For years, candidates for, and members of, Congress told us that we needed to elect and re-elect them in order to lower health care costs and provide universal coverage. And so, for years, we dutifully worked our collective asses off, delivering wide majorities for Democrats--who said they would lower health care costs and provide universal coverage--in both branches of Congress.
Now, when it comes time for them to deliver on health care by providing a public option--the bare minimum required to reduce costs and provide universal coverage--what we are getting instead are backroom deals, flip-flops, and cop-outs.
We know what time it is. We have waited long enough. Now is the time for quality, affordable health care we can all count on.
The insurance industry knows what time it is too. So in pursuit of real health care reform, we find ourselves wading into muddy waters. Insurance companies--the opponents of real reform--have gone to great lengths to dress up their counter-proposals to appear beneficial to the health of the American people rather than to the health of corporate bottom lines. They say they want reform, and create "grassroots" organizations to push for it, but what they really want are profit protections.
This makes Lieberman the only member of Connecticut's Congressional Delegation who does not support the public option. More than anybody else, Joe Lieberman needs to hear from his constituents. Send him an e-mail asking him to explain his opposition to the public option to you himself.
The Senate is poised to be--in the words of Chris Bowers--"the biggest hurdle on health care." We need to find out where our Senators stand on the public option now, so that we know who to thank, and who to persuade. In the extended text, you can see all of the tools for contacting your Senators.
It's nice to see Senator Dodd taking on this fight, but Dodd warned that it won't be an easy fight to win. He said:
... convincing his colleagues on Capitol Hill that increasing credit card regulation is good for the economy may not be easy.
Dodd said currently the lending institutions are fighting back hard against changes to bankruptcy protections for homeowners.
"I thought we'd have an easy time getting that through," Dodd said. "As of today we're going to try to bring it up, but it's going to be tough."
"The lending institutions are pushing back very hard against these issues," he said.
OK, Senator Dodd, please tell us which of your Congressional colleagues oppose credit card reform, and we will be happy to help alert their constituents.
Right now, the bill has 17 cosponsors, so we know who IS on board. Other Congressmen should be encouraged to cosponsor the bill too, including Joe Lieberman and NY's new Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. What's more, they should be promoting it in their states and districts.
What kind of Congressman would oppose credit card reform? Let us know who they are.
(Dodd is showing real leadership here. I hope this bill is put near the top of the Democratic agenda come January. - promoted by Matt Browner Hamlin)
A whole mixed bag of stuff in here that might be of interest to everyone:
Washington- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), an outspoken opponent of the Military Commission Act of 2006, today introduced legislation which would amend existing law in order to have an effective process for bringing terrorists to justice. This is currently not the case under the Military Commission Act, which will be the subject of endless legal challenges. As important, the bill would also seek to ensure that U.S. servicemen and women are afforded the maximum protection of a strong international legal framework guaranteed by respect for such provisions as the Geneva Conventions and other international standards, and to restore America?s moral authority as the leader in the world in advancing the rule of law.
"I take a backseat to no one when it comes to protecting this country from terrorists," Sen. Dodd said. "But there is a right way to do this and a wrong way to do this. It's clear the people who perpetrated these horrendous crimes against our country and our people have no moral compass and deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But in taking away their legal rights, the rights first codified in our country's Constitution, we're taking away our own moral compass, as well."
The Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act:
Restores Habeas Corpus protections to detainees
Narrows the definition of unlawful enemy combatant to individuals who directly participate in hostilities against the United States who are not lawful combatants
Bars information gained through coercion from being introduced as evidence in trials
Empowers military judges to exclude hearsay evidence they deem to be unreliable
Authorizes the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to review decisions by the Military commissions
Limits the authority of the President to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and makes that authority subject to congressional and judicial oversight
Provides for expedited judicial review of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to determine the constitutionally of its provisions
"We in Congress have our own obligation, to work in a bipartisan way to repair the damage that has been done, to protect our international reputation, to preserve our domestic traditions, and to provide a successful mechanism to improve and enhance the tools required by the global war on terror," Dodd said.
About the only thing that doesn't make some sense is the review of the MCA... Better to just repeal it and start over making laws that might be Constitutional and not such a tyranical slap in the face of the freedoms this country was built upon.
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