Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Wow

It's amazing...

Candidate Obama's health care plan was pretty damn good.
Essentially . . we're going to set up a public plan that all persons and all women can access if they don't have health http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=15133926insurance. It will be a plan that will provide all essential services, including reproductive services." (7/17/07)
Even more interesting (from the same link):
For starters, Obama's proposal would require that all children have coverage. He would expand the tax-funded children's health-insurance program to make sure that those unable to join private plans were covered. Although Obama would not require adults to have insurance, he would mandate that large businesses either provide coverage to their employees or pay into a new public plan through which anyone without coverage could buy it. Small-business owners would be exempt and would get a 50 percent health-care tax credit to help ease their cost of employee coverage. People without coverage could buy insurance through new public and private plans. Key to Obama's plan is creation of a National Health Insurance Exchange in which private insurers would offer coverage as generous as the government's plan, with new regulations requiring them to accept and not penalize anyone regardless of pre-existing conditions, Tanden said. [Columbus Dispatch, 9/23/08, via Lexis]
It's too bad President Obama decided to sell out and lie about all that transformational/courageous/stand up to the special interest crap.

Primary challenge, anyone?

5 comments:

Mark Belanger said...

I would love health care reform like that.

How do propose to get something like that through Congress?

Unknown said...

Oh, Ryan, really?

Here's Howard Dean on Meet the press (doesn't seem to allow blockquotes):


"MR. GREGORY: Given your own fight within the Democratic Party, indeed, within the Obama administration, do you intend to stay in the Democratic Party?

DR. DEAN: Of course. Absolutely. I, I've said I would vigorously support the president's re-election in 2012. I have every intention of doing that. Look, whatever fights we have inside the Democratic Party--and this is a very, very, very sore one, because I really do think we're going down a track that's not going to be helpful in the long run without some really brutal fights ahead of us. But, you know, President Obama, first of all, has had a terrific record on the environment. Despite his struggles, I think he's actually moved the dialogue in Copenhagen forward. He's--he restored America's good name around the rest of the world. I mean, he is so far ahead of whatever the Republicans might choose to do in 2012 that of course I'm going to support President Obama."

Unknown said...

Thought I included a link. Here you go:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/20/804127/-Dr-Dean-on-Meet-The-Press:-Softening-His-Stance

Ryan said...

Hey, a guy can dream. But I'm serious about the need to primary Obama. Someone's got to do it, if only to get him in line.

TruthtoPower said...

I am beginning to reflect on the past decade; one in which I donated tens of thousands of volunteer/civic hours for no pay. Has anything changed? I am older, my body aches more, my son is as tall as me and we struggle financially in a world riddled with cynicism. We have no retirement savings, no government pension and a child with a learning disability who wants a great life. College tuition is just around the corner and I feel like I just paid off Tufts and Springfield College for my degrees. I see the rich getting richer, politicians getting dumber and the political gridlock between Dems/Repubs. paralyzing a nation that was once a great place for innovation and work ethic.

I almost threw in the towel and turned my back on civic involvement last spring after being stalked by a nut case in my hometown for the crime of being female and an elected official.
I allowed my passion about the slots/casino issue to pull me back in. After 6 months of increased activity in that realm I wonder if any of it makes a difference.

Will citizen power and rational thinking prevail or will special interests, politicians without principles, and a disengaged public allow the further erosion of the economic and social fabric of our Commonwealth?

How long can I keep giving when I see the "leaders" with their own personal fortunes compromising the values that we need to protect?

Term limits are needed to save our democracy.

About Ryan's Take