Bernie Sanders Explains Why He's Going to Vote for the Health Care Bill
Well, it looks like everyone has their price. Sen. Sanders explains why he's going to vote for the health care bill even though it does not contain a public option.
From Sen. Sanders site--Release: Primary Health, Dental Care for 25 Million More Americans:
$10 Billion More for Community Health Centers will Revolutionize Care
WASHINGTON, December 19 – A $10 billion investment in community health centers, expected to go to $14 billion when Congress completes work on health care reform legislation, was included in a final series of changes to the Senate bill unveiled today.
The provision, which would provide primary care for 25 million more Americans, was requested by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
He said the additional resources will help bring about a revolution in primary health care in America and create new or expanded health centers in an additional 10,000 communities. The provision would also provide loan repayments and scholarships through the National Health Service Corps to create an additional 20,000 primary care doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and mental health professionals.
Very importantly, Sanders also said the provision would save Medicaid tens of billions of dollars by keeping patients out of emergency rooms and hospitals by providing primary care when then needed it.
Sanders has worked with House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) to include $14 billion in the House version of the legislation.
Sanders is also working with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to improve language already in the bill to provide waivers for states that want to provide comprehensive, affordable health care and curb rapidly-rising costs for money-making private health insurance companies. The waivers could clear the way for a state-run, single-payer system.
For the health centers, the $14 billion in the bill that the House of Representatives approved on Nov. 7 would increase the number of centers from 20 million to 45 million over the next five years.
The investment would more than pay for itself by saving Medicaid $23 billion over five years on reduced emergency room use and hospital costs, according to a study conducted by George Washington University.
The system of Federally Qualified Health Centers began four decades ago under pioneering legislation by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Community health centers now provide primary health care, dental care, mental health counseling and low-cost prescription drugs for about 20 million Americans. The centers offer basic services like prenatal care, childhood immunizations and cancer screenings. Open to everyone, the centers care for patients covered by Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance as well as those who have no insurance.
Dan Hawkins, senior vice president of the National Association of Community Health Centers, testified before Congress earlier this year that the cost of care at health centers is 41 percent less than what is spent to care for patients elsewhere. The savings would grow if health centers were expanded to serve more patients, according to Hawkins.
In Vermont, eight health centers and 40 satellite offices provide primary health care to more than 100,000 patients regardless of their ability to pay. Sanders said that with the additional health care funding it was very likely that new centers would be established in Addison County, Bennington County and perhaps Windham County.
....and despise most "progressives" to the point of rage.
They talk all this smack about fighting for principles and against "lesser evils"...and then, when the Democrat leadership threatens their privileges or offers them their trick pony to play along, they cave in and demur like little sheep.
I hope you enjoy that $16 million, Senator....hopefully the cracked heads and dry bones of your political career after the Teabaggers and the GOP and the ConservaDems destroy it, never mind the deaths of those from not getting the health care they deserve will be worth it. Or....not.
Screw the liberals and the progressives...give me committed LEFTISTS who will take names, kick ass, raise hell, and at least fight for common people halfway.
Anthony
who actually make the progress as it always has been.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
You can keep it.
Not only no single payer, not only no public option, but 30 million NEW customers delivered up to the insurance gangsters. The lifetime limits ban is written with weasel words ("reasonable"). Effective lifetime protection for biologics.
Is it any wonder Pharma and the insurance lobby have stopepd fighting this bill?
Bernies piclkes on yet another sh*t sandwhich don't make it taste ANY netter that those the Dems have been feeding their base for years.
For one, it's $16 BILLION not million ..
For two, it doesn't go to Bernie ..
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
and that is a significant improvement to this piece of shit bill, especially as it is targeted at the most effective type of prevention and care for people at the bottom.
Sanders is probably pained to compromise on this I am sure, having lived in Vermont and voted for him many times. But he is also smart, and realized that if he were the lone progressive to stop the bill, he'd get the Nader treatment (now being applied to Howard Dean).
So Anthony, while I am as disappointed as you are, I see Bernie salvaging something worthwhile from this disaster. Since it won't be stopped, progressives now have to work to get improvements and keep pressure on the Reps to add public option, or a FAST trigger (gee, many my present USELESS Senator Snowe-job will go along with that) and all the other things the corrupt Dems in the Senate stripped out.
Community health centers are an important part of the American health care system. They provide primary health care to underserved areas, primarily rural areas but increasingly urban areas too.
Early in this health care reform debate I wondered if anyone would propose simply expanding the community health center system to provide Universal Health Care. If MediCare were extended to all (MediCare E) at the same time, Universal Health Care would be achieved in the US.
As the two senators point out, if everyone in the US had health insurance there wouldn't be enough primary care specialists or facilities to serve everyone.
So this is a major step forward in the fight for Universal Health Care in the US.
Thank You, Senator Sanders!
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
"if everyone in the US had health insurance there wouldn't be enough primary care specialists or facilities to serve everyone."
WTF?! So...it's good that not all people can get cared for because they would overwhelm the docs/hosp/ect.?! That is SERIOUSLY warped thinking IMO. Good gawd.
The US already has 2 more doctors per capita than the UK and we have socialized medicine and shorter wait times than I EVER saw in the US.
I know two working-class southern raised young women in med school or residency right now. They're going to be GPs and go help the people they came from right?
Wrong. Both owe a quarter of a million in debt to get the degree. That's a quarter of a million each. They are going in to whatever specialties will let them pay that off before they die. My daughter looked at the same trade-off and will not go to med school. That kind of debt also means no children until you pay it off. Which for a woman with a hard-coded expiration date means no kids. She wasn't willing to give up having children to be a doctor. That's how it works here unless you are rich.
We have a friggin' boatload of Dermatologists in the cities but no GPs in rural areas. This is why. Sanders additions are designed to help this.
Not enough. Not worth the transfer of billions more directly to the for profit insurance companies.
No, sorry Bernie. Not enough.
Adding a little sugar on top of this shit filled bill is not going to do any good. There buying off senators while not changing any of the corporate welfare. This Bill fundamentally changes the healthcare system in a way that heavily favors the Heath Insurance companies. This bill will be worse then the stats quo and the last hopes to stop it are being bought off.
isn't even IN the bill yet! They're just TALKING about putting it there! This is shit!
have access to community health centers if they don't have Medicaid or any other type of insurance that they can afford and that will cover them???
"The greatest tyranny is censoring information in order to be better able to control people." - Cristina Saralegui
He trys to make it sound as if there are actual free health centers or some shit for the poor among us and it's total BS. I used to have a LOT of respect for Bernie. Every single bit of it is GONE now!
Do you have a Community Health Center in your area?
The one near me charges on a sliding scale.
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
been trying to get to the health center for months now, but even with a sliding scale, the treatment she will need will be too steep for her to get. Especially as she hasn't had insurance or a doctor's visit in years. She might need a knee replacement, among other things.
And I am 95% sure that the woman I saw turned away at the pharmacy for a needed leg brace goes to the community health clinic.
Bottom line is it isn't enough, not for the poor.
"The greatest tyranny is censoring information in order to be better able to control people." - Cristina Saralegui
The comm. centers take people without ins. so by expanding them all people get help. Or so they say. It's just BS really. Like they said...it isn't IN there yet...it's just been promised I guess. This whole thing is such a clusterfuck at this point, I can't see an end in sight. *sigh*
Thank god I'll be dead soon. I am so tired of being disappointed by say one thing, do another political hypocrisy bull sheet. Progressives: we been played. And, at least for me, over 50 years of it is enough. Bye-Bye... time to go into stealth mode.
My parting quote: "The mediator between head and hands must be the heart!" - Metropolis 1927
No joke , I'm with you and can relate . I don't have a death wish but am actually glad that I'm not in good health or young , the way it looks it'll be both a blessing and a relief to be checking out when that time comes .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
I have more days behind me then I do in front of me and no real desire to prolong the agony of dealing with all this bullsh*t.
See you out there!
to not get sent back to clean up any "garbage" I may have left behind. I've no desire to spend another 9 months in the womb just to be evicted and slapped in the face on arrival and go through another round of this.
Sun, 12/20/2009 - 18:16 — wundermaus
_________________________________________________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13996131%40N02/3...
I always thought that was a corny quote, Thea Von Harbou at her most treacly, although it was probably forced on her by the studio.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Hey JKenn , Bernie Sanders IS as left as they get and an Independent , also as straight and honest as they come , 100 % for the people , a socialistic / Democrat . If all were like him this would be a beautiful country and a much better world . If he's voting yes then I guess it's the best move , this is the one guy I do believe and trust . He's no happier than we are about this shit , the corrupt and self serving won but it's reality and Sanders has to deal with that reality and the real world .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
He just told a bunch of lies if what's above actually came from him!
Bernie where the FUCK is the health canter that takes people without money in Orange county???? It must be one hell of a well kept secret like all the others no one knows about! 100 thousand Vermonters use these alleged centers?? The population of VT is 600 thousand. That would mean 16% of Vermonters use this centers for free. 1 in 6! And not only have I NEVER meet one of these people I've never heard of these centers and I don't go to one???? I said a couple of days ago on here that Bernie couldn't be bought. Sorry but obviously I was VERY wrong!!! This is total bullshit and Bernie has become a total sell out to the working Vermonters he once stood up for!
This garbage bill needs to be thrown back into the garbage can they dragged it out of! In truth my opinion is that they NEVER intended to pass any meaningful health care reform. All the whole bullshit process was for was to keep peoples minds off the fact that the capital criminals that launched an illegal war of aggression resulting in numerous capital and felony war crimes including torture that resulted in death are walking free right now instead of being in prison cells as US law requires.
FUCK every God-damned one of these worthless scum!
I totally trust Bernie Sanders. I know he's disappointed that we didn't get many of the things we wanted in this bill, but we must start somewhere. He's been fighting hard for progressives every step of the way. Once the bill passes, we must continue to build on it. Actually, the bill is not in its final form, so there's still room for improvement before the final passage. We can't give up the fight.
but like you say the bill is not in it's final form and it's bound to get much worse if the past 10 months is any indication! And he's saying he's definitely voting for something he doesn't even know yet what it will be? That IS NOT the Bernie Vermonters used to know and love. Frigging XE brainwash him or something?
So few who really understand the process and what's at stake. And I agree, we must start somewhere. Bernie is my favorite Senator.
Agreed!
is the PEOPLE. He's the most honest guy up there.
You have to use the frustration of this to PROVE that this is a Progressive Country
Issue by issue, most American's belive in the Progressive agenda that's why the 'noise machine' has been doing everything it can to demonize us.
Don't contribute to the DNC's but to the Progressive Caucus and the Bernie Sanders.
Give me a break that Bernie Sanders calls himself a "Socialist" and wants the gullible to believe him after this....By this vote alone, I will be laughing the next time that Bernie Sanders refers to himself as some "Socialist." He isn't. He may think that, but, his vote is far from supporting a real egalitarian bill.
Sanders is signing on to a very neoliberal bill that makes the corporate elites and the transnational bankers quite happy.
This healthcare bill is pro-capitalist, pro-corporatist and Anti-Egalitarian. This bill is HOSTILE to the public sector and public control as in maintaining public utilities, but, a huge gift to the insurance corporations of which should be rejected by this ardent "socialist."
I have read no socialist commentary on this healthcarre bill which endorses it, whatsover, in the present form, Bernie Sanders weak rationales notwithstanding!!!!
I know that there are some good measures in both versions of the insurance reform bill. That's never been in question.
I also know that political realities require compromises, as they always will. That's never been in question either.
The real questions, to my mind are as follows:
I can understand why good people like Sen. Sanders and Rep. Anthony Weiner, who have worked and fought so hard for so long, could answer #2 in the affirmative, even if I'm not quite convinced. The bad parts of the bill seem to outweigh the good, though I'd be willing to come around if someone would bother to compare and contrast all aspects of the bill instead of merely listing a good part here and a good part there, hoping I'll fall for best-foot-forward advertising.
On #1, however, because there were so many moves that could have been made that could have resulted in a better bill, it also seems clear that most of the representatives on our side never really intended to reform anything at all. Which, in turn, renders any statement about the good parts of the bill suspect to begin with.
On that note, here's what I'd really like to ask the good ones like Sanders and Weiner:
If you choose to vote for the bill, bad parts and all in order to salvage what you see as good, are you willing to say, immediately upon the photo-op signature, that this is only a first step? Are you willing to publicly undermine the significance of the bill you helped to pass, in order to push the message, NOT NEARLY ENOUGH! THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER! WE MUST CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR REFORM! ?
They keep talking about how the momentum will be lost for decades if we don't pass anything right now. Well, will we risk losing the momentum to get REAL reform if we pass THIS right now?
Everyone is equally entitled to the pursuit of happiness. Wasn't that once self evident?
"Well, will we risk losing the momentum to get REAL reform if we pass THIS right now?"
I'd say that's a definite yes! Any attempt towards REAL reform after this garbage passes will be meet with "but we just reformed it" MUCH better to kill this garbage and let people suffer enough until they are ready to force REAL reform!
I suspect they would make that pledge in a heartbeat.
Okay. And if they did, what exactly would they do about it? How would they keep the momentum going?
Or would they just knowingly resign themselves to speaking to brick walls for the rest of their political careers in order to technically keep their promise?
My question was somewhat rhetorical. Designed to show that, despite the good they worked hard to put into the bill and which they do not want to lose, the bill still does more harm than good. One of the harms is that all the momentum for real reform will actually be lost upon the bill's passage, not upon its death.
Everyone is equally entitled to the pursuit of happiness. Wasn't that once self evident?
I hope you are wrong. I am hoping that more legislation will be forthcoming that will improve this thing. After it is passed then the momentum will make it easier to add to this. remember, according to Amy Klobuchar this morning, medicare only had 25% approval ratings when it was passed and no medicare recipient would give it up now and there is no way to get rid of it either. I think this is what the good Senators are hoping for.
voting in favor of an illegal invasion of Iran complete with full scale torture and genocide. This IS NOT the Bernie I voted for!!!
Jeez...Bernie's one of the best guys ever elected. He's been fighting hard to get a better bill, but all the money, lobbyists, senate rules and backroom deals by Obama and the leadership were more than one or two guys could out maneuver. Bernie's trying to get another good idea tossed into this pig and I hope he's successful.
From National Association Of Community Health Centers:
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
MM, all good info and these centers are something are desperately need. But why roll it into this POS corporate giveaway? Fund them on their own. There are enough of them in the red states that they'll get public support. Write a stand alone bill and dare the Rethugs and Blue Dogs to vote against it.
That's the first thing I thought of. This additional funding for community centers is something they could get easily in a future smaller bill. To say it is worth voting for a giant piece of crap because of some small program that could be had in other ways is insulting to my intelligence.
You would think that this bill is the only way in the rest of history to get these tiny little things they are all cheering about.
Next they will be saying it's worth voting for this bill because it provides extra bandaids to nursing homes.
when are we going to face the facts.
I don't know about anyone else but I have enough problems to deal with without these jerks in D.C. making things more complicated and dumping another load of problems on our backs we don't need, don't deserve, and didn't ask for.
that you are a whore ...we are merely negotiating on price ...
welcome to Politics in AMuriKKKa!!! Suckas!!!!!
I'm Boycotting NewsCorp! Heres what not to buy: http://www.cjr.org/resources/index.php?c=news...
That , either they've all sold us a load of bullshit.
Or
We just don't get it entirely yet.
I'm thinkin a little of both.
yet, I don't believe them. Or, trust them. hmmmmm?
I wonder why?
What is your conceptual, continuity?
...Omnipresent Surveillance Home Edition" is paying off again ...?
Naw ...that would never happen.
I'm Boycotting NewsCorp! Heres what not to buy: http://www.cjr.org/resources/index.php?c=news...
All week long.
Be sure to stay up late so you don't miss who gets voted off.:)
What is your conceptual, continuity?
at least we already know who is going to be f?(#ed over .. look in the mirror
I'm looking at you Elliot Spitzer ...Federal Wiretap investigation over a ...ho ...are you kidding ?
I'm Boycotting NewsCorp! Heres what not to buy: http://www.cjr.org/resources/index.php?c=news...
Cenk's argument:
I think the argument makes a lot of sense, and it is yet another consequence of trying to negotiate with those who are not really there to negotiate in good faith. It CANNOT happen. It is an impossibility.
When your enemy has no morals, your own morals are but another weapon in his arsenal.
Everyone is equally entitled to the pursuit of happiness. Wasn't that once self evident?
http://openesf.net/projects/esf-activists-new...
on the back for doing what they get paid to do. ...and often pat each other on the back for doing little to nothing.
Goodnight, Frau Blücher
While this still isn't the public option, from what they describe it's still not the private industry. Now, stop and think about all of those people who showed up at those health fairs that Countdown sponsored. Remember that 85% of them have jobs but, still can't afford insurance. At the very least this will help many of them and us. I'd still like a public option but, at least this will provide a place for people to go. Now, if they'd just git rid of those mandates!
Yes it is still the private industry. What do you mean?Never mind . . . I think I get what you're saying with the community health centers.
They're good, but they're not public coverage. Coverage is still private. They're clinics that take anyone. You either pay out of pocket or through private insurance. Kind of like in emergency rooms, though they do offer something emergency rooms do not, namely primary care, and, depending on the community, they might have provisions to help the destitute, such as sliding scales.
Everyone is equally entitled to the pursuit of happiness. Wasn't that once self evident?
another privatized solution. so those forced to buy insurance can go to the clinics? whoopdeefuckindoo
Some stuff you can't make up!
It's not a matter of doing this or that good thing that will help people. All of these things are being called a "good foundation" when they are really the small things that should be built upon a foundation.
We can't look at the benefit to a small group of people and say well that's good enough reason to ignore millions of others being screwed.
Our HERO!!
heh heh...suck it, bitches.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
so, now after every single one of your senators has been bought by the insurance industry, maybe you think about if it's really the right way to go to engineer a social problem by legislation from washington.
maybe we try this constitution thing once again. you know, this congress having no business regulating commerce nonsense, except keeping commerce between states regular. (instead of prohibiting it).
... assuming of course he gets them.
He probably had a choice between selling his vote as dearly as he could to counter the bought-off ones, or going down in history as the guy that killed the deal. He chose to sell his vote, not to insurance but to people. It would be really hard to be the one guy who didn't vote right now. The calculus on Nelson's part might have even been to make his price so abhorent to progressives that Reid would lose Sanders or Kucinich. The goal may still have been to kill it by the insurance lobby. If so, then Sanders just played Nelson.
Sanders isn't the problem. I'd rather focus my energy on fixing the parts/people who are the problem, not this guy.
I suggest reading matt taibbi if you really think this is a fight by the democrats against a few guys who "are the problem".
if sanders was an (honest) socialist he would expose the democrats plan from the beginning.
I've been reading him since it started.
I'm sure Sanders knows about the deals Obama cut. We do, he should. How do you or I know it wasn't his, and other non-corrupt legislative staff that isn't Taibbi's sources? I'd bet money some are. What is there to expose, by Sanders personally, at this point?
I grew up in D.C. I didn't say it was "a few guys" but parts and people. As in parts of our system. I think Taibbi makes it clear money buys too much influence now. The people are the obviously influenced. I don't see anything in what Sanders requested for insurance companies. I don't see him as the problem.
Sanders was put in a nasty place by the process. Let's think about this. Say Sander's did tell Reid, "Nelson's changes are too much, no public option, I'm out." The bill is not killed by this! Reid, Rahm Emanuel and Obama now go back to Snowe. Rahm has been saying give anyone whatever they want, but get cloture. Have you any idea how bad the bill would have been minus what Sanders asked for, and with whatever Snowe wanted to get her vote?
... all of them.
I wonder how many silver coins he got.
I have lost all respect for Senator Sanders. They should be ashamed.
But whatever, they will get their karma. Trust me. One way or the other.
What sort of treatment will you get at a clinic - uh, excuse me - "Public Health Center" if you're dying of cancer, or advanced heart disease? What are they gonna do? Give you some Tylenol and send you home to die? I seriously doubt these clinics, as beneficial as they are for rudimentary medical, dental, or mental health treatment, would be of any real use to someone who needs to be admitted to a HOSPITAL. And they're setting aside, what? 10 billion dollars for this? 10bn is like 8 hours in Afghanistan; 10 bn dollars is a fraction of your typical Wall Street scumbag's yearly bonus. Meanwhile, the rest of us are compelled to buy insurance from the racketeers in the insurance industry or face penalties. That's lovely. In exchange for throwing a few pathetic crumbs to the poor, our Congress, Senate, and President have worked overtime to protect the profits of the insurance cartel. FUCK ME! I have no doubt that your heart was in the right place, Bernie, but they bought you - they bought you so fucking cheaply your colleagues will be laughing at you for months. OH, and by the way, don't think for a minute that the GOP scum and their pathetic lapdogs in the Democratic party won't eliminate this 10 billion dollar expenditure at the first opportunity.
If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders.
George Carlin
Everybody who is for the bill keeps claiming, "30 million people will be covered by this bill!" So what? Coverage is not the same as healthcare. There has been many stories of folks being denied healthcare dispite having coverage. I also do not think that the so called "provisions" to prevent the health insurance industry from doing that to people will work. For example, in this debate, I have not heard what is going to keep co-payments and deductables from being raised. That could still happen under this bill, and people could still be in dire straights.
One more SOB pissing on our leg and telling us it's raining.
It is sickening to watch the rationalization of all there falling "gotta have the public option" warriors after they skim a bit of the top of the barrel. I can only hope that their healh care plans cover the sort of procedures they will need to find their spines and their balls because it is all to obvious that they are loosing them at an alarming rate.
dot #1 The USA ranks at or near the bottom of nearly all significant catagories relating to health when compared to other industrialized countries.
Dot #2 The USA is about 5% of the world's population, yet we consume, urr "use" 65% of the world's prescription drugs.
If drugs are so fantastic then why are we in such a dismal state of health??
More dots....
#3 The cost of drugs in the USA is very high compared to other countries...like Canada where some would like to import to get more people to use drugs
#4 The current health care system has been estimated to KILL upwards of 800,000 per year due to various reasons, but many related to the drug use (that makes it the #1 cause of mortality leading cancer and heart disease)
#5 We are trying to expand the system to provide this type of care
How many may be saved? Some And then how many will killed? More
Fuck. Too much to say, too frustrated to do so. What a bunch of incredibly useless sellouts.
How about this? Someone add an amendment that the House and Senate are dropped from THEIR national government healthcare plan. They can get their coverage as individuals under this "reform." Then I won't have a beef with any of them.
Although I agree with mountainman23 that community clinics are vital, I don't think Sen. Sanders realizes that this will enhance a class divide in health care that will see the expanding lower class getting their health care from these clinics, while the ever shrinking upper middle and upper classes will get their care at private clinics and medical centers. The poor with serious illnesses will be shuffled into hospitals via ED's and the social workers will be swamped with work finding some kind of reimbursement for indigent patients. IOW this is not the solution. And yet it seems very likely that the bill is going to pass.
So now I must decide whether to abandon the Dems to help build a 3rd party or try to work about backing more progressive candidates in 2010 and 2012 who may actually take the premise that this legislation can be improved upon and actually change it into a system that works. The task of purging the Democratic party of the Blue Dogs and other moderates (corporate whores) seems daunting. But the task of forming a viable 3rd party seems even more difficult in the face of corporate media control.
"Someday somebody related to some of these sufferers, these victims, these collaterally damaged souls, may try to kill you. And I have to tell you, I think you’ll have it coming." - Christopher Cooper
The angry responses listed here would probably have been completely different if Heather had not lead the piece with "It looks like everyone has their piece." Biased crap, Heather.
Bernie's one of the good guys. He's trying to get something good into this bill and we should support him in doing that. Redirect your anger to where it really needs to go - Obamarahma and Lieberman.
No. Sanders was my last hope and he sold me out for a few trinkets. The news of his decision hit me much harder than any commentary on it.
Those Democrats who willingly supported the Bush-Cheney War in Iraq still want the dumb, naive, ignorant and gullible to believe the b.s. that they were only listening to Bush administration officials that Saddam Hussein had WMD. Having WMD in and of itself still does not make any case for war a legtimate argument. Yes, these Dems in Congress always thought they had the out that the Bushies "told us there were WMD in Iraq." Please!
These Democrats in Congress are a piece of work!!!
I am waiting for the Obama Administration to totally repudiate the Bush Doctrine!!!
And single payer--might come when the troops come home from Iraq and Afghanistan and when the embassy construction in Iraq and Afganistan and now Pakistan ends....
Gotta love the Democrats though!!! They sure know how to get things done....lol
He's one of the good guys? No wonder we're so fucked.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
they dragged you kicking and screaming into one of those dingy senate cloak rooms and they gave you.....you...
*stuff*.
it must have been a terrible experience.
when did they finally break you down bernie?
was it the "stinky half-nelson choke hold" that did it?
and here i thought you could even laugh in the face of a dreaded "purple nurple" too.
tsk.
i highly respect bernie sanders. he works for vermont but that doesn't stop him for working overtime for the rest of us too, and i appreciate that.
i'm glad he's improving the bill. but, i'm still very concerned that not only is this bill not what we need but that the problems it neglects to address will continue to get worse in the coming years. what that will mean for future reform is unclear.
this proposed bill is inefficient and wasteful at a time when we need the opposite. rising unemployment will mean a higher burden on subsidies, at the same time rising prices by insurance companies, all of the while we wallow in debt and chronic recession. it makes no sense to further burden ourselves just to protect corporate profits. but, in ten or twenty years will we be any closer to true reform? with this kind of bandaid the true cost is hidden as well as the tax burden, so i'm not sure if we'll ever get a single payer system if this passes.
for community health centers is a plastic bandage on a sucking chest wound. Bernie Sanders knows it and you all know it.
The body snatchers have gotten the REAL Bernie Sanders!
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
The money changers have gotten the REAL Bernie Sanders.
As someone above commented. We already know they're all whores, we're simply negotiating price.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
Need more capacity??
Just think if more people had access to affordable education...
There just might be more doctors...
When even the only bona fide socialist in the Senate gives in and decides to vote in favor of this demented bill -- especially since it will in its current form quite probably result in most people choosing to pay the fine and remaining uninsured, leaving us for the most part right back where we started but only poorer...quite frankly, my friends, that's when we know that we are beyond any shadow of a doubt well and truly f****d.
Bollocks to this!! Can I secede from the human race now...pleeeeeeease?????? (Aw, hell...if there were a way to do that, I'd have already done it a long time ago.) I'm starting to think that Aldous Huxley may have been even more right than I've already given him credit for being..."maybe this world is another planet's Hell."
Never trust anyone who insists that patriotism requires you to blindfold yourself with the flag.
The problem with the community health center is that the quality varies.In my area, we have one that employs many nonboarded physicians and has poor outcomes. We have seen at least two legitimate malpractice cases for greater than one million each on obstetrics cases that were the result of poor quality. The taxpayer pays for these since the malpractice is paid for by the federal government. Many of the centers are run by "administrators" who don't really care about quality but are political hacks. They are inj it for what they see as power and aggrandizement, not to help patients.If there could be better oversight of these centers (maybe there are many good ones) it would make me feel better about the money that will be spent. Most of the patients would rather go to regular offices and not centers!
No need to blame Bernie Sanders, he, like Anthony Wiener and Sheldon Whitehouse have been fighting the good fight.
The problem is in the numbers. Blame the stoopid b*stards out there that voted for hacks like Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Mary Landreau, and Blache Lincoln instead of pushing for more progressive Democratic People. Blame the stoopid b*stards that voted year after year for lying Republican c*cksukers like John Kyl,Mitch McConnell and McCain. And, Harry Reid for being a milquetoast Majority Leader. With the Republicans stonewalling and without a more-than-60 vote majority, you might as well go whistle in the wind.
And a share of blame is on Barack Obama, too, for not using the power of his office to threaten recalcitrant Blue Dogs with political defeat or worse. You can bet your ass Harry Truman would have got some of them by the nuts and squeezed.
Democratic Party progressive, Vietnam veteran and proud Union member for 41 years
that's what they spend in one week on iraq and afghanistan...
Change we can believe in my a$$. I told you we needed to get Kucinich nominated for President. Then we would have some positive change instead of the compromise BS we are going to get. The only change is the insurance companies are going to get richer than ever by government mandate. This bill is horrible.
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