Check the Price of 60 Votes before you drink the Kool Aid

Associated Press reported on today’s Senate vote on health care reform that defeated the public option, stating that:

The votes marked a victory for Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the committee chairman, who is hoping to push his middle-of-the-road measure through the panel by week’s end. It also kept alive the possibility that at least one Republican may yet swing behind the overhaul, a key goal of both Baucus and the White House.

Reid (D-NV) Warns Republicans he will vote without them

Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader) warns Republicans today that he is prepared to pass health care reform with a simple majority, i.e., reconciliation procedure.  It’s about time! [....]

We have had to endure a seemingly endless eight months of lies, and mindless and inexplicable accusations from the Republican party on almost everything the President and his administration has put forward.   It is apparent that the GOP cares nothing about the real issues.  All they care about is that they lost and they cannot get over it.  Perhaps Palin will come to the rescue with a bridge.  The GOP has acted like nothing less than a freak sideshow.  Take Congresswoman Michele Bachmann as an example.

The American Dream gone Awry

Today, in just a few hours, a host of organizations and folks from all across Connecticut are gathering in front of Aetna’s home office in Hartford for a rally on health insurance reform.  Today is HCAN’s National Day of Action: “Big Insurance, Sick of It.”

Reports are released almost weekly showing how insurance companies have profited from delay/deny tactics, all at the expense of the consumer/patient.   These reports never cease to amaze us, listing case after case of individuals who thought they had coverage but when they became ill, far too many are dropped or denied coverage.   There are those without who simply can not afford to pay for insurance and/or treatment/medication and the end results are often disastrous (45,000 folks are dying every year).

OFC ALERT: Rally at Aetna Insurance Tuesday, 9/22 Update

On September 22nd, we are taking our quest for health insurance reform to the front door of the industry, Aetna Inc.  Aetna is one of many insurance companies that collectively are spending over $600,000 a day opposing reform because they profit by keeping the system as it is.  Every time insurance companies deny a claim, raise a premium, co-pay or deductible, or drop someone with a pre-existing condition, they make more money. With health insurance CEOs taking home $690 million a year, it’s obvious that they’re making a “healthy profit.”   But those “healthy profits” are making us sick.

Join us on Tuesday, September 22 at the Aetna building in Hartford to fight for the public option.

I’m trying very hard not to Rant and Rave

I’ve always considered myself a person of peace, not that I have ever walked away from a good fight.   Engaging in dialog is my way of sparring.  I enjoy a good conversation, and the livelier the better.  I enjoy a wealth of friends from all across the spectrum.  When it comes to the issue of health insurance reform, however, I find myself deliberately measuring my words, remembering to smile and smile and smile.  And above all, bite my tongue.

The Impact of our Voice

In our youth, some of us dared to dream of impossible things.  Some of us were fearless and righteous, some complacent and some not.  As we age and experience life, we temper our dreams and attitudes in concert with our experiences.  When it comes to politics, all too often, we do not get involved.  We think that our voice has no power to make a difference.  We took the first step in change when we elected President Obama.  The next step is to reform health care.  Here’s a lesson why we have to educate ourselves with the facts and then speak out,  and often.

Rally/March on Aetna Insurance Co. 9/22

On September 22nd from 3:30 to 5:30 PM a host of organizations are gathering to rally and march on Aetna Insurance company.  (Sign up on Face Book or on Organizing for Connecticut) It makes a lot of sense to rally in Connecticut where there are over 2,000 insurance companies.  And even more so to rally in Hartford where there are over 229 insurance companies, the most in any city.  That is why Hartford (along with Connecticut) is often referred to as the Insurance Capitol of the World.   So, why Aetna Insurance company, you may ask.

Glen Beck Must Go!

Ever wonder whether your voice makes a difference – or, whether your email or phone call has any real impact.  It does.  When we seek to right the injustices in our society by uniting together for a just and honest cause, our united outcry through our letters, our emails and our phone calls inevitably moves mountains.

Tell Insurance Industry “You Lie!”

At first the battle cry was, “just say no to whatever the President and/or anyone on the “other side of the aisle” says.  When the President made every effort to reach across the aisle to achieve constructive legislation with input from all, the Party of no simply said “No.”  But they did not stop there.  First they said “no” on any given item and then they held a press conference to say how the President is unwilling to work with them.  He ignored their ideas, especially those that said “let’s do what we did for the past eight years – we all made lots of money” or “let’s do nothing.”

Blumenthal to Rell: Can we talk?

Our Governor never ceases to amaze us with her budget sense, or lack thereof.  Since the day Gov. Rell (R-CT) revealed her proposed state budget on February 4, 2009, her proposals have been fraught with controversy.  Her first budget draft was a two-year, $38.4 billion budget proposal that called for cutting 400 jobs, getting hundreds of millions of dollars in concessions from state labor unions and the elimination/consolidation of 23 state commissions in order to make up for an estimated $8.6 billion budget shortfall.

Powell, Bush, Giuliani, Forbes, Montana Headline @ “Get Motivated” Seminar, Hartford XL Center

Gen. Colin Powell, Former First Lady Laura Bush, Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Businessman Steve Forbes and Former NFL quarterback Joe Montana are the headlines at the Get Motivated! seminar today at the XL Center in downtown Hartford.  See full article in today’s The CTCounrant.com. I first heard about the event, piecemeal, while having a leisurely lunch at The Pond House in Elizabeth Park with my husband yesterday afternoon.

As we dined on sumptuous fare, savoring a black bean burger with guacamole and garden fresh vegetables (me), and stuffed pear salad with arugula, goat cheese and other delectables (my husband, Jerry), we overheard a conversation by two patrons sitting at a table adjacent to us. 

Connecticut Students for Dodd Announces Formation and Action Plan

New Haven, CT – Today, a coalition of politically engaged students from across the state have announced the formation of Connecticut Students for Dodd.  This student run organization, formed independently of the campaign, will spend the next fifteen months working to ensure the reelection of Senator Dodd through grassroots organizing and campaigning.  In addition to traditional campaign efforts, Connecticut Students for Dodd will focus a large part of its energies on mobilizing large numbers of graduate and undergraduates on numerous campuses.

Government would Run Fine if we Just take Politics out of It

That is what I was thinking as I watched the early evening news.  The media quest for today, “will the Republican’s support, namely that of Karl Rove and Sarah Palin, of the President’s current policy in Afghanistan hurt the President?”  The quest was born out of a letter to the President sent by a group of prominent Republicans that included Rove and Palin (prominent for all the wrong reasons) expressing their support of the President’s current resolve to provide our troops all that is necessary to wage a formidable battle in Afghanistan. (Actually, I was not watching my regular news station as Ed, Chris, Keith and Rachel must have had the night off.  Instead of being engrossed with a healthy dollop of meaningful news delivered brilliantly by the aforementioned, there was some sort of “close encounters with the weirdly absurd” kind of show on — definitely not my cup of tea.)

Public Service: The Courage to Embrace Controversy

The title of this post could be, “Public Service: The courage to walk into hell for a heavenly cause.” Such a title could conjure up visions of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s Don Quixote and his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza.   And perhaps that is because, buried deep in our heart, somewhere obscure and away from public view is our impossible dream.  Do we want Don Quixote, or someone like him … someone who is “willing to walk into hell for a heavenly cause” to lead us?  Someone who will dare us to dream impossible dreams?