I have an idea that if the Democratic party would run just one ad from now until the election they would have a pretty fair chance of keeping both house of Congress. It would go something like this:

     The Republican party still wants to give tax cuts to the wealthy, they admit they have no way to pay for those tax cuts for the super rich... And even with 500 million eggs recalled the Republican Party still claims that there is way too much regulation.

     But when the backs of those Americans that are unemployed and suffering are up against it what does the Republican party do? Filibuster... not once but many times. One Republican Senator even went so far as to say "Tough... "bleeeeeep". (play the Bunning tape) (then "roll" a list off all those filibusters)

     When Republicans were offered the chance to help the middle class they again went to the..... (pause...pause) Filibuster! Big Surprise, right.

     Now the candidates of the Republican party admit that they will DO NOTHING (play the tape) while waiting until the 2012 election.

     And then there is the Tea Party a wholly owned, and we do mean wholly, subsidiary of the GOP and the Super Wealthy. They have no problem attacking the United States Constitution when it furthers their cause while at the same time crying "I want my country back" (play the tape).

     So if you are capable of living off the interest on your investments then by all means vote for the Tea Party and the Republicans, if not vote for the party that actually cares about PEOPLE, Vote Democratic!

I really think that an ad like this would hit home hard during the fall elections. It is time to put the GOP on the defensive and stop just reacting. We must be proactive.

If you have an idea for a nationwide commercial that would work against the Tea Party and the GOP then by all means post it here in the comment section, God knows the Dems sure could use the help.

(Oh... and that demand letter... if someone knows how to come-up with $4700.00 in 30 days let me know, Mr. Desperation is getting fat.

And if someone wants to be webmaster of helpsaveahome.org let me know, I am trying to get a blog going there so folks can tell their story and offer support to others in my situation. THANKS to everyone and I will keep you posted how it goes.)

Well I scrapped together $13.00 and took the advice of many here a TPM and attempted my first web site.

Most know my story but if you don't or if you want to take a look at my first attempt at a web site you can look ==========> HERE

I'll pause while you go take a look.... mmmmmmmm...humming....humming.....mmmmm..... hum....hum..whistle....hum.....  OK is everyone back? Good!

Yea I know but for the moment it is the best I can do. If anyone would like to become a part of the organization just fill in the information on the Guest Book" page at the site. (I hope I am able to figure out how to keep track of the "Guests" but right now I don't have a clue how to do it because no one has signed up yet.

Feel free to tell anyone about the site or publicize the address anywhere. Actually it would be really appreciated if you would spread the info around. But remember it is a  "dot" ORG not a "dot" COM. I the the "dot" COM is a bankruptcy info site.

I do plan to keep the site operating even if we end up renting a place because there will always be someone that needs all the help they can get.

If anyone has any ideas feel free to put them up here or there. It will be greatly appreciated.

OH... and as much as I hate to say this... let me know what you think, and how I might improve the site.

As always THANKS to those that have helped us out, I can't say thank you enough. And I hope we will be able to help others out soon...

(I so much enjoyed just being a "face in the crowd" and someday hope to be able to go back to being just that, but.....)

For those of you that aren't familiar with my current situation you can read all about it if you will follow this ==============> LINK  

I figure I should tell everyone about the cost cutting we have done since this situation has developed. Here are a few of the measures we have taken to cut our expenses over the last 6 months or so. (we thought we had a couple months emergency fund and it went really fast, actually it lasted about a month, so if you have an emergency fund know that it will not last nearly as long as you think it will if things go south as quickly as they did for us)

          We used to be a two car family, no longer. We sold the car we had payments left on for  $500 less than we owed on it. And felt lucky to get that even though it took $500 from our savings.. we now drive a 1994 GMC Jimmy.

          We turn our electric hot water heater on for a few hours every other day. If you have an electric hot water heater, turning it off can save about $20 bucks a month, but I do miss my daily morning shower.

          Basic TV only.

          Our insurance now has the highest deductible available.

          Internet service is on and off a month at a time and only when we can afford it. So mostly off.

          The A/C is rarely on.

          We both cut pills in half every other day. That way a 30 day supply lasts 45 days.

          No going out for anything, dinner, movies, etc...

          No expensive cuts of meat, just the basics from the grocery store and what we do buy is always the cheapest version of whatever it is we need. (We have become quite the connoisseurs of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches).

Those are just a few of the things we are doing to cut our living expenses and I am sure there are more and I will try to post them as I encounter them, who knows they might help other folks dealing with some hardships. If anyone knows other things we could do please let me know every little bit helps. 

We hope that the word on our "square foot sale" gets out on every blog, email list and any other place you might be able to post my original blog or something you write yourself about our situation.  I will re-post the original in a couple days because I really don't know what else to do (If someone has any other ideas please let me know and I will jump all over them).

In the meantime THANKS to those folks that have already helped and if there is something I can do in return please let me know. And if someone has the ability to help me set up a web page called "savemyhome" (or some version of it)  please let me know because it will NOT be a "one of" I will keep it up and running and try to help others in the same situation we are in. I just don't have a clue on how to set up a web site. I would also appreciate it if someone could explain how "diggit" works. I think it is something that could help but don't know for sure how to use it, or exactly what it does.

If anyone would like to purchase a square foot in my field here is the information.

Mail

Steve Lanier

PO Box 35

Jackson, Ohio 45640-0035

and paypal is

stevelanier "theatsign" yahoo.com

THANKS again!

S

First let me say THANK YOU to those that have bought a square foot, as I have said those 2 words hardly seem enough, but at the moment it is the best I can do. I figure I have a month to sell the square feet before Mr. Desperation evicts us from the house and I will do my best to keep everyone posted on the progression of the situation. As it is the weekend I figure I will get close to 25 calls from Mr. D's representatives and sleeping will be out of the question, not that his reps call at all hours it just gets damn near impossible to sleep thinking about the situation, nevermind the pain associated with the disease I have. (I haven't slept more than 3 hours at a stretch for nearly 18 years now).

Anyways, all I would ask you fine folks to do is spread my story of Mr. Desperation along and around. I know that many, if not most, here are in no position to purchase a square foot, and just spreading the word would be a big help.

As the headline says Mr. Desperation has arrived at my home, well actually it arrived about 8 months ago and has assumed a permanent position on my living room sofa, at our kitchen table and a more than small area at the foot of my bed, making it almost impossible to sleep let alone do other things of a...  er... well... a "bed nature".

Most of you know my situation,(for those that don't, spinal stenosis, vocal cord polyps, and bad knees) but my wife was laid off in February (from a 50Ka year job) and things have gone down hill fast from there. (If anyone needs an MBA let me know. She has sent 217 resumes and hasn't even received a "You have an excellent resume, but..." letter).

Along with Mr. Desperation, a new feature has appeared in the landscaping around my home that can only be described as "the brink" or "the edge".  It seems to be a shear drop just at the west end of my home and for the life of me I have been unable to see what is at, or even where the bottom of this chasm is and what is actually down there.

I have paid for a month of internet service so that I might be able to, (and this is really hard),  ask for your help in getting the word out about the following.

I have a field at the opposite end of my house from "the brink" it is around 2 acres in size and I am starting to sell square feet in that field. I have a grid that I am listing the names of who owns those square feet. Each acre has about 43000 square feet and I am selling each square foot for $10.00 each (Discounts for bulk purchases) and any excess funds will go to help others that are trying to evict Mr. Desperation from their lives.

My paypal account is stevelanier@yahoo.com  which of course is my email address and my name, so if you have questions feel free to send them and I will do my best to answer them.  I don't know exactly how paypal works when sending cash for something other than an online purchase from something like ebay, so if someone knows please post the info on how to do it. And let me know if you have to have a paypal account to send money this way.

PLEASE spread the word about this "Last Ditch Attempt to save my home" The more publicity I get the better the chances are of this working. 

So there you have it, I will keep you posted on how this goes and if anyone has any better ideas please let me know I will take all the help I can get.

THANKS to everyone that ever read any of my past post's and offered their insight on them.

I will keep everyone posted on how this goes over the next few weeks.

For those that are interested, the grid will run something like this

   A - B - C -  D ..... ZZZ...

1     |     |     |        

2     |     |     |        

3     |     |     |        

4     |     |     |        

And again, THANKS for anything you might be able to do.

For anyone that would prefer to purchase a square foot by mail

the address is

Steve Lanier

PO Box 35

Jackson, Ohio 45640-0035

As the headline says Mr. Desperation has arrived at my home, well actually it arrived about 8 months ago and has assumed a permanent position on my living room sofa, at our kitchen table and a more than small area at the foot of my bed, making it almost impossible to sleep let alone do other things of a...  er... well... a "bed nature".

Most of you know my situation,(for those that don't, spinal stenosis, vocal cord polyps, and bad knees) but my wife was laid off in February (from a 50Ka year job) and things have gone down hill fast from there. (If anyone needs an MBA let me know. She has sent 217 resumes and hasn't even received a "You have an excellent resume, but..." letter).

Along with Mr. Desperation, a new feature has appeared in the landscaping around my home that can only be described as "the brink" or "the edge".  It seems to be a shear drop just at the west end of my home and for the life of me I have been unable to see what is at, or even where the bottom of this chasm is and what is actually down there.

I have paid for a month of internet service so that I might be able to, (and this is really hard),  ask for your help in getting the word out about the following.

I have a field at the opposite end of my house from "the brink" it is around 2 acres in size and I am starting to sell square feet in that field. I have a grid that I am listing the names of who owns those square feet. Each acre has about 43000 square feet and I am selling each square foot for $10.00 each (Discounts for bulk purchases) and any excess funds will go to help others that are trying to evict Mr. Desperation from their lives.

My paypal account is stevelanier@yahoo.com which of course is my email address and my name, so if you have questions feel free to send them and I will do my best to answer them.

PLEASE spread the word about this "Last Ditch Attempt to save my home" The more publicity I get the better the chances are of this working. 

So there you have it, I will keep you posted on how this goes and if anyone has any better ideas please let me know I will take all the help I can get.

THANKS to everyone that ever read any of my past post's and offered their insight on them.

I will keep everyone posted on how this goes over the next few weeks.

For those that are interested, the grid will run something like this

   A - B - C -  D ..... ZZZ...

1     |     |     |        

2     |     |     |        

3     |     |     |        

4     |     |     |        

And again, THANKS for anything you might be able to do.

UPDATE:

For anyone that would prefer to purchase a square foot by mail

the address is

Steve Lanier

PO Box 35

Jackson, Ohio 45640-0035

Yep most of you know my situation (haven't slept more than 3 hours at a stretch going on 16 years) and the wife just got laid off and we are in a major bind.

We have become a one car family.

I turn the hot water heater on for about 2 hours every 3 days so we can stay fairly clean.

We have taken out all our insurance with the highest deductible we can.

No more cable TV

And we have made a habit of clipping coupons.

Now I am not asking for help but I will be documenting how it goes as we slowly (I hope) lose our home. Today I will explain to the bank that we are unable to pay our $1093 monthly mortgage payment and see what happens, and I will let you know how it goes.

If someone knows of a PR/Communications or grant writing jobs ANYWHERE in the country please let me know, my wife has her MBA and experience in those fields.

Sorry for my long absence from posting here, but things have been coming at us pretty fast and fairly furious and I really didn't know what to say or even how to say it. I have finally decided to post the experience here as it happens so everyone will be able to say they know (at least kinda know) someone that has lost there home. Because the light at the end of our tunnel is a locomotive and it coming pretty fast. If anyone knows any tactics I should try I am open to and welcome tips and suggestions.

PS: If anyone would like to buy a 2400 square foot home 3BR, 2 Baths Brick fireplace Dinning Room, Family Room, Living Room etc... on 7-1/2 acres in Southern Ohio, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

Perhaps If We Just... beat more than a couple of those "Corporate/Conservative Democrats" in their respective PRIMARIES.  As it stands right now it's really hard to tell the difference between these Worthless Spineless DINOs and the garden variety Republican. More to the point, if a Republican were able to actually win against a Democratic challenger that beat one of those DINOs  then that newly elected Republican might actually be worried enough about losing the next election, they might, on occasion, cross the isle and vote for the people (s)he represents. Hell, they might even be worried enough to vote against the Soul Eating Bastard Industry. Hell, when it comes to Health Care Reform, ANY new Senator could not be ANY WORSE than what's there now.  Hey, I can dream... can't I?

Now for my list of the worthless.

At the top of my list of HEARTLESS, SPINELESS, BALL-LESS, TWO FACED, BASTARDS and in a category all by himself is Joe "I have the power and I'll use it" Lieman (I left out the "ber" because it just seems the right thing to do).

Following closely behind "No Show Joe" is another HEARTLESS, SPINELESS, BALL-LESS BASTARD,  Ben Nelson, who may actually qualify as a whore, because of all the money he has taken from the Soul Eating Bastard Industry (for those that don't know me, The Soul Eating Bastard Industry translates to the health insurance industry).

Following not far behind are the likes of Kent "I'll take my ball and go home" Conrad, who I firmly believe doesn't give a shit about anyone or any group of people unless they happen to be a hospital in his home state. You could also add Mark Prior, Tom Carper, and Bill Nelson (a guy I once really admired) to the roll-call of worthless, uncaring "richards". 

Then there is Montana Max (Baucus) the Senator who has provided a revolving door employment agency to former (and future) Health Insurance executives. He hires them to advise him on... wait for it... HEALTH CARE REFORM. Then when one of these advisers leaves they return to that nice, cushy job working for the Soul Eating Bastard Industry. Then Montana Max conducts an exhaustive interview process and, low and behold, hires a new Health Insurance Executive as his next health care reform adviser. (Remember the dark haired lady sitting behind him in the committee hearings and the final mark-up session? She was most recently employed as an executive in the health insurance industry) And we all wondered why he refused to even consider the Single Payer option. Of course, now we are all aware of Max's true character with the revelation that he tried to get his main squeeze appointed to the post of US Attorney.

Finally, and I can't really refer to them as HEARTLESS, SPINELESS, BALL-LESS, BASTARDS, (because they start life ball-less) so it will have to be HEARTLESS, SPINELESS, COWARDLY,  BASTARDS, Blanch Lincoln, and Mary Landreau (sp?). For the life of me I can't seem to figure out why they would be against a public option, when you see the suffering that is going on in their respective states.

And I guess we would have to include Harry Reid on the list of HEARTLESS, SPINELESS, BALL-LESS, BASTARDS because he refuses to be the Majority LEADER and enforce ANY kind of sanctions on those DINOs that won't vote with their own caucus.

Now there is one (or two) others that I thought long and hard about including among these fine representatives of the people, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.. for now. But, I will be keeping an eye on them and they might be included in my next little tirade. We'll see. 

Imagine if we were able to organize a primary challenge to just a couple of these human roadblocks to real health care reform. It appears (to me anyway) that these Senators and a lot of Democratic house members (mine included, Zack Space) don't seem to care that while they "dither", people in their states are ACTUALLY DYING.

It is astounding that these petty, little people (and many more like them) are far more worried about themselves than serving the people they ran to represent.

I am going to try filing a "Freedom of Information Act" (FOIA) request to get the exact health plan each members of Congress gets and how much it costs them. (If anyone has any experience with FOIA requests I could use some guidance on it).

In the meantime I will try to come up with a pledge, (something like "I Promise I Will Refuse To Accept Any Government Funded Health Insurance Plan Until Such A Time That All My Constituents Have Access To The EXACT Same Type Of Coverage And At The EXACT Same Cost That I Am Charged". (I could use some help with this too).

After I get a decent version I'll post it here along with the health coverage details for each member of Congress. Then, I hope I can find people (like yourselves) all over the country to send it to their elected officials and pressure them to sign it. Making sure they know that if they don't sign it and drop their government run coverage, we will "make a fairly big deal" about their hypocrisy. We will show the citizens of their district and their state, that while they are more than willing to take full advantage of a government run health plan, they have no problem denying the same coverage to the American Citizen. (My former Congressman Ted Strickland did this when he was my Congressman and still does as Governor of Ohio, Sherrod Brown also does this)

As I sit here trying to figure out just how far the Democratic Majority's head is up its' ass I have to wonder... is it time to start the process of organizing a new Party.

This past election millions of people took to the streets and the phones and the ballot booth to vote for "Change We Can Believe In".  And so far ALL indications are that we were sold a complete fucking bill of goods.

The time has come for progressives to take to the sidelines in the next election and show the cowardly, worthless Democratic majority that they need progressives to get elected and to accomplish anything.

You have all heard of that pledge concerning taxes that candidates are asked to sign,  well it is time for progressives to do the same. It is time for Move On and labor unions and just plain folks like us to  drop the hammer on elected Democrats that have bargained away that Change we were lead to think "we could believe in".  It is time to force a spine up the backside of Harry Reid so he will begin to play hardball with the likes of Lieberman, Nelson, Lincoln, Landreau and the rest of the me, me, me,  Senators.

We must make President Obama aware that to date he has, pretty much turned into the liar in chief because he has REFUSED TO LEAD on ANYTHING of importance... hell he hasn't lead on anything at all that I can think of. Can you?

What do we need to do to actually get something REAL done, to have elected officials represent people and not corporations? If you have any ideas PLEASE TELL ME because right now I haven't got a clue other than forcing the Democrats back into the minority so they know that they better represent the people of America and not just their largest campaign contributors.

The more I consider it the more I am convinced it is time for the Citizens of America Party. It will be quite the uphill battle but if you are interested in starting over... The time is now. Imagine if we were to get candidates on the ballot in just 5 of the most important battleground states by the time the next presidential election rolled around.... hmmmm..... think things might start to happen then?

I think I am quite serious about this tell me if you might be also.

Just wanted everyone to know that I am still "kicking" so to speak.

2 kinda new knees later I am slowly starting to get "moving" again and figured I would let those that care that, I have not given up the fight.

Now about my most recent experience with the Soul Eating Bastard Industry (or as some may know it... the health insurance industry).

As I said I just got a couple of semi new knees (cleaned out and a piece put in where the rubbing takes place in the knee joint). Understand I have both  PRIMARY AND A SECONDARY health insurance. I am covered by my wife's policy through her employer and also by Medicare. My wife and I decided to pay for the "employee and spouse" coverage offered by her employer, (a small group plan) through United Health Group. Remember the small group it will be important. I also pay for coverage through a Medicare advantage plan. THIS COMBINATION WAS A HUGE MISTAKE.

After going through the procedures to fix my knees we figured that I would be fairly well covered because we had decided to pay for what we believed would be nearly 100% coverage after we met our deductibles and our co-pays. Things seemed to be how we figured they would be, until one day I received a call from the coordination of benefits department at United Soul Eating Bastard Group. They were wondering if I had "other" insurance in addition to what my wife was paying for through her "small group plan" at work I told them that yes I was covered by a Medicare Advantage plan. She told me that she appreciated my time and that was all they needed to know and hung up.

Two weeks later the Feces began to hit the rotary oscillator. I got a call from the billing department at the hospital telling me that United Soul Eating Bastard Group  was "recapturing" funds from all the bills they had paid for the work on my knees and I was now responsible for the balance of about $19,000.00.

What has happened is that because my wife works for a "Small Group"  UHG was now claiming to be a secondary insurer and not the primary, and even though we had paid them as the primary the Medicare plan would now be considered the primary because federal law allowed them to do this because my wife was part of a small group plan.

So the Advantage plan was now the primary insurer, but they had already paid as secondary, and they claim that had paid what they were required to pay. I have sent letters back and forth, made hundreds of phone calls and still seem to be on the hook for $19,000.00. Even though my wife and I paid 2 insurance companies to prevent this exact situation.

Do we need health care reform? With the experience of an expert I can tell you that the Soul Eating Bastard Industry will put the screws to ANYONE they can and anything less than a public option will lead to a lot more stories like mine.

PS: GLAD TO BE BACK IN THE FIGHT

Try as I might I just can't seem to stomach Chris "Mumble" Matthews. He asks a question and then just as a "guest" starts to answer he decides to add more to the question. He has problems with words and asks the most convoluted questions I have ever seen, heard or read. I can't imagine anyone else getting away with the crap he does and still keep a job it is truly amazing... to me anyways.

So what does everyone else think? Is it just me or do you feel the same? How can "Mumble" do better?

I now call the vote! Is Chris Matthews...

A Blowhard that thinks WAY too much of himself or a decent TV host?

PS: Oh... BTW Chris, I spelled moron wrong on purpose that's what the quote marks are for.

Really, it is starting to sound to me that a third party has very quietly been organized and it is there to support corporations.

Am I wrong? If you agree with me that we now have 3 political parties what do you see as the ramifications of a "Corporate Party"?

Perhaps it is because my own personal odometer clicked over to 48, 5 days ago and maybe the realization that my life was probably half gone 7 or 8 years ago has driven me crotchety, I don't know.. but it's a thought. But for the life of me I can not figure out what the fuck the right in this country is trying to accomplish. Or exactly what it is they want.

When you ask someone on the right what they want and once they get past "Private" all you hear are crickets. No shit... I haven't the slightest idea what they ARE FOR. Truth be told I don't think they know what they are for, so here are a few questions for those on the Whiny Right that I would love to see answered.

     1. If the child of a rich person and a poor person suffer from the same disease should they both get the same care? If you answered NO then we can stop the discussion right hear and declare that you are Heartless Bastards and we all know that heartless bastards are first cousins to the Soul Eating Bastards some call health insurance companies. Come on... you can not really believe that care should be different based on the amount of money someone has. If you do believe that you can stop reading because the questions are gonna get harder.

     2. Why is America  rated 29th in infant mortality? The reason is because we have a pay to play health care system just like our government has become. Think about it how much longer is it going to take before OUR government is a "holy" owned subsidiary of Megacorp. Big business is stealing our form of government right from under our noses.

     3. Why is America rated so low in longevity? See answer to question 2.

     4. Whiny Right if you were kings for a day how would you fix health care? I haven't got a clue to that answer.  "CRICKETS?"

     5 .Why not Medicare for all? And you have to have an answer that doesn't run to the defense of the Soul Eating Bastard Industry or as you call them Health Insurance Companies. I fully expect to hear "CRICKETS"

     6. How do we bring you along, what must we do to get you, the "whiny right" to shit or get off the pot... so to speak. What will make this work for you? What will make you stop the defense of the SEB Industry.

Over 230 years ago Ben Franklin thought that the only hope for our democracy is for people to respect each other enough to compromise. Now my perfect plan for health care reform would be to step on the throats of every single health insurance company until there was no other option than a government run single payer system. My side gave that up without a fight actually, now how far will you move to meet me in the middle. There is a song, I can't begin to tell you by who or even all the words but in the song somewhere it says "we'd both gain a lot if we just give a little" Think about that... when we quit playing politics with actual lives... how much do you think we can accomplish.

Sorry if this seems rather scattered, rain is on the way and it's a painful day. (Those with bad knees or other joints know the feeling). More soon.

5 days ago my "odometer" rolled over to 48 and maybe thats why I'm not seeing the Home run and although I liked the speech I don't really think it moved the debate one way or another.

So you all make me see the light... because while the speech may have been a hit it sure didn't look like a home run to me. PLEASE a little help.

I have been trying to think of the one question that should be asked to EVERY member of Congress that is not supporting the public option as part of health care reform. I have written down scores of questions and none seemed to make the point until early this morning.

See, I get up every day at 2 or 3 am not because I want to but because I pretty much have to. I have not slept more than 3 hours at a stretch going on 14 years now. So in the wee dark hours of the morning I read a little, watch a few infomercials and try to write something that a few folks might consider interesting and perhaps even provoke a few thoughts.

In the last month or two I have been trying to dream up that killer question, a question that those elected officials we call Representatives and Senators couldn't just brush off. A question that would be easy to answer, but the answer would reveal everything a voter needed to know about the person they sent to represent them in the House or the Senate. A question that if that elected official answered in any way would pull back the covers that are hiding their true masters, those "entities" they feel they have to "keep happy". A question that when asked, everyone that heard it knew that the coming response would determine if the person answering the question would be getting their vote in the next election.

Here, I think, is that question:

     What percentage of health care dollars do you think should go to actual health care and what percentage do you think should go to shareholders and CEOs as profit for insurance companies?

Seems simple enough, but an answer to this question will tell you more than all the speeches ever given by the person that answers it. There is really no way to not answer this question. The only way to dodge it is to just act like you didn't hear it.  And the answer will tell you all you need to know about the person responding. Think about it, how would you answer?

At the very least it will give that Senator or Representative something to think about and if we can make them think about it, we can change their mind.

Now I realize that I may not have this exactly right and if anyone has a suggestion to make it better, please feel free to make any additions or subtractions you feel would improve this question, or better yet add your own "thee question".

The reason I put this post up, is so that all those that plan to attend a future town hall meeting will have a question that might be a "show" stopper, so to speak. I would urge everyone to think long and hard about  A QUESTION that will back any elected official into a corner.

I think the question above brings into focus the fact that the only thing the health insurance industry contributes to health care is the function of a leech. They are the middleman that contributes NOTHING except the siphoning off of dollars that would otherwise be used to actually treat the sick.

A secondary question might also be: Should a Health Insurance Company's CEO first responsibility be to shareholders or policy holders? Right now, BY LAW, that responsibility is to the shareholder, at the expense of the policy holder.

Some other questions I would ask are; "Are you against the current form of socialized police and fire protection?"

PLEASE, think about the questions YOU would ask if you had the chance and list them below. I realize that I'm gonna get a few block headed questions that will add exactly nothing to the debate, BUT if we all put our minds to it we might just come up with a list that a few people will print out and take with them to a town hall meeting. And they might even make a few extra copies to hand out to other, like minded folks, at that town hall meeting. Then we might actually uncover the true motives of those elected officials that continue to turn their backs on the needs of the American Citizen.

So, go out to that next town hall in your area, get in line and ask "thee" question. Then enjoy watching them squirm as they try to not really answer.

For those that are REALLY worried about those Palin Death Panels (and I do think that her name should always proceed "Death Panels") you are late to the fight, see... we are in the fifth round in this health care fight and Palin's Death Panel have been functioning for a long, long time under the name  "DENIAL of SERVICE" etc....  Palin's Death Panels have killed, perhaps, tens of thousands of people just like you and me. People that thought they actually had good coverage were finally killed off  by Palin's Death Panels because someone at the insurance company decided as a matter of policy to FORCE those sickest of us into appealing the denial of care. And even when the denial of care was overturned on appeal it still led to a delay in getting the life saving care. That delay in getting care has caused the death of far more people than we will ever know. This is why I will forever call Health Insurance companies the Soul Eating Bastard industry, that long ago developed Palin's Death Panels to save shareholders profits.

Does anyone really believe that the big shots of the Soul Eating Bastard industry care for ANYTHING other than their bottom line?

Does it seem wrong to you to that the Soul Eating Bastard Industry also has Palin's Death Panels called post claim underwriting, a practice that actually concentrates on finding a way to deny coverage to sick individuals by canceling their policies RETRO-ACTIVELY, only they wait and let people think they are covered and when the individual policy holder is sick and really needs the insurance the Soul Eating Bastards send out a team (or panel) of investigators to find a way to justify the "retrocancelling" they do to thousands of individuals and policy holders each year.

Then there is AHIP (America's Health Insurance Plans),  the term "wolf in sheep's clothing" has never been more accurate. AHIP is probably the single worst actor in the health care debate, they are the Harry and Louise folks, they are the folks running ads today that say they support "bipartisan" reform efforts but they don't define what they consider bipartisan and if the past is any indication it means GOP. Oh I almost forgot... AHIP is the lobbying arm of the Soul Eating Bastard Industry.

On an almost totally different topic... I have heard recently the figure 35%. I have heard this percentage in context to what the Baucus Finance committee says the average American consumer will be required to pay of their total care after the Soul Eating Bastards pay your claim. As I understand it (and I hope I am wrong); you will pay your normal health insurance premiums and then 35% of all your health care costs. Think about that, what it is basically assuring is that health insurance companies will ALWAYS be able to pay 35% of revenue to shareholders in the form of dividends or huge CEO salaries. Perhaps I have gotten this wrong or misread it or something, if someone out there knows more about this please post it so we can make some sense out of it, I have been unable to track down the exact details and would appreciate some help on this Baucus jewel.

Finally, remember that Palin's Death Panels already exist they are just called something else. When you hear the term Post Claim Underwriting think Palin's Death Panel. When you hear the phrase "coverage denied" think Palin's Death Panel. When you hear the term "treatment considered experimental" think Palin's Death Panel. Shoot from now on when we hear of someone dying because the treatment was denied or delayed it should be blamed on PALIN'S DEATH PANELS.

The heat is on folks, time to fight fire with fire, and lies with the truth!  It is also time to kick down the door that the "gang of 6"  is hiding behind. I also think that we should drop the "ber" from Joe Lieberman's last name, then his last name would be the far more accurate "Lieman". But hey, I could be wrong about all of this.