Seattle City Council Endorses HR 676

The Seattle City Council has joined the growing nationwide movement of cities, counties, and state legislatures to urge Congress to pass HR 676, national single payer healthcare, introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).

The cities, counties, and states endorsing HR 676 are listed at unionsforsinglepayer.org/more. Many of the approved resolutions are available at that website.

The Seattle resolution was written by Councilmember Nick Licata, and passed unanimously on February 17. Licata sponsored the resolution at the request of the Washington chapter of Physicians for a National Health Plan.

According to Licata, "Resolution 31111 urges the U.S. Congress to enact legislation to establish and implement this right by adopting HR 676, the U.S. National Health Insurance Act, proposed by Representative John Conyers or HR 1200, the American Health Security Act, proposed by Representative Jim McDermott.

Both bills are the 'single-payer' model, which would guarantee everyone access to all medically necessary care, including prescription drugs, with no co-pays or deductibles... The resolution also requests our Washington State Congressional delegation to support these bills.

...Local government is closer to the people and their health care struggles than most elected officials. We see the real impacts of our communities and constituents suffering."

Licata's resolution pointed out that an estimated 15.6% of King County residents do not have health insurance, and the number of uninsured children in Washington State is the highest it's been in a decade.

You can read the Seattle resolution here:

Thanks to Unions for Single Payer for this information!

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If you haven't invited your representative to Wednesday's briefing...

...here's some background: A new report on Massachusetts's new health insurance program has found that the state's mandated universal coverage has reached as few as half of the targeted 10% of that state's uninsured. Almost half of those directly affected by the state plan say they are no better, or worse off, than before. And high program costs are being met by cutting services at public general hospitals and clinics. Read the report here, and a press release from Physicians for a National Health Plan, authors of the report, at our headlines blog.

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Nestlé is moving fast--southern Mainers need your help!

A message from Emily Posner, Maine organizer for the Defending Water for Life Campaign:

Dear Water Warriors and Allies of the cause to keep Maine's water out of corporate hands:

The water justice movement is growing fast in Maine thanks to the tireless efforts of dedicated citizens in places like Shapleigh and Newfield, Maine. Shapleigh and Newfield are small rural communities, nestled in the foothills of the Presidential mountain range. Combined, the towns' population is less then 4,000 residents.

These two small Maine towns share an abundant sand and gravel aquifer that is protected by the 4,000 acre Vernon Walker Game Management Area. Vernon Walker is publicly owned state land that is managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. In 2006, without any public oversight, Nestlé sunk up to 16 bore wells in this public land to determine the viability of industrial water extraction. When the state offered a price/gallon too high for the Fortune 500 company, they started bargaining with Shapleigh town officials in an effort to instead begin operating on town land adjacent to Vernon Walker.

Meanwhile, concerned citizens from around the area have united to oppose Nestlé's intrusion into their rural community. They have formed POWWR -- Protecting Our Water and Wildlife Resources. POWWR is committed to protecting their community's natural resources for today and into the future. Please visit www.defendingwaterinmaine.org/POWWR to learn about POWWR's history and local organizing effort.

On September 20, 2008, Shapleigh citizens sent a clear message to Nestlé when the town voted overwhelmingly for a 180-day moratorium to protect their groundwater. They also voted NO to drilling and testing by Nestlé on the town-owned parcel of land.

In the Boston Globe, Nestlé's lead geologist was quoted as saying, "we might need to force our hand" in regards to the resistance of Shapleigh and Newfield residents. And since the vote in September, the company has not stopped in its efforts to get the precious water from this area, and the Town's elected officials are attempting to push forward an ordinance that will open the door to large scale industrial water extraction.

Meanwhile, POWWR continues to organize and are working on an ordinance that will protect their community's right to self-government and say no to commercial water extraction. Read about it here.

POWWR needs support in their inspiring grassroots effort to protect their community's water resources, ecosystems and town's right to determine its future. We are trying to raise $500 to support this tremendous effort. Please consider making a small tax deductible donation. If just 50 people made a $10 donation, the goal would be reached. You can make a donation on-line here or send a check directly to POWWR, 185 Hooper Road, Shapleigh, ME 04076 (POWWR@live.com).

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Tell Congress and Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner:

STOP THE CASINO ECONOMY

INVEST IN THE REAL ECONOMY

Treasury Secretary Geithner has announced his plan to fix Wall Street. It is time to tell Congress you want strict regulation of Wall Street.

Call your Senators and Representative today. Click here to get their phone numbers. Tell them you want strict regulation of Wall Street. Tell them

• Just pumping more taxpayer dollars into this system will not fix it.
  
• Any financial institution getting taxpayer dollars should first stop issuing credit default swaps; collateralized debt obligations; and securitization of risky mortgages, credit card loans and car loans. All of these are unregulated and contribute to the casino economy.
  
• Nor should these financial institutions be allowed to do business with hedge funds and other unregulated investor consortia.
  

Also call Rep. Barney Frank, Chair of the House Financial Services Committee (202-225-5931) with this message.

And call the Department of Treasury press office, too, at 202-622-2960. It’s the only number at Treasury we could find.

Here is more background to read before you call.

When Secretary Geithner introduced the Financial Stability Plan on February 10, with the broad outlines of how the administration plans to fix Wall Street, he said not one word about his intention to reign in the casino economy, including the totally unregulated $60 TRILLION in "credit default swaps."

Geithner noted: “Investors and banks took risks they did not understand” ... as if they were innocent bystanders to the culture of greed.

He does go on to admit failure in the system.

“There were systematic failures in the checks and balances in the system, by Boards of Directors, by credit rating agencies, and by government regulators. Our financial system operated with large gaps in meaningful oversight, and without sufficient constraints to limit risk. Even institutions that were overseen by our complicated, overlapping system of multiple regulators put themselves in a position of extreme vulnerability.

“These failures helped lay the foundation for the worst economic crisis in generations. “

But then he says “We believe our policies must be designed to mobilize and leverage private capital...”

It is the over-leveraging of private capital that got us into this fix. Mortgage defaults are just the tip of the iceberg and don’t begin to explain the global financial collapse. Funny money was created by

• bundling high risk mortgages into AAA investments, a form of “securitization”
  
• insuring risky investments with no collateral to back up the risk, known as credit default swaps
  
• allowing investors to borrow money in order to gamble on whether a stock, a currency, or the stock market itself will go up or down at some future time.
  

No wonder this house of cards collapsed!

Be clear, the issue of executive compensation, which is all over the press, is a diversion from the root of the problem. These executives have overseen the financial institutions responsible for creating the casino economy. Docking their pay does not begin to compensate for the damage they have done.

No More Casino Economy!

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Invite your rep! Learn the truth about the Massachusetts universal health care model

Please call your Representative and invite him or her to attend a briefing on "National Lessons from State Health Reform: The Massachusetts Case Study", on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, from 2 to 4 p.m., 2226 Rayburn House Office Building.

In the last two decades over a half dozen state health reform acts have attempted to provide universal health care coverage. Critical analysis of these models is essential to national health care reform. The February 25 forum will consider the most recent state health care overhaul this country has seen. What can we learn from Massachusetts and is it a model for national health policy?

The 'Massachusetts model' includes many of the policy features currently being considered in national health care reform, including individual mandates, subsidized private insurance for low-income individuals, employer "play or pay" provisions, and the creation of an insurance exchange designed to promote competition and encourage insurers to offer adequate and affordable coverage. We feel it is especially important to consider the lessons of the 'Massachusetts model' before incorporating any of these features into a national health care reform bill.

Panelists will represent health centers, insurance brokers, physicians, nurses and patients. They include:

• David Himmelstein, MD, Cambridge Hospital Physician, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
  
• Sandy Eaton, RN, Massachusetts Nurses Association
  
• Jamie Eldridge, Massachusetts State Senator
  
• Peter Knowlton, President of the United Electrical Workers Northeast Region
  
• Mary Ford, former Mayor of Northampton and Human Services Manager
  
• Robert Gaw, President, National Association of Socially Responsible Organizations, Health Benefits Administrator
  
• Arthur MacEwan, PhD, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts/Boston
  

In order to provide a multifaceted view of the Massachusetts reform, the forum will be run like a congressional hearing. We are inviting Congressional Members to join the 'Committee' of Representatives to listen to witness testimony and ask questions of the expert panel. Congressman Eric Massa [NY-29] will serve as Chairman. The forum is open to the public.

For an announcement from Healthcare-NOW, click here. For an invitation, click here. 

The forum is open to the public. Please RSVP with Jessica Yarbrough at the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, jyarbrough@calnurses.org or (202) 974-8300.

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"Tapped" shows the dirty truths about bottled water

You probably don't drink bottled water. But if family or co-workers are still buying it, a new film might convince them to mend their wasteful ways.

Tapped is a film that examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil. It's directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey, and produced by Atlas Films. The official site is www.tappedthemovie.com.

The trailer below features footage of Nestle's Poland Springs trucks rolling through Maine--where the Alliance's Defending Water for Life campaign is raising awareness of and resistance to corporate privatization of water, and working with residents on local ordinances to defend water rights. (Campaign chair Ruth Caplan appears at the very end.) To find out more about our water work, see the campaign page on our website. We'll post more info on the film as we get it.

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DC and PA council members get active on Capitol Hill

In addition to encouraging all of our members and friends to press their Representative to support HR 676 and single payer health care, the Alliance is fortunate to have Council member Ruth Caplan, who lives in DC,  able to represent us at outreach and strategy meetings held on Capitol Hill.  At a packed meeting with Rep. John Conyers, prime sponsor of HR676, Conyers' staffer responded enthusiastically when he learned that Ruth and Alliance co-chair Lou Hammann, who traveled down from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, were from the Alliance.

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Call-in day for Lincoln's Birthday, District visits, and "Houseparties for Healthcare"

Here are three actions you can take over the next few weeks to support single payer health care and encourage others in your community to do the same:

Thursday, February 12, 2009: National Call-in Day for HR 676
Celebrate Lincoln's birthday by speaking out for single-payer health care! The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare is encouraging everyone to participate in the upcoming National Call-in Day for HR 676. If you have not yet called your representative and asked for his or her support on HR 676, do not miss this opportunity to add your voice to the hundreds of thousands who are supporting health care for people, not for profit!

The Congressional switchboard number is 202-225-3121, or you can find links to representatives' websites, with direct-dial numbers, here.

In a letter to Col. William F. Elkins written November 21, 1864, Lincoln wrote:

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

In celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, remind your member of Congress to honor his words and heed his warning as we look to reform his precious nation's healthcare system.

A list of current HR 676 sponsors can be found here, and past sponsors here. Thank current co-sponsors and ask them to stand firm and actively seek additional congressional support. If your member was a co-sponsor in the last Congress, ask him or her to sign on immediately as a co-sponsor now.

If your member has yet to co-sponsor HR 676, ask him or her to please do so. Share your story as a constituent, or select one or two talking points from this list.

Please also urge your member to learn more about the serious flaws in the Massachusetts health plan and examine why it cannot serve as a national model for providing universal and comprehensive care, at a special briefing on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 2:00-4:00pm, 2226 Rayburn House Office Building.

Lastly, don't forget to call (202-456-1414) or fax (202-456-2461) the White House to make sure our current President recalls how very troubled another young lawyer from Illinois was as he viewed the future of the nation under the control of the monied and corporate interests just like those swirling in the for-profit health insurance industry.

Plan a district visit for single payer during the Presidents' Day recess
From Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20, legislators will be working back in their districts for the Presidents' Day recess. Now is the time to make an appointment with your member of Congress to directly urge him or her to support single payer healthcare by co-sponsoring HR 676.

See this handy "how to" on setting up a visit at your Congress member's district office. Information sources online include our posts and downloads on single payer, Physicians for a National Health Program, Healthcare-Now, and the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care.

Houseparties for Healthcare
We're in the process of putting together activist packs for houseparty screenings of "Health, Money, and Fear," a dvd on the healthcare crisis produced by Dr. Paul Hochfeld. Dr. Hochfeld is an emergency room physician in Oregon and his film is a comprehensive look at how healthcare is funded and distributed in the US. You can preview the film online at www.ourailinghealthcare.com . Links to packet materials will be available on this blog.

Several AfD members in Massachusetts will be submitting "Health, Money, and Fear" to local community access cable stations. You don't have to live in Massachusetts to participate in AfD's "Other Voices" Community Media Project. Find out more by contacting AfD council member Ruth Weizenbaum at rweiz@theworld.com.

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Planning for the Alliance 2009 convention!

The national council has begun planning for our 2009 biennial convention, and would like to get some feedback from members and supporters on how to structure this meeting.

In the past we've always had one national meeting, usually alternating between east and west coast. However because of the cost and environmental impact of air travel, and because much of our work has focused on localization and local democracy, we're also considering holding regional meetings in lieu of one national convention.

We'd really welcome feedback from members, supporters and potential attendees! What are your thoughts on regional, rather than national, meetings? Would you be more or less likely to attend a single, national meeting? What about the appeal of a regional meeting to your fellow activists, who are not Alliance members but might be interested in our ideas? Please email your thoughts to the office at afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org . We'd like to hear from you in the next few weeks if possible, and thanks in advance!

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Massachusetts members begin work to pass citizens' trade commission bill

The Boston Cambridge Alliance and North Bridge Alliance for Democracy will be working this spring to build a coalition of activists and groups to advocate for a bill creating a state commission to study the impact of federal trade pacts on state laws and policies.

The bill was first proposed in 2002 in wake of federal judgments against Massachusetts in cases brought by private corporations who claimed that international trade agreements overruled state laws. Its most recent version brings the structure and representation on the committee closer to that of existing committees in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

Massachusetts supporters are urged to contact Barbara at bclancy122@earthlink.net and find out how to get involved. Info on the bill will be posted at www.newenglandalliance.org.

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Another video resource on single-payer

AfD co-chair Lou Hammann writes:

"I have an hour dvd that was made here in PA for the Single Payer project. Me, a local doctor and the ex director of Healthcare 4 All PA made it locally. It is informative, argumentative (in a good sense) and accurate about what is trying to happen in Pennslvania. Conyers thinks we have one of the best possible approaches to the healthcare travesty. If anyone would like to see this piece, I can send you a schedule for its streaming on the local TV station... (editor's note: see the schedule at the end of this post)

Copies of the dvd are available--free if you ask politely.

To view the PA video on your computer head to the Adams Community Television website (ACTV.org)

Click "ACTV On Line" to watch the show at the following times:

Monday, Feb 9th -- 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday Feb 11th -- 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Friday, Feb 13th -- 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Lou will be representing the Alliance at the next Leadership Conference on Guaranteed Health Care in Washington.

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Now's the time to schedule a visit with your Representative!

Congress breaks for an in-district work period over Presidents' Day week, from Monday, February 16 to Friday, February 20. Now's the time to get a group together, schedule a visit and talk to your legislator or aide about health care, single-payer, and supporting HR 676. As of Tuesday, the bill had 33 co-sponsors--you can see if your representative is one at our blog, here. But many more are needed, including those who signed on to the bill in the last Congress.

See the guide below for a handy "how to" on setting up a visit at your Congress member's district office. Information sources online include our posts and downloads on single payer, Physicians for a National Health Program, Healthcare-Now, and the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care.

District Visit How To

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Philadelphia City Council Votes to Support Single-Payer Healthcare

Good news from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), one of several groups working on behalf of single-payer health care in Pennsylvania--Philadelphia is now the 28th city to favor HR 676, the National Health Insurance Act!

Groups representing doctors, nurses, healthcare advocates and labor unions are applauding the Philadelphia City Council for voting in favor of single-payer healthcare. The resolution, sponsored by Councilman Greenlee and Councilwoman Tasco, makes Philadelphia the 28th city and 46th local government to pass a resolution in favor of HR 676, the National Health Insurance Act, sponsored by John Conyers (D-Ill). The resolution also calls for the enactment of the two single-payer state bills, SB 300 and HB 1660.

Nearly 40 people watched the city council pass the resolution. One audience member, Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, former Health Commissioner of Philadelphia, said of the resolution, "Single payer is a win win for Philadelphia. It not only would give 160,000 uninsured Philadelphians health insurance, but it would redirect hundreds of millions of city dollars toward other important priorities, like libraries and fire stations."

Jed Dodd, a Teamster Union official who represents railroad construction workers in the Northeast stated, "Single payer health plans ensure all people living in the United States access to quality health at a fair cost. Ninety-seven percent of the resources allocated to support these plans are spent on health care. All other plans waste 30% of these resources on insurance companies who provide no health care to anyone and ironically make more by limiting access to health care instead of making people well. We are heartened that the Philadelphia City Council has endorsed a health care plan for the people of America."

A fact sheet circulated to Council members demonstrates that if HR 676 were enacted, the city would save $539 million a year, enough to cover its budget shortfall of $2 billion over 5 years. In addition, the bills would guarantee access to comprehensive healthcare at less cost than what average families currently pay for care. Sabrina Nixon, a medical technologist at Temple University Hospital, and a member of PASNAP, said, "As a healthcare professional of 20 years and a parent, I see that HR 676 would not only fix the current healthcare crisis, but eliminate every parent's worry that their child will not have access to quality healthcare once they turn 18 or as they move between jobs. If HR 676 were passed, the dream of universal healthcare will become reality."

Groups that have signed on to a letter asking the Council to sign the resolution, many of which were present at the vote, include: Healthcare-NOW; Healthcare for All - Philadelphia; Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals; United Steelworkers Local 10-1; International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees Local 3; Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia, AFT 2026; Pennsylvania Federation of the Brotherhood of Maintenance and Way Employees - IBT; American Medical Students Association; Physicians for a National Health Program; Progressive Democrats of America; Philadelphia Chapter Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; Citizen Access; and Leadership of Neighborhood Networks.

PASNAP represent 5000 nurses and healthcare professionals throughout Pennsylvania, including most nurses in the Temple System. For more information, visit www.pennanurses.org.

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Thanks to these Congress members for co-sponsoring HR 676--let's grow this list!

Edited post! Revised February 6, 2009

We started off with just the list of current HR 676 co-sponsors but we wanted to have the 110th Congressional co-sponsors easily available too. Follow this link to get both lists. Thanks to Healthcare-NOW for putting the list together!

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David Korten to be guest on Corporations and Democracy Radio on February 6

David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning, will be the guest on the semi-monthly radio program "Corporations and Democracy", this Friday, February 6th. He'll be discussing his new book, just released January 23rd, Agenda for a New Economy: Why Wall Street Can't Be Fixed and How to Replace It.

"Corporations and Democracy" is a long-running radio show focusing on activism and ideas to counter corporate rule, and during its years on air has been hosted by several Mendocino and Ukiah Valley chapter Alliance members. You can hear it on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month from 1-2 pm pacific time on KZYX & Z, 90.7 and 91.5 FM, respectively, in Mendocino County, CA, and on the Web at www.kzyx.org. The call-in numbers (for the 2nd half of the hour) are (707) 895-2448 and (800) 499-7117.

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