1 THING: all americans are workers, or most americans are workers.  So why is it so hard to admit that they are workers, and why is it so hard for them to create a Workers Party or to join a large Mass Labor Party

Lets be clear, the Democrats and Republicans do not represent workers, but the petty bourgeoise class of America (the small business owners, and independent high wage workers), not the majority of americans.

It is time for US citizens to apply buhdism (To clear their minds) and to join into a Large Workers Party as an alternative to the petty bourgeoise options of Democrats and Republicans

.

I make most of my comments in billboard style, its fun !!

Just a day after spitting and screaming at each other,
there was Pelosi and the Boner, holding hands, declaring
their unwavering allegience and protection to government
that commits crimes against humanity on a daily scedule.
“No one can break this allegience”  they both declared
in unison.

The Sunday show was so a spectacle. The Dems, needing to
keep the governance of our nation centrist, offered this
legislation.  This because, the corpostocracy knows all
too well that is where their power lies.  Now, because of
this,  the Democrats have put the nation in a position in
order to keep the centrist control, where republican
governors are going to be the ones the American public
have to rely on to stop a terrible piece of legislation.
There is no way anyone can tell me this wasn’t contrived
to keep politics and elections balanced in the middle.
I have seen this over , and over, and over , again in the
last forty years..  Mr. Sheer,  there is no defense for
the middle of the road polictics, it is controlling and
will always keep the staus quo corpostacracy in control
of the lives of all Americans…Along with you and the
mainstream media mouthpiece that they also own !!!!!!!!

heyletsevolve

Your anger makes you irrational. You make assumptions about me that are unwarranted, and not based on any knowledge of me. Not wishing to be put in a defensive stance, and modesty, prevent me from relating my life experiences, but let me inform you that my academic credentials are limited, I am, for the most part, self educated, and I have spent much of my life supporting myself by intensive labor.

I believe in non-violent revolution within the confines of our Democracy. When you say you want revolution, hopefully you’re not advocating violent revolution.  The human suffering caused by violent revolution would dwarf the human suffering caused by, lack of health care, and the outcome of that revolution would not at all be desirable.

You want comprehensive health care insurance and you want it now. So do I, but unfortunately we lack the political power to achieve that goal now. Lets accept small victories and continue the struggle, and not become self destructive.

Can’t help wondering if anyone here made any of those call to Rep Stupac’s office.

It’s one thing to feel anger or frustration for having been legitimately wronged by recent legislation. It’s another to be angry and frustrated because one doesn’t know how else to feel. That’s pretty sad, IMHO.

Yes, yes. Corporate Barons vs the Proletariat. The age old conflict between Left and Right.

One might be of the mind that change, or the righting of legitimate wrongs, might be more effective working within the system, such as it is, rather than just tearing apart everything in sight.

If mandating insurance coverage is too invasive, what would/should be the alternative and how would/should it be paid? It’s an honest question without demonization.

Take the concept of single-payer. Does that mean closing down the entire insurance industry and cause chaos with additional unemployment and distribution of assets? That’s way to Bolshevik for US, IMHO. Ain’t gunna happen anytime soon, likely never.

I still like a public option if only for competition and think that still could emerge but not by slamming and whamming everyone in sight.

Can’t we all get along? Well except for the Repugnants of course. <smile>

AMERICANS NEED TO REVOLT AGAINST THE NAZI OBAMACARE, WHICH WILL DESTROY US LIBERTIES.  IF US CITIZENS DON’T BUY HEALTH INSURANCE THEY WILL GO TO JAIL, THIS IS DICTATORSHIP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnDxqboVxMY&feature=related

ALEX JONES IS RIGHT 100% ABOUT THE COMPLETE-DOMINATION OF USA BY A MAFIA-CARTEL. Alex Jones from a libertarian point of view says the same thing that Lenin wrote about 90 years ago in his book: Imperialism, highest stage of capitalism which is about the complete-slavery and domination of all mankind by a cabal of monopoly oligarchs

.

.......JDMysticDJ…..

    ********** P E A C E ************

I am sure the world could use a whole lot more of you !!!

I also understand that the RUPUBLICANS are what they are.
and there are many expletive deletives that describe them.
and that they are against the health INS. reform law for
all the wrong reasons.

I am one that will not endorse a piece of legislation
just because the republicans are against it.  It is not
health reform which is what we were promised.  I believe
there is a whole lot of that endorsement with this ins
reform law.  On the bigger picture, there is little difference between now and 2005,  we have had a Democrat
majority for almos four years, we are still deceiving and
covering what is happening in the resource wars, as a
matter, we are still calling them Wars on Terror from the
White House and Capitol Hill.  You know as well as I know
why our military is stretched all over the world imposing
itself on unwilling subjects,  making it impossible for
real health care reform, real infastructue rebuilding,
turning our economic system from a socio-military industrial employment system, to one of sustainable living
with social justice and clean drinking water,  this is
the “hope” that our president infered in his campaign.
While I didn’t buy it from the beginning,  I as a citizen
have the right to hold his feet to the coals of his
infered promise.

once again Peace,  I love you man !!!!!

And for the record, JD, I think this country needs a major revolution.

Our entire political system is rigged on behalf of the elite, and if you think we’re going to change it with incrementalism, you’re wrong. So if you actually do care about people, you should help to harness the growing populist anger in a constructive way rather than tell the angriest people they don’t really care about their fellow humans. You’re just going to piss them off even more.

Or didn’t you learn that when you got all your degrees?

Ofersince72

Damn! This is tedious, but it does allow me the opportunity to once again point out the dichotomy between right and left.

My “Rough estimate” was off by about 4% to 9%. Do you remember my calling it a “Rough estimate?”

50 democrats in the House of Representatives voted against continued funding for the war powers act. There are 233 democrats in the House of Representatives, so that works out to a little over 21%, not the 25% to 30% of my “Rough Estimate.” The reason my “Rough estimate” was off is because 6 of the 212 republicans in the House of Representatives actually voted against the war powers act, which works out to be a little less than 3%.

Your comment

“356 TO 65   war won…....enabler” Strikes me as being an early declaration of victory, which can be dangerous.

I’ll continue enabling the progressive left, while you enable the right. Enabling one’s most dangerous enemy is not a strategy that would have been approved by Sun Tzu.

Sorry, but I have to say that your tagging is mildly annoying.

“Clearly this new legislation is nothing but a minor improvement, and anyone one who thinks otherwise is being scammed, but this Bill is an improvement and only a first step in a long and arduous process. It has the added effect of slowing this nation’s shift to the right, and helping to block the return to power of the most fascist elements within our society.”

JD,

You come on here with your arrogance and snooty holier-than-thou b.s., accusing the angriest people on the site of being mindless ideologues who actually don’t care about people’s health. What people are angry about is that, were it not for the craven spineless hypocrisy of the party in power, we could have had a bill of tremendous impact that would change the lives of all sick Americans immediately. Including me—and this bill does NOT help me.

Just because some people want their “elected” representatives to stand up and fight on their behalf doesn’t make them mindless ideologues. It makes them people who haven’t learned to stomach what this country has become. And thank God for those people.

You apparently look at the shameful farce of the Washington health care debacle and think, “This is what democracy looks like”. The rest of us look at it and think, “This is what corruption look like.”

If you think you’re actually helping anyone who is suffering and sick and not helped at all by this bill by smearing your self righteous arrogance all over them, you’re mistaken.

Genuine health-care is an exclusive function of Natural Organic Human Communities.  In the virtual world-o’-hurt where homo domesticus half-lives, the only thing on-offer is various kinds of symptom suppression….for all those debilitating and degenerative effects of the “civilization” disease, with its lethal “individual”-ization process.

That, too, is ultimately (imminently) unaffordable, even if they were to give-it-away….which, of course, is CONtrary to the demands of the pathological ‘dominance’ paradigm.  This death-dealing device can be incrementally ‘tweaked’ until Hell freezes-over, but it’ll still be and do what it’s designed to be/do….which is what it is already, and has all-along.

Anyway….

HokaHey!

letusevolve

“I can’t stop thinking about your comment. You must be either a politician, or a HMO stooge, or in some way are benefitting from this sick (no pun intended) excuse for ‘reform.’”

This “reform” helps the sick. Did you ignore the facts I posted?

“I mean, what part of broke, sick, dying and desperate is so hard for you to understand? Because that is the state of affairs for millions of Americans. There are people working 3 jobs, supporting their families, who don’t know whether they can make the rent every month. You think they’re going to be happy about having to pay bloated and corrupt insurance companies or face the IRS coming after them with new fines? That kind of stress CAUSES illness!”

I do understand.

Meanwhile, in countries all around the world, people have access to universal health care. No nightmare paperwork, no limited coverage, just . . . health care for all.

Health care for all is what I want. Single payer financed primarily by taxing the richest Americans.

“Why can’t we do it here? Because we’re held hostage by the corporations who make money off our illnesses, they have bought our politicians, who make empty promises about really fighting these bastards, then make every kind of back room deal and sell it to us like a gift wrapped pile of shit—assuming we’re so ignorant we don’t know how it really CAN be done. And for the most part, that’s true.”

No argument here.

“Then people like you come along to add your insult to injury, to accuse those of us demanding universal health care of being raving ideologues. Who are you? Who bought you off?”

“I’m sorry if you are offended by my constructive criticism. You’re an ideologue because you’re refusing this improvement in health care because it doesn’t meet your ideological demands. I’m JDmysticDJ. Both Kucinich and I were bought off by good common sense.”

“Trillions of our dollars go to illegal wars, to kill people in other countries who haven’t done a damn thing to any of us, to line the pockets of the defense industry.Trillions of dollars that could be spent on making Americans healthy SO THEY CAN WORK AND CONTRIBUTE.”

Congratulations! You’ve earned your bachelors degree in Foreign Policy, Imperialism, social consciousness, and economics. I got mine 50 years ago.

“Oh but wait, our jobs are going too—because of all the basic protections and sovereignty that was destroyed when our politicians sold the country to the globalist agenda, which has made 1% of the population OBSCENELY wealthy while degrading the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people, undermining our manufacturing sectors, and flooding the market with cheap crap made by servants in third world countries.”

You’re working on your doctorate in economics, good job! Keep it up!

“It’s one giant scam, and this bill is part of it. So if you’re benefiting from it, go cash your check and shut the fuck up. Leave the rest of us to figure out how we’re going to get to the doctor tomorrow and afford to pay for it.”

Shut up? Nope! that I will not do.

I learned long ago that I don’t need a big check, and I’ve already cashed my check for this month, but thanks for the suggestion.

Clearly this new legislation is nothing but a minor improvement, and anyone one who thinks otherwise is being scammed, but this Bill is an improvement and only a first step in a long and arduous process. It has the added effect of slowing this nation’s shift to the right, and helping to block the return to power of the most fascist elements within our society.

“HOW DO THESE PEOPLE END UP THINKING THAT REPUBLICANS are their best friends? What is wrong with this equation? Why are not unions, and socialist parties able to operate effectively anymore, and convince people of their goals and motivations? What went wrong? Has the nature of poverty and disadvantage changed in one hundred years?”

This is a very good question, and I would add to it—how does anyone think either party is representative of anyone other than the top 1%?

I think Americans are largely ignorant and have simply been sold a bill of goods for a long time. Look at Fox News. It’s an American Pravda, and the damage it has done in the past ten or so years has been considerable. It has been brainwashing the least intelligent among us.

There has been quite an assault by the wealthy on any and all leaders and institutions that teach about the higher ideals of society. Look at the 60s, all the best leaders were killed. Look at what came after. It’s been a downhill spiral ever since.

I think complex political thought is beyond most people. It’s easier to think in extremes, take sides. How we can have a robust business environment and also a social system that provides the basic protections we all understand to be products of a civilized world—education, health care, environmental protections—is a conversation often lost in the screaming of TV pundits and radio talk show hosts who make money off creating dissenting factions.

Ofer,

I’m sorry about your ex wife, and anyone else with no real access to health care, including me. This bill does nothing to help me.

People like JD, I must assume, benefit in some way either monetarily or in power and prestige from legislation such as this. In some way he is a beneficiary of the status quo, or thinks he is, and is afraid of what real change should be—so won’t admit it is possible and only being obstructed by corporate money and control.

Maybe he works for an HMO, maybe he is part of the political process that made this happen. It’s hard to believe he’s just a totally duped Democrat who can’t imagine not cheering the home team, no matter how truly useless they have become. Though I suppose it’s possible. I don’t know which option is more pathetic.

Anyway, his petty and meaningless attacks on your spelling are proof of his true character.

The worst thing is to be told, with the typical arrogance of the people who like to say these things, that what we want is not possible, and we are naive for demanding it.

Meanwhile, the President himself had promised he would not sign anything that didn’t at the least have a public option included.

So when the public rage starts to boil over, shills like JD show up, here online where they are physically safe, and tell us we are stupid serfs who don’t understand how good we’ve got it—our corporate masters have really given us a deal this time and we should get back to licking their boots as usual.

Who knows what people like him really believe, feel or think. There are many people who truly believe that it’s better not to rock the boat, no matter what. I find them far more terrifying than the criminals who are destroying the planet and ruining the lives of billions. They are the enablers, though for the most part they can’t imagine themselves to be such a thing.

and here is another for you that has nothing mystical
about you

  the position that my ex-wife is in is NOT an analogy!!!!

Hedges this time as before nails the last one in the coffin. He writes for intellectuals, for socialists (those evi? grrrrrrr communist fascist Kenyan socialist moslems! grrrr!). One thing I am sure of is that Marx, & Gramsci were right - intellectuals should lead political movements. I am not sure they should rule; just look at the dissent here, among mainly “liberal” posters. The same thing is happening inside the Democratic Party, while “united” the Republicans go down in FLAMES. They are the real Hindenberg, although Hedges’ analogy is not lost. Intellectuals like to debate, but government must rule. The link is how the people themselves are educated, and what their expectations and limits are. The masses could still reclaim the government if there were a leader who did not crave political power perhaps. Social change, opposite to, but as effective as that engineered in the Texas state educational system recently, is sorely needed. Desperately needed. Unless it happens quite soon this country will totally belong to the corporatists and their ignorant, shortsighted, selfish citizen-minion-voters. Education is the key, and it was usurped effectively in the seventies (and ever since) by the minion-majority controlled by intellectual corporatists who have truly lead their movement very successfully, until very recently.

Have you all thought through this situation in this manner, with the same question as I have? Why do working class people, near financial ruin, losing their homes, having no access to healthcare, unable to send children to college, or day care, wanting for a vacation OR A JOB from which to take a vacation, HOW DO THESE PEOPLE END UP THINKING THAT REPUBLICANS are their best friends? What is wrong with this equation? Why are not unions, and socialist parties able to operate effectively anymore, and convince people of their goals and motivations? What went wrong? Has the nature of poverty and disadvantage changed in one hundred years? I think these are more important questions than why Kucinich moved center (that’s obvious, his job was threatened). Who wouldn’t? (go ahead name one).

Here is another one liner for you
that has absolutly nothing mystical about you

  That trash piece of legislation may have saved a
  presidency ,,,,but it didn’t save any lives…

boy o boy ,,,have the defenders of the corpostocracy
          descended upon us.
          touting their intellect of all things.
          we see the extent of ur intellect !!!!!

Thank you Jd Mysic dj

There is nothing mystical about you.
I will take all your sarcastic critisizm as compliments,
sorri, you don’t lik my spelin.

and as long as you enablers defend the corporate
takeover of our republic
I WILL KEEP PLENTY OF SPRAY PAINT !!!!!!!!!!!

356 TO 65   war won…....enabler

Thank you JD for the facts - very informative.

lets and ofer - go watch Desperate Housewives.

PT, yep there’s more work to do but I believe the Dems are still the best realistic choice available. I hope they now see they CAN and NEED to lead.

Thank you Mr. Hedges for shedding light on this “historical” deal.

As a Canadian I’m not as directly affected by changes in the American health care system (IE. I’m priviledged enough to have far from perfect, but much better health care), but our economies being so familiar, any change of this magnitude to the US economy will automatically influence Canada’s.

As “historical” as this deal is, it seems more and more like it’s not that great.

thanks again,
Greg Savoie (Vancouver, Canada)

Since you’re so keen on your facts, JD, I will take them one by one:

“This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage.Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.”

Q: What about the families who are too poor to pay for it? What about the adults who will die before the “coming years” actually arrive?

“This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents’ insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.”

—Great for those for whom this applies.

“This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage.”

Q: What about those who can’t afford to pay for the coverage?

“This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans.”

Q: What about the other plans?

“Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.”

Q:What about the Americans who can’t afford to pay anything?

“This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.”

Q: How do you know it is affordable? How can anything be affordable for people out of work, in debt, and too sick to function?

“In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.”

Q: Why only double? Why not make it possible for everyone to get treated by redirecting the ample funds we use to kill people with?

“This year, we’ll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country’s needs.  Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners—on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”

Q: The Defense Budget for 2010 is something like 600 billion. Should we feel that 1.5 billion and 500 million is real investment in the future of American medicine?

“Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections”

—But won’t end them, or do away with the necessity of these for-profit behemoths who have spent decades making sure sick people die.

“This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.”

Q: Should poor, sick, struggling people be happy about the opportunity to do more unnecessary paperwork? Or should they instead demand Universal care that saves them from having to wrangle with insurance companies at all?

Sorry, my lunch hour is over, I’ll have to finish this later.

JDMystic,

Gee, and I expected so much more from you. At least I expected some attempt at bullshitting all of us further, but you couldn’t even manage that. You’re truly pathetic.

heyletsevolve

Facts make you angry don’t they? Sorry, I’m quite concerned about your virtual threat. The only time I’ve been this frightened was when I was confronted by the goon squads in San Francisco, and when I was facing a term in Federal prison for demonstrating against the Viet Nam war. Apparently, counter revolutionaries are as dangerous as the the status quot.

Please have mercy on me oh mighty one. I will think twice about posting facts again.

(Quick! Someone call 911)

Thank you, Chris Hedges. It’s the best article on “health care” I’ve seen.

Ofersince72

I really enjoy the volume and quality of your posts. Your well reasoned comments, your clever and far reaching analogies, your innovative spelling, and your restrained righteous anger, are very impressive. Hopefully you won’t run out of spray paint any time soon.

JDMystic,

I can’t stop thinking about your comment. You must be either a politician, or a HMO stooge, or in some way are benefitting from this sick (no pun intended) excuse for “reform.”

I mean, what part of broke, sick, dying and desperate is so hard for you to understand? Because that is the state of affairs for millions of Americans. There are people working 3 jobs, supporting their families, who don’t know whether they can make the rent every month. You think they’re going to be happy about having to pay bloated and corrupt insurance companies or face the IRS coming after them with new fines? That kind of stress CAUSES illness!

Meanwhile, in countries all around the world, people have access to universal health care. No nightmare paperwork, no limited coverage, just . . . health care for all.

Why can’t we do it here? Because we’re held hostage by the corporations who make money off our illnesses, they have bought our politicians, who make empty promises about really fighting these bastards, then make every kind of back room deal and sell it to us like a gift wrapped pile of shit—assuming we’re so ignorant we don’t know how it really CAN be done. And for the most part, that’s true.

Then people like you come along to add your insult to injury, to accuse those of us demanding universal health care of being raving ideologues. Who are you? Who bought you off?

Trillions of our dollars go to illegal wars, to kill people in other countries who haven’t done a damn thing to any of us, to line the pockets of the defense industry.

Trillions of dollars that could be spent on making Americans healthy SO THEY CAN WORK AND CONTRIBUTE.

Oh but wait, our jobs are going too—because of all the basic protections and sovereignty that was destroyed when our politicians sold the country to the globalist agenda, which has made 1% of the population OBSCENELY wealthy while degrading the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people, undermining our manufacturing sectors, and flooding the market with cheap crap made by servants in third world countries.

It’s one giant scam, and this bill is part of it. So if you’re benefiting from it, go cash your check and shut the fuck up. Leave the rest of us to figure out how we’re going to get to the doctor tomorrow and afford to pay for it.

JDMystic,

I would just love to see you stand in front of a crowd of Americans who are homeless or almost homeless because their jobs were sent overseas and the economy is destroyed thanks to corporate corruption, who are suffering from any number of debilitating or fatal illnesses, and tell them how “affordable” their new mandated health insurance is going to be—when many of them have to choose between eating and filling their cars with gas.

Millions of people have NO MONEY to spend on health care. Can you understand that? NO MONEY. Or is that too factual for you?

I just wish I had seen some single payer supporters in the protests outside the Capitol last Sunday. I feel Congress and the American people have just been strong armed into something they clearly don’t want. Perhaps if single payer activists and Republicans could have united we could have stopped it?

“In conclusion, let me put forth my opinion that many here on this truthdig cite consider themselves to be in the vanguard of revolution, when in reality they are counter revolutionary ideologues, who value their ideology more than they value the welfare of the American people.”

JDMysticDJ,

Let me put forth my opinion that you are a stooge for the corporations who will continue to make health care a for-profit debacle, and that there is no one on this page who values ideology over health except YOU. Go sell your bullshit lies overseas to people in Europe who can go to the hospital or the doctor when needed without having to wrangle with the life-sucking insurance companies who are out to make money off their illness and misfortune. People like you make me wish I could step through this screen . . .

Truedigger3

Thanks for the answer

“Kucunick is not a “secret” double agent, but he is a politician through and through, and when push come to shove he always vote with the power-that-be. It is clear, and in the open, and there is no secret about it.”

I understand, it’s these damn politicians. We ought to off all their heads, but that would be a political act, so maybe we should learn from the example of Robes Pierre before we get carried away.

Perhaps the following reasons would provide an explanation for “ Kucinick’s” (i.e. Kucinich’s) reluctant support for this legislation.

This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.
This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents’ insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.

This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.

This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.

This year, we’ll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country’s needs.  Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners—on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections:

This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.

This year, discrimination based on salary will be outlawed. New group health plans will be prohibited from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher-wage employees.

Beginning this fiscal year, this bill provides funding to states to help establish offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals in the process of filing complaints or appeals against insurance companies.

Starting January 1, 2011, insurers in the individual and small group market will be required to spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Insurers in the large group market will be required to spend 85 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Any insurers who don’t meet those thresholds will be required to provide rebates to their policyholders.

Starting in 2011, this bill helps states require insurance companies to submit justification for requested premium increases. Any company with excessive or unjustified premium increases may not be able to participate in the new health insurance exchanges.

Truedigger3 (cont.)

Reform immediately begins to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses:
 
This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.
 
This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.
 
This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.
 
This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole’ by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the ‘donut hole.’

Sorry, I hate to clutter-up the issue with facts. I know that facts are secondary to ideology, for some.

In conclusion, let me put forth my opinion that many here on this truthdig cite consider themselves to be in the vanguard of revolution, when in reality they are counter revolutionary ideologues, who value their ideology more than they value the welfare of the American people.

ITW: “Hmmm—I’ll have to think about that….Lemme see…so
if you enter a race KNOWING you’re going to help the
GOP candidate by taking votes from the Dem, how is that
functionally any different than BEING GOP?”

Weakest.  Logic.  EVAAAR!!!

If I live long to the next election. I will probably write in for all my pets that have passed away since I was little.

and you can put that   in   your

  BIG FUCKIN DEAL   PIPE   AND SMOKE IT !!!!!!

  and I hope you choke and need   a   docter
  and ur ins co tells you your not covered!!!!!!!!!!

So I will put the same thing that I put on
  the BIDEN BFD BLOG for all you that are
  expressing the same jubilance for the passage
  of the pill pusher,  ins co for max profit law

  My very good friend,  who is 52 years old,
  and makes just enough money to knock her off
  the medicaid roles,
  and has lumps in her breasts
  and has lumps in her arms
  and has lumps in her feet
  and is so sore by the end of her workweek
  she has to stay in bed all weekend,
  if she isn’t one of the 180,000 that Nader speaks of
  still won’t be able to afford to go to a docter in 2014

  SO TO ALL YOU JUBILANT OBAMA SUPPORTERS….
 
    BIG   FUCKIN   DEAL     BACK AT YOU !!!!!!!!!!!

ALL USA NEEDS FOR BETTER HEALTH IS A LOW-CARBOHYDRATE REVOLUTION. CARBOHYDRATES ARE EVIL, BUT CAPITALIST DOCTORS DON’T TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN CURE CANCER WITH ZERO-CARBOHYDRATE DIETS !!  LETS FIGHT A WAR AGAINST CARBOHYDRATES !!  USA NEEDS PREVENTIVE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE WITH PEOPLE LIKE DR. MICHAEL EADES, DR. MERCOLA AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE LOW-CARB DOCTORS.

BUT FOR THAT THE US PROLETARIAT AND THE OPPRESSED NEED TO SEIZE STATE POWER JUST LIKE MARX AND TROTSKY SAID:

“You will have to go through fifteen, twenty, fifty years of civil wars and international conflicts, not only to change existing conditions, but also to change yourselves and to make yourselves capable of wielding political power.”  -K. Marx and F. Engels, Works, Vol. VIII, p. 506).

Continuing and developing Marx’s idea still further, Lenin wrote that:

“It will be necessary under the dictatorship of the proletariat to re-educate millions of peasants and small proprietors, hundreds of thousands of office employees, officials and bourgeois intellectuals, to subordinate them all to the proletarian state and to proletarian leadership, to overcome their bourgeois habits and traditions,” just as we must “-in a protracted struggle waged on the basis of the dictatorship of the proletariat-re-educate the proletarians themselves, who do not abandon their petty-bourgeois prejudices at one stroke, by a miracle, at the bidding of the Virgin Mary, at the bidding of a slogan, resolution or decree, but only in the course of a long and difficult mass struggle against the mass petty-bourgeois influences” (see Vol. XXV, pp. 248 and 247).

“Without a party, apart from a party, over the head of a party, or with a substitute for a party, the proletarian cannot conquer state power.”  -Leon Trotsky

“To face reality squarely; not to seek the line of least resistance; to call things by their right names; to speak the truth to the masses, no matter how bitter it may be; not to fear obstacles; to be true in little things as in big ones; to base one’s program on the logic of the class struggle; to be bold when the hour for action arrives, these are the rules of the Fourth International.” -Leon Trotsky

“The revolutionary character of the epoch does not lie in that it permits of the accomplishment of the revolution, that is, the seizure of power at every given moment. Its revolutionary character consists in profound and sharp fluctuations and abrupt and frequent transitions from an immediately revolutionary situation… . This is the sole source from which flows the full significance of revolutionary strategy in contradistinction to tactics. Thence also flows the new significance of the party and the party leadership.. .. [Today] every new sharp change in the political situation to the Left places the decision in the hands of the revolutionary party. Should it miss the critical situation, the latter veers around to its opposite. Under these circumstances the role of the party leadership acquires exceptional importance. The words of Lenin to the effect that two or three days can decide the fate of the international revolution would have been almost incomprehensible in the epoch of the Second International. In our epoch, on the contrary, these words have only too often been confirmed and, with the exception of the October, always from the negative side.”  -Leon Trotsky

.

KDelphi, March 22 at 4:56 pm #

*********************************************

Hmmm—I’ll have to think about that….Lemme see…so if you enter a race KNOWING you’re going to help the GOP candidate by taking votes from the Dem, how is that functionally any different than BEING GOP?

Tavarish, are you saying it’s time to order the Aurora to fire on the Winter Palace? LOL

The simple truth is that Kucinich is evil, all Democrats are evil, and US oppressed, low-wage workers and poor people need to create a United Socialist Front for the 2012, or the 2016 elections, because there is no life for the US lower-class with the Bourgeoise Democrats, who represent the Bourgeoise middle class Americans not the lower-class

Is that the Democrat Parties new tactic…..

anyone who doesn’t agree or critisizes this piece of
trash legislation they just had their Sunday Show with

gets labeled a right wing tea bagger????

That is typical of democrat media..as exibited
by robinson and dionne

I don’t fit in that box,  or any other box you try
to squeeze me into…

I am one that shares many of the same concerns you do
and have a long history of democrats proganda and issues
that they never deliver on,  including health care reform!

I believe I have 2 solutions so progressive grass roots people can take back power from the corporations that have taken over the Democratic party.

The first solution involves slowing down the insurance and other companies that have helped deliver a big hulking version of Medicare Part D as the current new health care system that again enriches big pharma and the insurance companies.

Take action

Franklin Delano Roosevelt got involved with the March of Dimes in the quest for relieving the American people of polio.

Today I propose a NEW March of Dimes to obtain either HR676 or a government run health care system for those who want it as their option where every medical procedure including abortion and medication and doctors visit will get paid for by general taxes and people will have no yearly caps nor lifetime caps and out of pocket costs.

Also you can demand a fix to the Medicare Prescription drug benefit with this text:

Congress and the President must enact a new prescription drug benefit in Medicare Part B covering 80% of the cost of all patented and generic drugs with no extra monthly premiums, no extra yearly deductible, no means tests, no coverage gaps, no late sign up penalties and remove the means test for Medicare Part B and this benefit will get administered by the government and not any private company.

In that effort I suggest that those people who want the above pay your health insurance premiums each month with dimes that you get from your local bank. You will then send the dimes in the rolls unopened in packages to your insurance company and enclose a note that you want the above, and until they help get this you will send your premiums this way. Let them have fun.

You can do similarly to end the war in Iraq by sending dimes to the telephone company and other companies you pay monthly bills and include a note that you will pay in dimes until their CEOs get congress to end the war in Iraq.

If people don’t want to send dimes, then send half dollars or dollar coins. If you don’t want to send your premiums or other payments as all coins then send a check for most of the amount and send some of your premiums or other payments as coins.

As much as the Democrats have gotten taken over by corporations, the grassroots have refused to use consumer boycotts to take power back from the corporations that have taken over the Democratic party for decades.

The second solution involves sending direct letters to conservative funders of conservatives in both parties threatening boycotts of these companies by masses of progressives.

Go to http://www.democratz.org for actions to get a strong public option and other needed legislation by sending emails that people can send threatening boycotts of conservative funders.

Spread the word.

Your views?

Send comments to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

“Socialism stifles creativity and innovation”

That’s not what said, ofer.

Guess you are one of those who doesn’t know the difference between Socialism and Communism. Seems logical if Limbaugh, Beck and O’Rielly are your main sources. So are you finally coming out and admitting to be a Right wing Tea Bagger?

“Socialism stifles creativity and innovation”

Sound bites right from Limbaugh, OH!Reilly, and Beck.

Cuba has had the most creative and innovative docters
in the world for the last forty years and had it not
been for the world’s most powerful military breathing
down its neck…no tellin wht those innovative citizens
of Cuba may have accomplished without the embargo.

Of course, I believe civil rights extends to all
beings….even those getting blown to pieces by our
military establishment that has become nothing more than
a gun for hire by worldwide industrialists.

We can take civil rights all the way back to the
emancipation proclamation…that didn’t free not ONE
slave and specifically exempted the two northern states
that were slave holding states.
Seems blacks didn’t do all that great after the war
or after the great society days, right up until today.

the health care bill will be for health care what
the civil war was for the black race in this country

Not sure what your words have to do with Health Insurance Reform but gotta admire you, Comrade Tennessee, for standing for something other than pissing and moaning in the wind. I do know and respect the lyrics to the Internationale but likely will not be singing with you any time soon.

It’s amusing that the October Revolution (OS) actually took place in November (NS).  There is a difference between Socialism and Communism. IMHO, pure Communism - a command economy - is as flawed as pure Capitalism. One exploits the worker and consumer the other stifles innovation and competition.

Socialism is concerned with the wellness and protection of all its citizens, regardless of class or talent or lack thereof. Many considered the NEP, circa 1924, (the second 5 year plan?) as backtracking towards Capitalism after experiencing that the masses could not effectively control the means of production.  There needs to be some BM/WOCs.

It was the S U N D A Y   A F T E R N O O N   show

staged just like the super bowl….

You fall for that crap if you want…....

and we still have no health care
and are bombing children
and putting bullets in innocent people.

“It is good, reasonable and civilized to mandate health insurance coverage.”

LJL, explain in detail to me why the health insurance cabal is needed at all.

Then, if you will, please explain how trillions of dollars in wasted military spending to line the pockets of the military industrial war lords would not be better spent in providing basic health care for Americans.

Then, if you’re not too tired, please tell me exactly what the insurance policy I will be forced to buy is going to cover: I am 34, female, and childless.

lso, I make $12 an hour. So how much of my income will go to paying the corporate insurers?

and no,  I can’t separate the monster from the beast

as you seen to be able to do whenever it serves this

administrations benifit and interests.

so this is what you call health care reform is it.

That ad covering the page, asking for money for truthdig sure gums up an already slow server, Mr. Scheer…

Further and continuing age and gender discrimination in the “health care bill” :
(Insurance Industry Bailout Act of 2010)
http://unsilentgeneration.com/

Fact: The bill permits age-rating, the practice of imposing higher premiums on older people. This practice has a disproportionate impact on women, whose incomes and savings are lower due to a lifetime of systematic wage discrimination.

Fact: The bill also permits gender-rating, the practice of charging women higher premiums simply because they are women. Some are under the mistaken impression that gender-rating has been prohibited, but that is only true in the individual and small-group markets. Larger group plans (more than 100 employees) sold through the exchanges will be permitted to discriminate against women — having an especially harmful impact in workplaces where women predominate.

AMERICANS NEED WORKERS-CONTROL SYSTEM OF PRODUCTION OF CORPORATIONS IN USA.  WHAT IS WORKERS-CONTROL? READ THIS ARTICLES ON CLEAR DEFINITION OF WORKERS-CONTROL

http://www.marxist.com/revolution-struggle-workers-control221205.htm

October Revolution

Before the October Revolution in Russia, there was an extensive movement towards workers’ control. This emerged from the sabotage of the economy by the Russian capitalists. This workers’ control continued even after the revolution, when the economy still remained in private hands. The Bolshevik government, given the backwardness and size of the Russian proletariat, wanted the workers to learn through the school of workers’ control how to take on the responsibilities of management. It was not until the summer of 1918 that the major industries were nationalised, when it was forced upon the government by the civil war and sabotage.

With the key sectors of the economy nationalised, this raised the question of workers’ management of industry. Factory committees were set up which ran the plants. Managers were to be elected and under control of the workers. Specialists were also drawn in to assist but always under the check and control of the shop floor. This was the beginnings of genuine workers’ democracy. In other words, workers’ control became a bridge to democratic workers’ management of the economy.

Obviously, ownership of the factories is posed point blank. Who is going to run society - the workers or the bosses? Workers’ control has its limits. Only when the ownership of industry is taken out of the hands of the capitalists can the workers have genuine control. However, a nationalised planned economy requires not only workers’ control in the factories and workplaces, but requires a system of workers’ management. You cannot have the old syndicalist idea of the miners running the mines, the rail workers running the railways, etc, without any overall planning of the economy. The integration of different branches of industry into the national planning of the economy is essential. This requires workers’ management at a plant, district, regional; and national level.

This means the expropriation of the capitalists and the organisation of a democratic workers’ state, where the running of society is in the hands of the working class through democratically elected committees. It means the involvement of the population in the drawing up of a national plan of production, deciding the priorities and measures to be undertaken.

The dangers of bureaucracy must be eliminated from the start. All representatives must be subject to election, with the right of immediate recall. No representative must be on a wage higher than a skilled worker. All functions should be rotated to prevent any permanent bureaucracy. As Lenin put it, “when everyone is a bureaucrat, nobody is a bureaucrat”.

The struggle for workers’ control in Venezuela today is posing new questions. Chavez has explained that there is no way forward on a capitalist basis. Only on a socialist road can the problems of the masses be solved in Venezuela as elsewhere. This means expropriating the power of the oligarchy and placing power into the hands of the working class and oppressed layers. It means sweeping away the old capitalist state apparatus and establishing a democratic workers’ state. Such a revolution cannot remain within the confines of Venezuela, but must be taken throughout the whole of Latin America. Only then can the continent be truly united. However, this will not be the end of the matter. A continental socialist revolution would transform the world and lay the foundations for a socialist world, where hunger, poverty and war would be abolished once and for all.

The struggle for workers’ control and workers’ management is the necessary prerequisite for this perspective.

OBAMACARE TO BE ENFORCED BY FASCIST ARMED THUGS

Americans hate socialism, but the truth is that if a socialist party would be in power in USA we would have 100% free health care, not this FUCKING CONFUSING, HEALTH BILL WHICH IS MORE CONFUSING THAN WITCHCRAFT, but a totally clean, honest free health service. In which if u need to clean your teeth in the dentist, you just call the government dentists for an appointment and not 1 penny required.  Socialism would also give control of corporations to americans, under WORKERS-CONTROL SYSTEM OF OWNERSHIP !!

http://www.prisonplanet.com/obamacare-to-be-enforced-by-armed-thugs.html

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, March 23, 2010

If the health care bill was such a positive act of reform, as establishment Democrats and the corporate media are pitching it, then how come it needs to be enforced by means of coercion at the hands of thousands of armed IRS thugs?

That was the context of the discussion during Ron Paul’s appearance on Fox Business’ America’s Nightly Scoreboard last night, as the Congressman continued to speak out against the tyrannical nature of Obamacare.

Paul emphasized the need to protect the private option in health care as a fundamental right for all Americans not to be reliant on the government for their services.

“During this debate they talked a whole lot about the public option, I just wish they would protect the private option, give us a chance to have it private, just like you should have a chance to have private education, home schooling, you should always protect that….if you always had a private option in medicine some of us could survive and at least we could set an example for the type of medicine that the people should be getting,” said the Congressman.

Host David Asman pointed out that it would now be illegal to have private health care and that people would be forced to buy insurance under the constant glare of the 16,000 plus new IRS agents being hired to harass people into compliance to the new program.

Under Obamacare, $10 billion dollars is allocated to pay for 16,500 IRS agents who will collect and enforce mandatory “premiums.”

Paul said that the people who previously needed to carry the least insurance would now be forced to carry the maximum, and be hounded by the IRS as a result.

“This is a command society now and medicine is right at the forefront of this….16,500 armed bureaucrats coming to make this program work – if it was a good program and everybody liked it, you wouldn’t need 16,500 thugs coming with their guns and putting you in jail if you didn’t follow all the rules,” said Paul.

The Congressman highlighted the fact that people don’t trust the government’s record on social programs, pointing out that Medicare, Medicaid and the Post Office are all bankrupt, and that the majority of Americans have little confidence in Obamacare being any different.

Paul said there was a chance parts of the bill would be overturned if Republicans were victorious in November, but that the biggest threat to the legislation was the probability that the entire system would collapse, labeling Obamacare a “Horrendous new burden that we have placed on the economy.”

x

JDmysticDJ wrote asking:

“Are you saying that our politicians are disconnected from the American people and too much under the control of corporate interests, or are you saying that there is a sinister cabal between democrats, republicans, and corporatists, and that they carefully planned and manipulated events in favor of corporate interests? Are you saying that Kucinich is a secret double agent? I’m a little confused, maybe you could clarify.”
____________________________________________________

The answer is YES and YES.
Wall St. bail-outs and this health care “reform” fiasco proved that beyond any doubt.
Kucunick is not a “secret” double agent, but he is a politician through and through, and when push come to shove he always vote with the power-that-be. It is clear, and in the open, and there is no secret about it.

theHandyman:

Wow - accolades! I must have arrived!

So recommending decaf is personally demeaning but “willfully ignorant” is not?

It is good, reasonable and civilized to mandate health insurance coverage.  It is good because it will insure that everyone will have not only care when they are sick, but also preventative care to keep them from getting sick.  It is reasonable because it is just good common sense that if everyone is covered the aggregate cost of health care will be lowered.  And, moreover, it is civilized because the more healthy our country is, the happier and more productive we all will be.  This is in a way an extension of the quarantine laws to which nobody objects since they effectively stop the spread of disease throughout the community.  Likewise, the health insurance mandate is an equally valid measure which insures the health of the community as a whole country and the individual too.  Those who oppose the mandate exhibit a selfish disregard for the welfare of their neighbors and their country.

Ofersince72

I guess I need to point out the obvious. There is a difference between funding death squads in Indonesia, Weapons of Mass destruction, and providing Health Care Reform.

For clarification I’ll state that, in my case, I’ve got a long history of opposing the funding of death squads anywhere, and I knew before the Invasion of Iraq that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. So your accusations directed at people who support this Health Care Reform don’t seem valid to me.

I’ll point out that I supported Lyndon Johnson’s civil rights agenda, but I was opposed to his Viet Nam War policies. We committed horrendous war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Indo China, and we’ve committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and in other countries also. I still support civil rights, and I also support this Health Care Reform Legislation. It’s not a matter of supporting the man; it’s a matter of supporting the legislation.

Your comment:

“The Republicans are VERY happy with this bill !!!!!!
It was a game,  we were the target…..
They knew the votes a week ago, it was a media game…
Those politicians, both Dems and Pubs played the American
Public like a cheap fiddle.
They sent Kucinach out on the road four days before
he switched to do what he did, then change, to make it
appear somewhat above the table and legitimate.
They suckered us,  apparently some more than others but
all of us took it up the back end while they were putting
on their Sunday show they already had rehearsed.”

Are you saying that our politicians are disconnected from the American people and too much under the control of corporate interests, or are you saying that there is a sinister cabal between democrats, republicans, and corporatists, and that they carefully planned and manipulated events in favor of corporate interests? Are you saying that Kucinich is a secret double agent? I’m a little confused, maybe you could clarify.

And in the category of willfully ignorant comments the winner is….drumroll….Calabashe! We’ve never seen so many comments that weren’t true or comments demeaning others without providing any accurate rebuttal since the last Sean Hannity Show! Ah, maybe that’s it, Calabashe is Sean’s alter-ego!

Thomas,

Wouldn’t a single payer system also require everyone to have coverage? Just asking.

There is a lot of discussion around the bill and not that much about the bill.

The centerpiece of the bill, its heart and soul and reason for existing, is the individual mandate. It says that every living person in the United States must buy health insurance from insurance corporations by force of law or else face penalties. That’s it! That is what the bill is all about. That’s the big deal. That’s what different than any of the rest of tinkering about in the bill which has been done many times in the past.

Sure there are other side issues such as insurers being barred from excluding children with pre-existing conditions, or the cuts in Medicare which are called “instituting efficiencies,” but, the big thing, the elephant in the room is the individual mandate.

Using government power to force people to buy your product has to be the most wonderful outcome for any business and an occasion for handshakes and back slaps all around.

In the past U.S. businesses, including the Mafia, would search the globe to set up operations in a country with a corrupt government that they could becomes “partners” with. As Hyman Roth said about the corrupt 1950’s Cuban government; “This kind of government knows how to help business, to encourage it.”

Now businesses no longer need go abroad looking for corrupt governments because the corrupt US government knows how to be friendly to them right here at home. What could be more friendly than passing a law that requires its citizens to buy your product? And not even a real product like a washing machine—a financial instrument that you get to dictate the terms. How sweet it is!

To do anything we must change our system or all else will not change for the better but to the worse as it has been since 1980. Nothing else will work till we can achieve that. The question is how? We can take over the Democratic Party like the crypto-fascists have but that could take years and our time is almost up. We are one Great Depression away from it as it stands now. We are in a Depression right now. Couldn’t tell? It is so well hidden. The best thing to do is work on the local levels to stock up and turn our yards, if you have one, into gardens, and to other things for yourselves and friends and neighbors and blocks and apartments to decrease our need for corporations and gov’ts or we will crash and burn. (Then we will lose all medical care and SS.) http://www.cluborlov.com has the information on the levels of social collapse and how the Russians survived theirs and how we may not survive ours.

“I want single payer, you want single payer, the “serfs” want single payer, but we won’t get it by condemning politicians who also want single payer. We lacked the political power to get a public option, let alone a single payer program. What we need to do is continue the fight, according to the battle plan, and not begin fighting amongst ourselves.” (somebody said this before but I want to repeat it.)
  Key sentence:  “We lacked the political power.” Why?  For one reason, because “liberals” don’t like to organize, are frequently “loners” who kinda stand aside and enjoy passing critical judgment on idiotic human behavior.  They are educated or wary to the point where they don’t “believe” in people.
This loss of confidence is crucial.  Getting organized, and feeling companionshiop in the struggle, relatedness may be the only cure.  And it has to happen from within—which is probably what we are all waiting for—wanting to take the first step, but waiting ... waiting ... for something.
  Skepticism is great—but it works against action.
Out of all the bad things, what are the good things we have to work with? Hedges, and most of the commenters on TD are skeptics—but they aren’t very creative at pointing out the good things—which, admittedly, seem—seem few and far between. What “seems” shouldn’t stand in the way of what could be—but it does, and it is, and it will ... until ...

There is nothing pessimistic in pointing out that this utterly crappy legislation stinks to high heaven. The vast majority of the U.S. population have no political agenda, accept to bear the burden of the consequences created by the political elite’s follies, which the well-paid mouthpieces continue to convince the ordinary people to not accept the conclusions they discovered on their own. It needs to be said: To hell with all political operatives who continue to produce “products” from their legislative reality. My fellow citizen, no matter what his political or social view is more valuable than any goddamn politician. There is nothing pessimistic in realizing that the vast majority of your fellow citizens live in a media manipulated world that is completely without any representation. The Democrats are simply the flip side of the same ruthless coin.

... and another thing ...

I love it, lets. You do know I’m thick skinned and have some experience (albeit limited) in deflecting flying tackles - if I see one that is. <grin>

Look, if your way is to run around shouting your head off like a Dalik (EXTERMINATE, EXTERMINATE) - go for it. I’m not willing to cut off my nose to spite my face. Is our system perfect? Hell No! Was this bill perfect? Hell No again, but I’m proud we got a Patient’s Bill of Rights eliminating coverage caps and preexisting condition denials. That (in itself) is a good thing, Martha.

Someone here observed that Republics are now saying this bill is actually not so bad. It does have a lot of Right amendments. So why all the No votes? Just to be contrary? Just to shout and spout LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME! I STAND FOR ANGRY ANARCHY!

I praise the Democrats for actually taking leadership. I hope it’s a trend. Now let’s tackle more of the changes needed - like coherent and responsible energy - for example.

MAR, March 22 at 10:48 am #

How is it that your right wing republicans can spend trillions on military spending (money down the drain stimulating a false economy) while your biggest capital asset (people) can be ignored and wasted?  Your bill is short of what it could be only because your “freedom” is freedom for the haves to rip off the have-nots in favor of a phony Horatio Alger myth.

You can ask that of their Democrat counterparts on that. The Democratic Party isn’t as far gone as the Republicans being taken over by crypto-fascists (not Progressives as that shill for them Beck says) and you should know that the system is geared for just two parties. Both are co-opted by said crypto-fascists so getting out is an automatic loss. Just ask the “Losertarians” on that point and the Greens as well. Change the system or you will get exactly no where. New parties are useless in a system that favors just two. It was done on purpose with a purpose. To first put in an inverted totalitarian state to suck off the wealth to aid the corporate/church/state while the benefits of such a republic are stymied and co-opted, as they have, producing deadlocks. But only against us not the military/industrial complex which is larger than ever before. This “Health Care Bill” is an excellent example of what I am talking about.

Tdbach you do know that the only compromise came from our side didn’t you? What pitchforks? What aspersions? Where are these facts not indeed facts? You failed to show any. Don’t you think we can talk about this and still “muddle through” it too? We are not like the Tea Party in any way but one. Some of our grievances are right and true. This tactic of saying both sides are the “same” is an old one and easy to say but you need to back it up or it is nothing but noise. No help here.

Robertaustin don’t you get it? Obama isn’t here for “reform” he is here to continue the Great Work of trashing our democratic Republic to make way for a theocratic corporate dictatorship. He has succeeded again for his Masters & (maybe) colleges on this. No different Republican or Democrat since 1980. That was the beginning of the downfall of the Republic as the empire began to rise. But we are an ungainly hybrid of Republic/Empire and one or both must fall. They are betting they will get the Republic to fall.

Bobbarob I pity you for moving here. Wish I could have taken your place in a civilized country like Canada and away from this barbarian savage land we live in now. The Bill increased that savagery under a guise of helping a few others for a time. The four year delay is just perfect for the health care giants to chip away at the parts they don’t like. The free enterprise system failed us again. (But is wasn’t designed to help us in the medical realm anyway.)

A 2006 study found an average of 273 people a day died here from lack of care. 99,000 die a year from mistakes made by overworked and understaffed hospitals.

Why didn’t Obama simply say Medicare for all and make all Health Insurance Co.s non-profit? Because that isn’t what he stands for. He is a mole just as Hillary Clinton would have been, as her husband was. Once you understand that then it will make much more sense and you will know what they will do next.

The system we are getting isn’t Progressive but a Regressive one first spoken of by Newt Gingrich and is in use by Mit “The Flip” Romney in Massachusetts but the Reich Wingers have tried to blame Liberals and Progressives for it! An astute form of propaganda. And it works when they control most of the airwaves.

Also, Calabashe, in response to your comment to me yesterday:

Yes, perhaps a Parliamentary system would be an improvement, though judging by how Blaire managed to railroad his entire nation into the bogus War on Terror, I would say it is not fail safe.

There are many things that need to happen in order to have any semblance of honesty and accountability in our system. My question is why people like you cheer as the most nauseating spectacle of corporate greed is enacted in front of you at the expense of people’s health and lives.

Calabashe,

Does it give you some kind of special thrill to call all reasonable progressive people who don’t support the corporate whoring of the Democrats “tea baggers”? Why don’t you go give Nancy ‘Impeachment is off the Table’ Pelosi a back rub and a good rogering, and let the rest of us talk about real politics and power. And since you’re so fond of your “pissing and moaning” quip, let me try it. Calabashe, stop pissing and moaning about how little support the Democrats have. Maybe, just maybe, your team totally sucks.

Damn - the tea baggers are out in force this morning, huh? This stuff sounds like it comes from John Boehner himself. ofer - you really need to switch to decaf.

I’m reminded of Will Rogers 1930’s humorist who pointed out that he did not belong to any organized political party. He was a Democrat.

In the grand scheme of things the Right is the permanent minority. The best they can hope for is to splinter the Left vote. They are using emotion, anger and frustration (browbeating) to try to accomplish that.

It’s actually a misnomer to call this bill Healthcare Reform. It is more accurately Health Insurance Reform. I wish it had the public option et al, but it doesn’t. It is, at last, a Patient Bill of Rights and that’s a major progressive step forward. A step the Left can and should be proud of.

The Left’s big test now is to stand in the face of an onslaught of ranting and raving by emotional nay saying agents of the Right who are already picking apart anything and everything they can in order to weaken US and our vote.

Don’t be fooled. Let Boehner have his hissy-fit. I’m going to keep my head and advocate progress that way. Nancy Pelosi IS my Congressperson and I’m proud to say that.

By thebeerdoctor, March 23 at 4:46 am #

“The true pessimists are not the ones pointing out the reality behind this wretched legislation. No, that distinction is reserved for the “as good as it gets” “take or leave it” crowd who advocate corporate capitulation as the only way to ‘get things done’”.

Aren’t the “true pessimists,” the ones who are pessimistic? Hum…? I’ll have to give this some serious thought. O.K., I’m done. The pessimists are the ones who are pessimistic. Those who see this Bill as being a positive first step, and something that can be built upon, they’re called optimists, right?

Seeing this Bill as a “Capitulation,” rather than an advance, would depend on a person’s degree of pessimism or optimism, right?

This bill is a sure indication that our democracy is quite dead. 
Although, the stinking corps has been made up to look presentable, it is quite dead.  Weather you are on the side of the Republicans who have long since abandoned there principals of responsible government or on the side of the Democrats who no longer have any concerns for the social good of the working man, it makes no difference .  It is simply a ploy by the corporate masters to divide , control, and exploit us the citizens.  We have, under this system which has been gutted of any legislative controls, no longer any real choice.  You can choose the whore in the blue dress or the whore in the red dress, it makes no real difference, you will still get screwed and pay for it.
Multinational corporations have replaced the King and now control all the high ground.  The beautiful dream of Democracy that the founding farther envisioned has been eviscerated not from some enemy from another shore; but buy the greedy self interests of the elites who brainwash us with propaganda using the media they own and control.  The political system is now just theater.  A giant dog and pony show while the elites steal the resources of the planet with out care for man or nature.
Those of you that contend that half a loaf is better than no loaf at all, are not cognizant that we are not getting half a loaf, but simply crumbs.  And people are dying every day from the absence of even minimal heath care in one of the richest countries in the world.  This is truly unconscionable.  But we allow it, because we have not been taught to think for ourselves, but instead believe the Corporate propaganda we are feed by the media.  Tom Paine where are you when you are most needed?

Maybe you could limit the number of comments by one person. Limit the number of ignorant comments like the ones from Ofersince72, they give a bad reflection of the type of people that go on your site.

Michael Moore was great last night on Larry King- absolutely correct. The argument came down to what it always does- the conservative response is always the same:  ” well, after all, isn’t that the system we live under-capitalism ” What Blitzer doesn’t get- like conservatives in general- there is no such thing as a totally free market. We tried that once for about 50 years after the Civil War- and it led to 6 year old children working in sweat shops.

Perfect—not only has MSNBC become an “infomercial” for Obama—but supposedly liberal-progressive publications like “The Nation” are just another outlet to dispense talking points for “political reasons”—claiming, like Kucinich, that they “don’t want this president to fail”. Amazing how they all recite their lines in unison.

Your man obama is about ready to go to Indonesia

and donate a bunch of money to their death squad team…
You all going to find some way to rationalize this tooo??
How do you all rationalize the permanent occupation of
Iraq for your boy obama.??? Or the school closings????
or all the death and the corrupt , and i mean more corrupt
than our government if posible in Afghan?

You all find some way to excuse this president no matter
what he does….....the same things that you wanted to
crusify and impeach G. Bush for.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All these damn university professors and editors of
major papers that endorsed Obama ought to be funding
and organizing economic sanctions RIGHT NOW before they
do any more damage around the world then what they already
have.

They ought to be calling on EVERYONE to fold their
cellphones except for employment or emergency, boycott
fast food and carbonated beverages, or ANY kind of
surplus spending, including gasoline, movies, cable
any posible thing that you can do with out.!!!!!!!!

all of you know people with addictions have
 
      E N A B L E R S

that is what every one of you are that are supporting this
heist that they just pulled on us

You people that fell for that act are the very same

ones that fell for the WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

act the the media and the Beltway shoved down our throat.

Only to later act so suprised when there weren’t any,
like you were really suprised.

You all can’t see the game they are playing with us on
Capitol Hill ,  shame on you and your posterity, and
mine toooo.

The Republicans are VERY happy with this bill !!!!!!
It was a game,  we were the target…..
They knew the votes a week ago, it was a media game…
Those politicians, both Dems and Pubs played the American
Public like a cheap fiddle.
They sent Kucinach out on the road four days before
he switched to do what he did, then change, to make it
appear somewhat above the table and legitimate.
They suckered us,  apparently some more than others but
all of us took it up the back end while they were putting
on their Sunday show they already had rehearsed.

HOW IN THE NAME OF ...... CAN ANYBODY DEFEND

  A PIECE OF TRASH LEGISLATION LIKE THE HOUSE JUST]

  PASSED….

  BUILD ON WHAT????????  WHEN???????;  HOW?????????
  AND WHO???????? Kucinach ain’t gonna rock no boat!!!

MSNBC does not report news,  all they do is deflect for
the democrats,  they are no more than a democrat answer
to FOX and don’t have any more scruples about reporting
the news.  They started this just as soon as obama got
elected , well , even before.  As the U.S. was beefing up
droon attacks and killing more civilians than Bush in
Afghan, Cris, Keith, and the girl spent three hours a
night for three weeks discussing Rush Limbaugh.
Watching the liberal media compare this to civil rights
legislation is as disgusting as politics gets.
It is a disgraceful piece of legislation that no one
should be so jubilant about.

Tuning into MSNBC this evening, I observed that it has become an infomercial for the Obama administration. This corporate health insurance industry stimulus package being the latest example,
But how do they gloss this thing over! A couple of weeks ago I heard some pundit compare this bill to civil rights legislation in the late 1950’s pushed through by Senator Johnson. This was then extended into complete absurdity when this “health care reform” was seen was important as The Civil Rights Act. If this was so, the scenario would go something like this:
Congress Declares The Negro Full Citizen, But Mandates That They Must Buy Their Own Security, When Walking Outside Their Homes.

As witness to someone in my immediate family go bankrupt from medical bills, the way the Obama enablers talk about medical coverage is like listening to someone talk about frequent flier miles. They actually believe that health reform is simply about gaining a better corporate deal, with more bells and whistles.
The Republicans of course are no alternative. They simply want to screw things in counter clockwise. I had a grandmother who was a true New Deal Democrat. She would not recognize any of that party now.
The true pessimists are not the ones pointing out the reality behind this wretched legislation. No, that distinction is reserved for the “as good as it gets” “take or leave it” crowd who advocate corporate capitulation as the only way to “get things done”.

Great news everybody, ACORN is shutting down:

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/acorn_bri
nging_operations_to_a_close_20100322/

A major bummer that they are going to be shut down
because of a right wing con man who belongs in
prison.

Why isn’t our Democrat controlled Congress doing
something about this?

Oh yeah, they’re too busy bending over for the
insurance industry and giving them what they want.

Kucinich is and always have been a phony petty bourgeoise politician who represents the petty bourgeoise class, not the majority of exploited americans.  All US politicians who work in the US congress are a scam.  None of them represent a true solution for americans.

What Americans need to is to unite into a United-Front as a third party alternative, because there is no hope and change within the petty bourgeoise liberal politicians like Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader and Ron Paul

.

LOL - Guess the Tea Party doesn’t service decaf, huh?

Dudes, ya’ll can piss and moan all you want. If I see a true progressive candidate that has a real chance of winning ... and delivering ... I will vote for them.

In the meantime, emotionally dividing and conquering the Left is not the answer, IMHO

Call it a lesser of two evils syndrome if you want, I still believe Obama is, by far, the better choice of what was available.

“Think it’ll woik?—Vivian
“It’ll take a miracle!”—Miracle Max

“Oh the humanity”

Clever!

Personally, I prefer Kucinich’s and Dean’s disappointment, and commitment to making the Bill better, to your nihilist ravings.

You are a genius at pointing out flaws, but your solutions are flawed, or non-existent. It would be wonderful to have a more progressive, untainted, courageous and principled president, along with more progressive and principled members of congress, but we don’t. With your help, perhaps the right will be able to repeal the Bill, before its provisions go into effect. The Bill is flawed, but it is most definitely better than nothing. Why don’t you devote your energies to improving the Bill rather than attempting to destroy it? I’ll suggest that the answer to that question is that your character is flawed by nihilism.

If a poll were taken in Massachusetts pertaining to any commodity, 1 out of 6 people in Massachusetts would say they can’t afford it, but they do have Health Care Insurance. The reason Medicaid is in trouble in Massachusetts is because it’s underfunded. People who complain about having to pay for Health Care Insurance remind me of people I’ve worked with who bitterly complained about the F.I.C.A deductions from their pay. People have a tendency to complain when they have to pay for anything, in spite of how necessary and beneficial those purchases might be.

Is this really, “…another victory for our feudal overlords and a defeat for the serfs”? Why have the Health Care Insurance Companies spent billions to oppose Health Care Reform? Why have thousands of lobbyists descended on Washington to oppose Health Care Reform? The “serfs” have not achieved victory in this battle, but they have turned the tide, and as long as they’re not overcome by cynicism, they have the potential for achieving victory.

I want single payer, you want single payer, the “serfs” want single payer, but we won’t get it by condemning politicians who also want single payer. We lacked the political power to get a public option, let alone a single payer program. What we need to do is continue the fight, according to the battle plan, and not begin fighting amongst ourselves.

Washington has become corrupted by money, Wow! Now that’s insightful. Have you noticed where the opposition to the influence of money is coming from, from within our political parties? It’s coming from the people you berate. What’s your solution? Hopefully it will be something other than the counter productive “Sabotage” you have recommended. Personally, I would like to see the “serfs” take to the field of battle, using political protest and non-violent action, with the intent of raising political consciousness. A political consciousness similar to the political consciousness of the politicians you wish to discredit, and throw on the scrap heap.

Lead us to a more acceptable consensus. Good luck with that. Once you come close to achieving that consensus, I will wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support you, but I fear that your attempt will only lead to victory for our enemies. I don’t expect you and your followers will be receiving any virgins as a result of your destructive and futile endeavors. As a result of your endeavors, we will be crying “Oh the humanity” as we watch the dirigible go down in flames.

Excuse me.  I should have written that the Democrats failed to deliver even on a public option.

Here we go again. The Democrats are entitled to our
votes, even though they have done absolutely nothing
to earn them. The Tea Baggers didn’t vote for Obama
and the Democrats and they never will. What the
Democrats and their apologists aren’t prepared to
deal with is the possibility that the national
election will go the way things went in Massachusetts. Just keep bringing up the Tea Baggers.
That’s not the issue. The issue is that Obama simply
doesn’t deliver when it comes to action. He’s a
terrible president.

Obama is all nice sounding rhetoric and doing the
wrong thing at every opportunity. From escalating the
AfPak War, to the Wall Street bailout, to this
steamer of a health care “reform” bill, never before
has a politician done more to make me regret voting
for him.

call it what you care…frustrated protest or emotional
anger…..

just what is going to be built on here????

what you have is nothing but wishful dreaming within
a system that doesn’t work.

My comment doesn’t seem to have made it. Mr Hedges, are you complaining that President Obama actually landed the Hindenburg instead of having it blow up over Lakehurst, NJ?

Yeah Yeah - vote emotional anger or frustrated protest and hand the whole thing over to the Tea Baggers. That would be REAL humiliation. Cut off the nose to spite the face! Sound plan, guys.

I’d rather take the partial victory and work to improve it within the system - flawed as it is.