(h/t Down with Tyranny for the graphic.)
I've been asking members of Congress if they would forego their August recess to make sure health care won't get left behind. Why shouldn't republicans and democrats work instead of taking a holiday? Since I asked President Obama if he should demand that Congress stay in DC to work on health care in August the media has picked it up too and now we're getting statements from Congress saying they would work instead of taking a holiday.
I asked Blue America's Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR) if he would give up the August recess to make sure legislation gets done. Here's his reply:
"I'm committed to passing health care reform and I'm extremely concerned that the window of opportunity is starting to close. Anything that can speed up Senate deliberation is valuable. And if keeping the Senate in session in August can move the bill forward, I'm absolutely committed to being here."
Sen. Merkley is committed to reforming health care and he now joins the list of members who have said they will work in August. Thanks so much Senator.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Sen. Jeff Merkley
It's amazing what a new, un-boughten Senator will do for his contituents. Too bad the "good old boys" are so deep in debt to the insurance and pharma interests.
I've sent the below letter to the Boston Globe and my representatives. I encourage others to publicize and take the pledge. The insurance companies are willing to "settle" for taking people with pre-existing conditions, in return for forcing everyone to buy private health insurance. Note that before this deal, denying insurance based on pre-existing condition was illegal for insurers in Mass.
================================================
At age 59, I look forward to being eligible for Medicare, the only reliable health insurance available in the US. I would gladly pay full cost to enroll in Medicare now, but that is not an option. Perhaps worse, as a Massachusetts resident I am forced to pay for private insurance, thus funding lobbyists who work to prevent that option being offered. And I am forced to pay $1000 more a year for unwanted prescription drug coverage, and now fund America's biggest drug cartel, the pharmaceutical industry.
I can no longer in good conscience obey state law, and will cancel my health insurance. I ask others to take my pledge:
I will refuse to obey any federal or state law that requires me to purchase private health insurance. I reject all government mandates that I fund investors, lobbyists or overpaid executives. I will not reward those who profit from human misery, and who further their profit and that misery by denying payment for needed medical procedures.
It would be nice to get that pledge on a website where everyone could sign the letters to their Congresspersons.
I agree with you.
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
do not have the option not to pay... It comes automatically out of their paycheck which they never see..
The Corporate & government controls you ever move anymore.. You can not work , drive a car , walk the streets / shop at stores or go anywhere that the government does not have complete surveillance on you..
Why do you believe your checks are no longer sent to you but the bank receives it directly..
Soon as they have everyone tagged and their income / saving / retirement / health records / every single item you have in your name or procession they will really have control over.. Soon they will give you something like a credit card attack to you account they have in your name of number.. They can then deduct any and every itemed they wish to charge you for and have a data bank of all transactions you make in your entire life..
Have you ever ask a company as the telephone Empire what their individual charges on your bill are for..
I would say they nickel and dime you to death , but now it mounts to more than a nickel or dime..
None
When Bush wanted something passed it was absolutely vital that congress stay at it until it was done and anyone who didn't go along obviously hated this country. Now that Obama is in the White House it's considered a victory byt the Reps to stall legislation. Hypocrits.
Didn't the repugs cause everyone to go back to work and stay very late in order to keep Terry Shiavo on a feeding tube?
Hypocrites indeed.
...now that we know there is gonna be a recess anyway, thanks to the senator from Nevada.
Late,
QSE32
You are inferring that Merkley said what he said because he knew there would be a recess anyway.
Let me set you straight on this particular senator:
Merkley ran one of the cleanest campaigns in history against a mud-slinging creep named Gordon Smith, who lost.
Merkley has been on record as being one of the most out-spoken supporters of true health care reform. He has not EVER wavered.
Some of his town hall meetings have been stacked with right-wing turds who do everything they can to make him look bad. He is polite to them, and moves forward with the agenda he promised the voters.
He is one of the nicest people you'd ever want to know, and it is not in his nature to say something just because it's politically convenient.
but why wasn't he vocal about his intent to stay sooner? perhaps he coulda'been part of a + peer pressure to get everyone to stay.
>>you said, "You are inferring that Merkley said what he said
>>because he knew there would be a recess anyway."
yes. glad I was clear.
Late,
QSE32
Jeff Merkley is the real deal.
He has the potential to be another Bernie Sanders. What you see is what you get with Merkley.
I have called his DC office several times just to tell him thanks for representing us fairly.
He gets a lot of feedback from right-wing jackasses. So if you have a moment, just call his office and let him know that you appreciate all he's doing for us.
Worked hard to get him elected. They told us we had no chance against Gordon Smith a few months out. No buyer's remorse here.
Thanks, Jeff.
Right on, Old Billy. Thanks for all you did to help get Merkley elected!
The Peoples' Republic of Portland.
Sweet. Proud to have grown up there, myself.
FROM SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T LIVE IN YOUR STATE BUT WISHES HE DOES
Thanks, Jeff.
Just now tried to call his DC office. Calls aren't going through--the switchboard is down.
If it comes back up and someone gets through, would you please post here so we can resume trying?
thanks.
Thank you Sen. Jeff Merkley.
As I said yesterday, I know Ron Wyden has taken a lot of money from the insurance industry, but he's a reliable left-wing vote (i.e. he'll go as far left as a Democratic-sponsored bill he's voting on, often further), and he's said publicly that there shouldn't be a "vacation" until the actual work's done.
I'm really glad Oregon replace El Gordo with Jeff Merkley--this simply proves why Merkley was a better choice. Now Oregon is in a position to lead on the issue of health care if its senators so choose. That's nothing but a good thing.
that some members of Congress are starting to get the message.
I wish there were more politicians like Senator Merkley.
btw, nice photo, John!
I have to remember to post pictures when I go to events...
it'd be nice if you did.
:)
why are you standing in a hole?
Yeah, Sen. Merkley is one tall drink of water.
Congress needs to cancel their August recess and continue working on a health care plan.
Twice in my career, I have had to cancel going to a wedding because work called me. At least twice, I took no vacation for an entire year, except for a day here, a day there, because work called me. At least once, I worked for 2 months straight, without a single day off, including weekends, because work called me.
And, I did this when I made nowhere near what a Senator makes (something like $165,000 a year). I don't understand why they get so much time off!
This just put up on Yahoo News, courtesy of the AssPress:
"WASHINGTON – After weeks of secretive talks, a bipartisan group in the Senate edged closer Monday to a health care compromise that omits a requirement for businesses to offer coverage to their workers and lacks a government insurance option that President Barack Obama favors, according to numerous officials."
Thanks a fucking lot, blue dogs!
If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders.
George Carlin
But Christian Science Monitor says its:
Max Baucus, D-Mont., Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.
The Monitor goes on about how the same group "handed Bush his first legislative victory too." As if this could possibly be considered a victory.
Tools.
Time for Obama to take a stand. The more I think about, the more I agree - this really could become his Waterloo.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/25/grassley-...
If this clip is true, then it looks like Obama made a "deal" with the devil in exchange to offer the American taxpayers "Co-ops" which I'll bet ya dollars to donuts are run by the "for-profit" private health insurance corporations.
What does everyone think all those "secret" White House meetings were all about?
Pffffttt!!!!!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
Is JA standing in a hole or is Sen. Merkley standing on a box?
He's been an excellent Senator and he's also very tall...:-)
Jeff is very tall; his opponent during the primary, Steve Novick, is not very tall. Both strong Progressives, but an interesting study in contrasts: kind of the "Lincoln-Douglas" of Progressives.
Sorry, couldn't resist;^)
They should stay in session and pass a counterpart to HR 676.
What is going to pass, if anything, will be an enormous giveaway to Big Pharma, Big Insurance and the AMA.
They will then spend enormous amounts of propaganda money to brainwash the electorate.
It works.
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
just how short is Amato?!?!
Stop it! Amato won't post any more pictures of him standing next to giants.
Dear President Obama,
In light of the EMERGENCY our health care system has become, not to mention the waste in the system, I am respectfully requesting that you call a special session of the House and Senate to fix the crisis that is our national health care.
Regards,
John, I think you should do two things:
1. Stop doing the Tom Friedman impersonation and put on a shirt and tie!
2. Once you've done that...RUN FOR CONGRESS! Now that Franken has broken the glass ceiling, you'd be a shoe in! :)
Senate group omitting Dem health goals
WASHINGTON – After weeks of secretive talks, a bipartisan group in the Senate edged closer Monday to a health care compromise that omits a requirement for businesses to offer coverage to their workers and lacks a government insurance option that President Barack Obama favors, according to numerous officials.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090727/ap_on_go_...
OOPS. Sorry. Didn't see this posted. Just got home and it sprang up in my news box. Didn't get a chance to read all the posts on here, or I'da known it was posted. D'oh!
Oh and John....how tall are you? :0)
If this turns out to be "the Bill", it's worse than I figured. Not to mention nothing in it about expanding access, and nothing that will prohibit insurance companies from jacking up premiums for the new "at risk" enrollees, and then expecting the government to pay them for the premiums.
libs and progressives are going to guarantee that the final bill passed is crap. Obama and the Dems want to toss something to make it look like they are urgently on the case. What will be finalized is not going to be anything worth the taxdollars these congresscritters have spent on it. Guaranteed.
Obama would have had just as much luck if he had assigned Hillary as special healthcare reform czar.
I don't always agree with Dana Milbank, but in this piece he really nails the ventriloquist and the dummy
when it comes to Republican talking points:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...
Thanks, Jeff for being a principled policy wonk. I am proud to have helped send you to Washington, but I'm sorry you might be there in August. We're in Ashland right now where they say it will 109 tomorrow - so DC summer weather can't be much worse! Oh, sorry I forgot about the DC humidity and mosquitoes - I guess DC can be worse.
Don't forget all the redneck republicans. DC is much worse.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
Either the Senator is very tall, or our man John is pretty vertically challenged
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
Going on vacation for 30 days give Repugs 30 extra days to foist their lies on more people. To appear on every talk show and radio program to enforce the lies.
If Democrats, who are in charge, don't make them stay until it's done, they might as well scrap the whole thing and shake the Repugs hands and declare them the winners and the people the losers. We don't have representation in Washington anyway. They really are all bought and paid for. Baucus should take his $4.7 million and get the heck out. Same for the rest.
Going on vacation for 30 days give Repugs 30 extra days to foist their lies on more people. To appear on every talk show and radio program to enforce the lies.
If Democrats, who are in charge, don't make them stay until it's done, they might as well scrap the whole thing and shake the Repugs hands and declare them the winners and the people the losers. We don't have representation in Washington anyway. They really are all bought and paid for. Baucus should take his $4.7 million and get the heck out. Same for the rest.
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