Lobbyists Buying Votes?: Special Interests' Impact on Health Care Reform
By Heather Monday Jun 29, 2009 6:00pmYou can view this video right here by getting the latest version of Flash Player!
DOWNLOADS: (1069)
PLAYS: (3414)
Nate Silver breaks down the numbers for us on the influence of lobbyists on blocking health care reform and who those lobbyists are likely to target. Nate has more at FiveThirtyEight: Special Interest Money Means Longer Odds for Public Option.
Login or Register to post comments.
I am SHOCKED!!!!
SHOCKED!!!!
At this information!
Foist?!
Who knew? Clearly, the money is cumulative. Just how many "donations" are they getting each week? Some how, it would not seem so bad if they were getting millions apiece. I really cannot stand cheap whores.
...legalized bribery is the way that business has been conducted in Washington over the last several decades.
We won't have real change anywhere in our government until we have Campaign Finance Reform, and by that I mean publicly funded elections where the candidates get a set $$ on which they can run. Either that, or some other way to level the playing field like they have in Oregon.
.
Nearly every problem we have in our political system can be traced back to money and lobbying. And it always amazes me how cheaply the people in Congress can be bought. A multi-trillion dollar industry like health care only has to throw around a couple million in Washington and they can buy enough votes to derail nearly any effort to rein them in and stop killing people. Too many in Congress will absolutely refuse to do the people's will for just fifty thousand or so in bribes... er... contributions. They have blood on their hands.
...that completely, but would also add term limits in congress and maybe the Supreme Court shouldn't be a lifetime appointment.
As long as we're dreaming, may as well dream big.
"We won't have real change anywhere in our government until we have Campaign Finance Reform, and by that I mean publicly funded elections where the candidates get a set $$ on which they can run. Either that, or some other way to level the playing field like they have in Oregon."
Hear, hear! Elected officials should be accountable to the voters, not the big money interests.
Who'da thunk it?
Capitalist Democracy = Government of the highest bidder, for the highest bidder and by the highest bidder.
that "people who buy votes" was the definition of lobbyist.
You know, congressmen are pretty cheap. Why don't we set up an account on Kiva.org and tell microlenders that we are a poor US citizen who wants to buy a congressman's vote for a serious public option. I bet we could raise some serious coin.
.
cash that changed hands.
From the WhiteHouse Channel on YouTube:
President Obama - Your Turn: Join the National Online Discussion on Health Care Reform
Worth a try .. let him know .. single payer is the way to go .. and he should tell the insurance companies to take a hike cuz the gravy train is over ..
And tell Senators that they should think about someone other than themselves!!! God knows they can afford to since their health care is paid for by us. cheeseheads.
Of course they're buying votes. American Citizens have no rights in America. America is a corporatocracy.
Senate and Congress work completely and only for the corporations.
Bastards.
*
What a despicable system we live under-"democracy"-right...
As long as we maintain a privileged upper class, democracy is an illusion.
Plain and simple.
Companies should not be allowed to donate to politicians.
Wonder why no one ever thought of it before.
Oh. I know why, because most politicians are just legalized criminals. They would never allow such a law to be passed.
Corporations were GIVEN all the rights of a CITIZEN in 1886.
That's where the trouble started.
And the ONLY cure is to rescind that declaration, jurisdiction by jurisdiction.
Then only PEOPLE can make contributions.
According to conservative knuckleheads like George Will, it's a "free speech" issue. Only there's nothing "free" about it. It's costing us our country.
As the law currently stands it IS a "free speech" issue.
Corporations were granted all the rights of an American citizen in 1886 .. before 1886 corporations had no such rights.
Anyone who thinks they have the same "right" to redress and access as corporations, with their deep pockets and armies of lawyers and lobbyists, doesn't live on Earth. The people with the money have more rights in this country than the people who don't. That's the way it works here.
That's the way it works everywhere. Doesn't mean we can't work to change it. Just saying... it's the way of the world.
I just watched a commercial telling me how great my rep, Suzanne Kosmas, is on health care issues. It was paid for by the Pharma Research Mfg of America and the Healthcare Leadership Council (Big Healthcare CEO group fronting as grassroots). So me thinks I am screwed when she gets to represent me in this debate.
I think I'll see what she's doing this fine holiday weekend and if she's taking any questions.
.
...with some fava beans and a nice chianti. Oops, did I just get myself quoted on Bill O'Reilly as a far-left hate kook pinhead who advocates cannibalizing people I disagree with?
I just watched a commercial telling me how great my rep, Suzanne Kosmas, is on health care issues. It was paid for by the Pharma Research Mfg of America and the Healthcare Leadership Council (Big Healthcare CEO group fronting as grassroots). So me thinks I am screwed when she gets to represent me in this debate.
I think I'll see what she's doing this fine holiday weekend and if she's taking any questions.
We have the best government money can buy.
It is the WORST Government Money can Buy.
For more info on a single payer - watch
http://1payer.net/what-is-single-payer-health...
Diane Feinstein should be top of the list for her comments about left groups pressuring her on healthcare:
“I do not think this is helpful. It doesn’t move me one whit,” she said. “They are spending a lot of money on something that is not productive.”
The only way to combat the lobbyists money is our vote. This is also not about left or right anymore. This is about us versus them in Washington. Let's break that Feinstein camel's back.
Here is a list of elected people taking payoffs to cheat the American people and the amounts of bribes being taken. This is just from health care and insurance.
It is mind boggling to think how much these people are taking from others!
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $4,026,933)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $2,833,731)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $2,758,468)
And when you just go right to Big Insurance, the non-presidential candidates who got the biggest legalized bribes were the 7 senators who have been tasked with the job of killing single-payer:
Ben Nelson (DLC-NE- $1,196,799)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $1,184,113)
Joe Lieberman (DLC- CT- $1,036,302)
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $1,035,530)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY- $981,400)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $929,207)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA- $884,724)
We need to investigate and prosecute these criminals now. Severe jail terms are in order for these criminals!
We need to put these criminals out of our government.
In mexico it's called bribery here we call it campaing contributions!
We need to stop the lobbyest!
Notice how it is called "health care reform" instead of "health insurance reform"?
Sun Rises in East?? Duh...... Film at Eleven.
Login or Register to post comments.