I was flabbergasted when I heard Senator Kent Conrad on the radio (being interviewed by Ed Schultz) saying, to paraphrase and simplify, the purpose of health care legislation is to lower costs. He went on to say, again to paraphrase and simplify, that if the legislation can accomplish some of the purpose of the “public option” that, essentially, we should be happy and go along quietly. When asked why his party wouldn’t fight for the public option, he replied that they don’t have the votes and whined about two Senators being out sick and “the Senator form Minnesota” not having been seated yet”. Senator Al Franken will most likely be seated next week – what a lame excuse! Ed was asking Sennator Conrad about his response to Senator Chuck Grassley’s statement that his party will not vote for any bill that contains a public option, essentially drawing a line in the sand. Seemingly lost in this bantering is the real purpose of health care – to provide health care. It is that simple. If you get sick, we the people will help you get well. To promote good health and improve productivity of our fellow citizens, we will also provide preventive care. In fact if you are visiting our fine country, then we can and should extend that same courtesy. What is so hard about that? Health Care is an extension of the “care” that we would express toward a friend or neighbor who is not feeling well. We try to help. It is who we are. It defines our humanity. Health Care allows us to provide better care by working together collectively. It is, in essence, part of the commons, and not much different from a basic human right. It is part of the right to pursuit of health and happiness that is imbedded in the foundation of the United States.

Chuck Grassley has obliquely admitted what more and more Americans are beginning to understand – that the unhealthy and excessive profits of insurance companies and their executives come before the health of the people. The reason? Campaign donations and other goodies and probably even threats. In short, they’ve sold us down the river. That could lead to another discussion – the need to get money out of politics – but we’ll save that for another time.

And the “other” party ( as if there were only two)? They will only engage a fight (or really – a loud discussion) that is predetermined that they will win? What? Talk about spineless!

As it happens, if we pursue the true purpose of health care in a wise manner, like all of the rest of the “developed” world and much of the “developing” world, then costs will reduce substantially while care improves dramatically. See the article on this web site “Health Care: Insurance vs. The People” for a discussion of Universal Public-Funded Single-Payer User-Selected Provider Basic Health Care.

Senator Conrad has completely missed what is really needed in this country: an open, transparent discussion of the issues. He and his colleagues must put forth a Universal Public-Funded Single-Payer User-Selected Provider Basic Health Care plan. Let the opposition party filibuster. That is the open, transparent discussion that is needed. Why are they opposed? The same reason the opposition party is - campaign donations and other goodies and probably even threats. In short, they, too, have sold us down the river. They don’t want that open of a debate because their donors will be unhappy. They would prefer to keep the “discussions” behind closed doors.

The “public option” is a red herring. It is not single-payer. It still has insurance companies making medical decisions amongst many other insults. It will allow the insurance companies to control the “public option” and make sure it fails, thus being able to say ”see- we told you so – public options don’t’ work”. Look at what they did to Medicare Plan D – a supposedly public program except that it was written by the pharmaceutical industry and is run by insurance companies. Talk about a disaster! Don’t buy the diversion! We need Universal Public-Funded Single-Payer User-Selected Provider Basic Health Care. Nothing less. We the people must “fight” for it. Now is our time.

When the time comes to write the actual policies and text of the health care reform, that too must be done in the open, for the devil is in the details.

Therefore, we the people, must act. We must apply pressure to both parties and expose their campaign donors. Spread the word – they are (nearly) all bought politicians. Lets remind them that they work for us, we the people.

icopy-w2Copyright 2009, Michael D. Haughey. Some rights reserved.
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