their fullest potential. Reforms must also include increased efficiency in truly educating our students and less emphasis on training them to pass tests. Reforms must be carried out after consulting with educators and administrators who know what can be done to achieve effective and lasting reform.

Shame, Governor McDonnell, Shame!

On March 6, 2010, This letter was published in the Daily News Record:

I am very sad to hear that Gov. Bob McDonnell has issued an executive order making discrimination against gays and lesbians the new law of the commonwealth. In rescinding Gov. Kaine’s executive order prohibiting such bigotry, Mr. McDonnell has embraced the idea that gays and lesbians are neither to be accorded civil rights nor protected from discrimination.

It was done quietly. Did he hope no one would notice? Homophobia is now sanctioned policy. Shame, Gov. McDonnell, Shame.

My additional comments:

Discrimination against gay men and lesbians was addressed by the Kaine administration because of documented instances of job loss in government positions directly related to their sexual orientation, NOT because of any inability to do the job. Gays and lesbians were SPECIFICALLY targeted in the new executive order by Mr. McDonnell who feels that there is no particular reason to protect the human and civil rights of this particular minority.

"This order is in furtherance of the stated policy enacted by the General Assembly, and specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities. The policy permits appropriate employment preferences for veterans and specifically prohibits discrimination against veterans as contemplated by state and federal law." (source)

As you can see the reverence to sexual orientation is now missing, while the reference to veterans has remained. Mr. McDonnell attempted to molify those who are worried that this is indeed a regressive policy by releasing this memo:

"It shall be the policy of the office of the Governor to ensure equal opportunity in the workplace, encourage excellence by rewarding achievement based on merit, and prohibit discrimination for any reason. Hiring, promotion, discipline and termination of employees shall be based on qualifications, performance and results."

Then you should remove ALL minorities from the executive order, Governor. Virginians could be more trustful of your true intent. As it states now you seek to ensure equal opportunity for everyone, including certain minorities, except gay men and lesbians.... What a wicked web you weave.

Has discrimination against gays and lesbians disappeared from our culture? That would be great news. Does this open the door for government employees to be dismissed and denied the ability to work for the government for no other reason than their sexual orientation? Sadly, yes. Is this a regressive policy? Absolutely. What other purpose could it have served?

Congratulations....

DOT Press release

Congratulations, Republicans and Senator Jim Bunning. You've brought the United States to a screeching halt. You have personally cost thousands of folks their jobs, you made it much harder for good working class folks make it through the recession. You've shown your determination to kill unemployment benefits, because they are a "disincentive," paying folks even when they aren't working.

Congratulations! You've won an American victory for .... who? You've held up the work in more than 20 states on Federal projects, telling workers "fuck you" (the middle finger shown to reporters who were trying to get more information from him). You've personally, with tacit approval from your fellow Republican Senators, stopped work on 318 million dollars in federal projects in those 20 states.

Congratulations. Way to stop that evil government spending. You've shown some real fiscal restraint. Now tell us again how you feel about those folks you've personally fired from their jobs and those folks whose unemployment benefits will run out before they see another payday....What do you say to that Senator Bunning?

"Tough Shit" - Senator Jim Bunning

Understanding Partisanship

E.J. Dionne Jr. - Living with partisanship - washingtonpost.com

"The word "partisanship" is typically accompanied by the word "mindless." That's not simply insulting to partisans; it's also untrue."

Mr. Dionne's contention is simply that what's going on in Washington these days is an honest disagreement over the style of governance favored by Republicans as opposed to the style of governance favored by Democrats. This is main stream stuff, so bear with me a little here. Republicans, according to E.J. "think market outcomes are almost always better than anything government can produce." There you have it. Get used to it. Get over it. Deal with it. Accept it.

As I've told students in my classrooms for years, "If you know what the problem is, then you already know 85% of the answer."  Progressives blow it when they remain stubbornly ignorant and disbelieving of the integrity and honesty of the Free Marketeers. They mean it. They're perfectly honest and up front about it. They hate government and hate it to the point of having lost all respect for it. When Senator Bunning puts a hold on unemployment benefits for folks without a job, Progressives simply assume that everyone thinks he's an ass. I mean, who possibly could be against the working class folks desperately trying to find work? Senator Bunning actually was in cahoots with Sen. Jon Kyl who is trying to leverage the unemployment benefits legislation to decrease the estate tax for .03% of estates. That would be estates valued at over 7 million dollars.... (imagine the inequity...sniff).  Democrat Blanch Lincoln has also signed on.... Free Marketeers. They are doing this with great deliberation and skill. They mean it.

Market outcomes... wrap your head around that for a little. Government IS the problem. Why? Because the government regulates markets, thereby inhibiting them. Taxes? The ultimate anti-profit. Every dollar the government takes in taxes is a dollar that can't be spent in the market. Less Taxes? More Profit! The SCOTUS has given us a glimpse of the style of governance that free markets can provide. First with the ruling that Corporations are now entitled to the benefits of free speech and now giving Corporations free reign to pollute our waters in the pursuit of profit. To a Free Marketeer, watersheds, streams, dry river beds, and landlocked lakes aren't anything more than dumping grounds. Turns out it's way cheaper to dump than recycle. Helps the bottom line. Generates profits. Big Time.

Market outcomes... Politicians become prostitutes. Lobbyists become pimps. Elections become auctions. This is the future of government by free market. Democrats "believe in using government to correct the inequities and inefficiencies the market creates." Republicans believe in creating and promoting those very same "inequities and inefficiencies" to create profit.  Remember the discussion about "boom and bust?"  All that booming and busting is what generates enormous wealth for the few, the elite, the well-positioned, the genealogically gifted. Democrats believe in government as the voice of the people, Republicans view government as the enemy because it's the voice of the people.  Both claim to speak for "real" Americans.

Neither side is an ass. Both sides are passionate. Both sides are elitist ideologues. In order to have any affect on the outcome of a political debate, these realities must be acknowledged and respected.

That's not cheap partisanship. It's a fundamental divide. The paradox is that our understanding of politics would be more realistic if we were less cynical and came to see the battle for what it really is.