Here's My Health Care Plan, You Public Option Opponents!
Seven weeks ago, I gave up cigarettes. I've been smoking for 36 years, and believe me---it's a bitch to quit. I'm not out of the woods yet as far as the habit goes, but I am motivated to stay away from nicotine for good. One day at a time.
My motivations to quit were health, money, and longevity---same as most folks' motivations. There is, however, another motivation which is helping me to stay quit: Revenge.
I'm keeping a tally of the people who are opposing national health care, even in the watered-down, pathetic version that Obama and his people are trying to get passed. I've got this list compiled and I'm going to hang onto this list for the next election cycle. When the time comes, I'm going to take some of the money that I have saved from not buying cigarettes and I'm going to donate it to the campaigns of the people who oppose the opponents of national health care.
We grassrooted Obama and several members of Congress into office in the last elections. Ordinary people like me coughed up 10.00 and 20.00 and 50.00 to people all over the country. The Howard Dean strategy of keeping our eyes on the elections across the country and spreading the funds around paid off in the last two elections. And, it's still too damned bad that Obama ignored Howard Dean and didn't incorporate him into his cabinet. The president owes his job to Howard Dean, as do other public officials.
That's MY health care plan, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to reroute the funds from my bad habit into being part of a grassroots movement to oust the s.o.b.s who are fighting against free health care for everyone in this nation. I call on others to join me in this endeavor. Give up a couple of lattes every week and send that money to people who are working for US---not Big Pharma and the insurance companies. Quit smoking. Sacrifice a six-pack of beer for the cause. Say no to that cheesecake and yes to a candidate that is going to be on our side.
Not only am I breathing easier and regaining a sense of smell, but I'm also finding more time to research and study. Are you listening, Max Baucus? How about you, Sen. Shelby?
Hear, hear! I'm especially miffed by the Democratic obstructionists, who now apparently include my new senator from NC, Kay Hagan. Here is the text of a fax I sent her today:
Dear Senator Hagan,
I call upon you to please support the public option as part of the health care reform legislation being formulated by the Senate HELP committee, of which you are a member. Without a strong public option, any legislation put forward by the HELP committee will be insufficient to address the needs of Americans, especially those who are currently uninsured.
Unfortunately, with your apparent opposition to the public option, you are quickly gaining a reputation as an obstructionist when it comes to true health care reform. Many of us in NC who supported your election campaign are wondering if your loyalties lie more with BCBSNC than with the people who voted you into the Senate. We did not vote Elizabeth Dole out in order to replace her with someone who would hold a similar position on health care reform. Please make us proud of you and support the public option, for the sake of the citizens of NC and the American people at large.
Regards,
*** ********
June 29, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent letter! Good for you! I wouldn't have been quite so elegant nor polite. :)
June 29, 2009 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good thing I wrote two letters to cancel your one.
June 29, 2009 9:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah. I really believe you, loser.
June 29, 2009 10:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Give us the list now. Of course Obama's at the top. That's why he's so willing to let us go. We have no other option.
June 29, 2009 5:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Max Baucus, Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Mary Landrieu, Dianne Feinstein, Jeff Bingaman, and Blanche Lincoln.
Those are the Dems who oppose the public option. I have not found a Republican in the House or Senate who has expressed his/her support for the public option.
June 29, 2009 8:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sweet, can you link to the legislation, please?
June 29, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
You mean the health bill proposed by the Obama administration? I think it should be fairly easy to Google.
June 29, 2009 8:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well done on quitting!
And great ideal. However there are so many organizations etc. I feel that right now we need to attract a leader and maybe a team of leaders. If Howard Dean won't be taken seriously enough we need a team of people backing him up. But we need leadership to help focus our energy and make the most of our time, energy, and money so that we can have a bigger impact in the discussion against this huge profit industry.
I propose that we write to organizations and anyone that we think would be able to take the leadership role and health care reform through however many versions it takes to get single payer. Someone who will see it through to the end. We need a movement leader for this cause. Someone with passion, skills, leadership skills, and hopefully the money that gives them the 'time' to be free to do it. If we can create one council that all organizations supporting this issue would belong to and leadership of that council and our 'spokesperson' etc. something's got to give.
As Miguel pointed out yesterday, it may be true that one of the reasons they want to move quickly on healthcare is to limit debate and to keep us from being organized.
I appreciate you passion:)
June 29, 2009 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you! I don't believe in leaders, however. We are our own leaders. The more voices we have in power who advocate for us, the better we all shall be. That means not one leader, but many. Let's follow each other through to the end!
June 29, 2009 10:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would agree but without them I don't think we can focus our enery and have the same impact that we can by joining together. Right now what I see is that most of the country is behind single payer but our voices are dispersed and easily ignored. I hope that some leadership (I'm for many leaders too but working together) will change this. But we clearly disagree on this point.
June 29, 2009 11:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's no such thing as free health care. Only health care that you use the government's guns to make someone else pay for.
Obama can offer you a free lunch, but he can't fix you one.
June 30, 2009 12:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
You people are pathetic. And cowardly. And WRONG.
July 3, 2009 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I need a new cartoon.
Obama, with his arm held high sort of like a Nazi salute, but holding a brown paper bag instead of "heiling", standing in front of a microphone in front of a crowd of millions...
Saying:
"I believe we can have a free lunch!"
and the crowd chants...
"Yes we can!"
July 3, 2009 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink