Our website, www.thealliancefordemocracy.org, is experiencing technical difficulties--we have a temporary home page up now, but several of the links on this blog that go back to subsidiary pages are still out. If you have any immediate questions please email the office and we'll do our best to help. We hope to have the problem straightened out soon.
Read more...We wish "hail and farewell" to members of the Alliance's San Fernando Valley chapter, who have decided to formally disband in order to work directly on what has been a long-time key issue: public funding of elections.
One of the major accomplishments of the SVF chapter had been the initiation of the California Clean Money Campaign. Last year, a bill to publicly fund the Secretary of State race passed the California Assembly and Senate, and is due to go to the public for a vote in 2010. Chapter members have been very active in outreach and public education in order to build grassroots support for passage of this ballot question.
We'd like to thank chapter president Robin Gilbert, as well as long-time chapter member and former AfD national council members Dolly Arond and Jo Seidita, as well as all the SVF chapter members who built the organization through their work on member outreach, administration, and newsletters.
We'll keep everyone updated on the progress of the California Clean Money initiative, in the hopes that a victory on the ballot next year leads to more funding for more state races, and greater support in other states for clean elections. To see what's going on check out the campaigns' websites, Californians for Fair Elections and the California Clean Money Campaign.
After our many alerts for action at each stage of the struggle for real health care reform in the House, our attention now turns to the Senate.
Late Saturday night, after debate over allowing debate on the Patient Protection and Affordability Act, Senate Democrats stopped the threat of a Republican filibuster on a party-line vote 60-39.
Today, please take action to bring the single payer argument to the Senate: Physicians for a National Health Program report Senator Bernie Sanders will introduce two single payer/Medicare for All amendments to the Senate bill.
The first would create a national single-payer/Medicare for All plan, similar to his earlier S. 703 and Conyer’s H.R. 676, and the second would allow states to adopt single payer similar to Rep. Kucinich’s amendment that never got to the House floor.
Please call your senators now (capital switchboard 202-224-3121, or call their offices directly) and urge them to vote "yes" on Sanders' two single-payer amendments.
You may send a fax directly from the PNHP website here.
PNHP writes: The Senate bill like the House version (H.R.3962) is totally inadequate. In brief, it gives $450 billion in taxpayer money to the private insurance industry, along with an individual mandate that shunts them millions of mandatory new customers for their defective product. It doesn’t expand Medicaid or private coverage for another four years, until 2014, and event then would leave over half of the uninsured – 24 million people – without any coverage. The puny “public option” would only cover 1 percent of Americans. All key elements of the bill have already been tried and failed to reduce the number of uninsured or health care costs at the state level. The only durable result is likely to be a strengthening of the power of the insurance and drug companies to hijack the reform process.
Read more:
From PNHP: Talking points on HR 3962 with some comparisons to the Senate (Reid) bill in bold here
From PNHP: Robert Reich, "The public option ain't what it used to be"
Huffington Post: "Meet the New Health Care Reform, Same as the Old Health Care Reform"
Human Rights Day on December 10th. The Single Payer Coaliton, including AfD, is working to build actions on that day. Now is the time for you to write a Letter to the Editor to your local paper on healthcare as a human right not a corporate right to profit. Why should the corporate person deny care to real persons? Please contact info@healthcare-now.org if you would like to organize an action near you.
Thank you for taking action today!
AfD’s Single Payer/Medicare for All Team...
Nancy, Peter, David, Rick, Barbara, Ruth W., Ruth C., and Lou
You may be an optimist or you may be a Democrat legislator trying to do a good turn for your friends in the insurance biz... either way, here's three misconceptions about the public option, as envisioned in current House and Senate bills.Two election day victories show that developers, even when backed by powerful not-for-profits, can't buy the approval of the voters.
In Mendocino County, Developers Diversified Realty (DDR) of Ohio, whose motto is: “Together, we break ground every day,” owned an old industrial property just south of Ukiah on Highway 101 and wanted to build a 800,000 square-foot mall and housing complex there. DDR a Real-Estate Investment Trust (REIT) has projects in 44 states, Canada, Brazil and Puerto Rico. The Otto family of Germany, a leading European developer and manager of inner-city shopping centers in Central and Eastern European countries, has a one-third stake in DDR, and major development interests in the U.S.
Though the Ukiah City Council and County Supervisors said no to the project, DDR hired signature gatherers, qualified a ballot initiative to rezone the site from industrial to commercial-mixed use, and launched “Mendocino County Tomorrow”. Because this huge development would impact downtown and surrounding established businesses, AfD Councilmember Steve Scalmanini and others founded Save Our Local Economy and defeated the measure 62-38%.
Final numbers won’t be in until January, but looks like DDR spent about $900,000 for their “free speech,” while the grassroots spent $92,000...for DDR, that’s about $125.00 per “yes” vote. Steve reports that one local political strategist commented: “They spent a million dollars to get out our vote!”
Read more here, here, and here. Save Our Local Economy has outlined better ideas for the site, including green technology industrial complexes that could house businesses in the sectors of renewable energy, such as biomass, solar farming, and green building.
Meanwhile, in Davis, a General Plan amendment Measure P, to allow a peripheral development of 191 houses, endorsed by the Sierra Club because of green design features including roof-top solar, was defeated 75-25% by 30% of registered voters and all precincts voting “No” - an amazing, sweeping victory. The developer paid $240,000 for this special election, buying a public process for private gain, claiming the election was costing Davis voters nothing. Although, final reports are not in, the “Yes” side spent an additional $300,000 vs. under $5,000 for the “No” side.
Join local Alliance for Democracy chapters and members in Oregon, Washington, and California at events marking the 10th anniversary of protests that shut down the World Trade Organization ministerial in Seattle. At stake was our jobs, wages, the environment and our health--under global attack by a neoliberal elite out to establish unfettered greed, or as they put it, "free trade", as the highest possible good.
Teamsters and turtles are not as close now as they were ten years ago, but the corporate CEOs are still at it, and on November 30--ten years to the day of the Seattle protest and march--trade ministers will be meeting in Geneva to expand the WTO agenda.
If you're close to any of these events, come and show which side you're on. If not, why not organize your own? Public Citizen's Trade Turnaround Week of Action has suggestions for films and resources for letter-writers. Or you could organize a district visit on behalf of the HR 3012, the TRADE Act--see our "how to" guide here.
On Saturday, December 5, the Sonoma County Alliance Chapter and the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center host a forum commemorating the 10th anniversary of the “protest of the century” – Seattle ’99 against the World Trade Organization.
Speakers include Norman Solomon on what has happened in the ten years since “teamsters and turtles” joined forces in the Seattle streets, Ted Nace on new models for fighting corporate power, Richard Heinberg on the collapse of globalization, and Newman Strawbridge on the working poor. Cal Simons, chapter organizer, will model a classic AfD yellow poncho to be raffled off for fundraising. This event is from 1-5 pm at Veterans Memorial Building, 282 High Street, Sebastopol. For more information, contact the SEATTLE+10 Committee at 707-527-7191.
Also on December 5, join the Portland, Oregon Chapter of Alliance for Democracy for D5: Mobilization Against the 2009 WTO Ministerial when people from throughout Oregon will converge in downtown Portland for a mass march, indoor rally and concert to voice opposition against the new World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Geneva - and also celebrate the10-year anniversary of the successful Seattle WTO protests which closed the 1999 ministerial down.
Meet at 12 noon in Tom McCal Waterfront Park under the Hawthorne Bridge for the 1 p.m. march to World Trade Center, Federal Building and Wells Fargo Building, and the 2 p.m. Indoor Rally and Concert at PSU. See you in the streets because another world is possible, another economy is necessary! Visit the website for additional details: www.december5.org
Meanwhile, in Seattle, also on December 5, AfDers will be joining with other organizations in a Kitchen Table Democracy event with Riki Ott. The event is scheduled atTrinity Lutheran Church, 1200 10th Ave E., Seattle, time TBA. For information, email Rebecca.
A decision in the "Hillary the Movie" case, Citizens United v. FEC, has been expected since early this month. Monday could have seen an announcement from the Supreme Court, but the justices handed down decisions in three other cases instead. Look for a December decision at the earliest. Meanwhile, USA Today analyzes the impact of a pro-corporate-money decision in the case on governors' races--corporate campaign spending in several states is banned now, but these rules would be overturned if the court finds in favor of Citizens United.
Read more...Two EPA attorneys who publicly criticized "cap-and-trade" as "fatally flawed" in both a YouTube video and a Washington Post op-ed have been told by the agency to remove or edit their video, entitled "The Huge Mistake."
EPA also said that the attorneys, Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel, would have to get prior approval for any outside writing projects they did.
Williams and Zabel say the solution to controlling carbon emissions is a system of fees and rebates, and that a cap-and-trade scheme, as written in the bill currently under consideration, locks us into our current pattern of climate degradation for approximately twenty years. They recently appeared on Democracy Now! to discuss their experiences with EPA and their views on climate change policy. The video is below.
The Defending Water in Maine's November Newsletter is online. Read and learn about LR 2282, a Maine state bill to prohibit significant groundwater well development on public lands, an important vote on a water extraction ordinance in Wells, and "The Water Is Ours, Dammit!", a water justice art show opening in Portland.
Read more...The GOP has their health care plan, and the Democrats have their's: both of them can be described as "soak up as much cash from special interests and corporate donors as long as you have a seat on the gravy train." (This is also their energy plan, their jobs plan, their finance reform plan...) From PeaceTeam.net:
Share with friends and follow the link and send a fax to your members of Congress calling for Medicare for All, a sensible policy proposed by Dr. Marcia Angell in point #1 here.
The Alliance for Democracy's Portland chapter is blogging at afdportland.wordpress.com. Check out the site for updates and announcements on chapter activities and campaigns, and posts on a variety of issues from chapter members.
Read more...Over the transom comes 14 things to keep in mind as we continue the fight to democratize health care and get the money out of politics--projects as closely related as diet and exercise. Thanks to John Jonik, a blogger and cartoonist from Philadelphia.
Fourteen Reasons to Reject Corporate Options for Health Care
by John Jonik
If a Critical Mass of the public actually knew what the Health Care Brouhaha involved, progressives and conservatives would unite in opposing current and planned policies. Imagine....
1) Private insurers are businesses that must grow. Their inclusion in any national program guarantees endless cuts in service, and endless hikes in costs to the public.
2) Private insurers, being businesses, have motive and duty to provide as little service as possible at the highest price possible. This is an adversarial situation with the public.
3) A significant chunk of what was ostensibly customers’ health care money goes to contributions to political candidates that many may not care to support. Mandatory purchase of private insurance would have our government---our sworn and paid representatives---compelling citizens to provide revenues to candidates preferred by private insurers. There is no public interest health-related justification for mandating this part of an insurance policy.
4) Significant revenues supplied by insurance customers go to lobbying for legislation that favors the private insurance interests rather than the interests of the public. Again, no health-related public interest exists in this part of an insurance policy.
5) Large percent of the cost of a policy goes to other non-health-related things such as advertising, CEO bonuses, corporate jets, business conventions, and corporate headquarters upkeep. No health-related justification exists for mandating that citizens pay for that along with the actual health benefits.
6) For-profit insurers, using revenue collected from customers, invest in all sorts of private businesses, many being among the most health-damaging ones, including cigarette manufacturing, pesticides (including many tobacco pesticides), dioxin-producing chlorine industries, genetically engineered crops, and so forth. This creates a conflict of interest in that insurers would be inclined to ignore or play down harms caused by their investment properties. This conflict motivates insurers to blame, as a distraction and PR tactic, every non-industrial thing they can think of for causing diseases.
7) For-profits invest heavily in environmentally destructive industries such as mountaintop removal coal mining, oil, clearcut logging, and factory fishing.
These insurers also invest in sweat-shop operations, military contractors, and union-busting firms. Mandating that anyone contribute to any of that is an affront to all citizens who have been harmed by, or who oppose, those industries.
8) For-profit insurers, still using what was ostensibly customer’s health care money, may invest in businesses that compete with a customer’s own business or private investment property.
9) For-profits invest in businesses that a customer may disapprove of for moral or religious reasons. A mandate to purchase services from such an insurer would be a compulsion on people to violate their own beliefs.
10) For-profits invest in pharmaceuticals, thus creating a conflict of interest in that such an insurer would use its power to favor drugs from its own investment holdings over others that may be cheaper, more effective, or safer.
This conflict would also prompt an insurer to be lax in checking, or warning about, insufficiently-tested or harmful drugs....it's own investment properties or others. After all, they can't open this Can of Worms at all lest it negatively affects them This syndrome virtually guarantees that an insurer would oppose use of natural, un-patented remedies.
11) Mandates to purchase private health insurance are notably different from mandates on car owners to buy auto insurance. One may opt out of that compulsion by simply not driving. But, with health care, those in certain income brackets where “having” insurance is to be mandated will have no option except unacceptable ones---to a) leave the country, b) deplete assets to avoid the obligation, or c) die.
12) Mandates force people to speak to private insurers, an apparent violation of the Fifth Amendment---especially regarding the above-noted parts of the program that have no justification on health care grounds.
13) Those who are in the income level that will be compelled to purchase private insurance services will be paying private insurers twice---once directly to insurers, the second time via their taxes for the govt to subsidize private insurance for low income people. That is…govt will not just pay doctors and hospitals---it will give our tax money to private insurers to administer that…at great cost.
14) When the government subsidizes private insurance for low income people, much of that money will still go to the non-health-related things--including the investments in god-knows-what, and including big campaign contributions to political candidates.
Please set aside some time this week to call your senators on behalf of Sen. Bernie Sanders' single payer bill, S 703. And ask your senators to support reinstating Rep. Dennis Kucinich's state single-payer amendment when the House and Senate versions of the health care reform bill go to conference committee.
Here's Sen. Sanders talking to Rachel Maddow about the Stupak Amendment, and cost containment in the absence of a public option to compete with private plans:
A terrific table in the Washington Post tells you who voted for the House reform bill, how much money they get from the health industry, and the percentage of people in their district without health insurance.
Not everyone who picked up bags of cash was a yes vote, and not everyone who has a lot of uninsured constituents approved the bill either. Joe Linus Barton, for instance, a republican from Texas's 6th district, received $2.7 million plus in donations and has 23.3% in the district who lack coverage (several districts have higher percentages of uninsured residents, up to 43% for Texas's 29th district. Even in Massachusetts, where universal mandated coverage with subsidies served as a model for the federal plan, coverage is between 96.3 and 93.2 percent.)
Good criticisms of what's lacking in the House bill, plus recommendations for common-sense reform.Following a statement on the House floor on Friday, Dennis Kucinich made the following statement:
"Why is it we have finite resources for health care but unlimited money for war?
"The inequities in our economy are piling up: trillions for war, trillions for Wall Street and tens of billions for the insurance companies. Banks and other corporations are sitting on piles of cash of taxpayer's money while firing workers, cutting pay and denying small businesses money to survive.
"People are losing their homes, their jobs, their health, their investments, their retirement security; yet there is unlimited money for war, Wall Street and insurance companies, but very little money for jobs on Main Street.
"Unlimited money to blow up things in Iraq and Afghanistan, and relatively little money to build things in the US.
"The Administration may soon bring to Congress a request for an additional $50 billion for war. I can tell you that a Democratic version of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is no more acceptable than a Republican version of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Trillions for war and Wall Street, billions for insurance companies... When we were promised change, we weren't thinking that we give a dollar and get back two cents."
Here's the statement from Healthcare-NOW and associated groups, including AfD:
On the eve of what could have been the first vote on single-payer legislation in our nation's history, we have just learned that because of last minute developments, the vote and debate on Congressman Weiner's single-payer amendment will not happen.
Speaker Pelosi received a statement from Rep. Kucinich and Rep. Conyers, the co-authors of HR 676, that they do not think that this is the right time for a vote on national single-payer legislation. They made this statement despite the extensive mobilization in support of this vote across the country. In addition, Speaker Pelosi felt that offering a single-payer amendment would open the floodgates to amendments proposed to limit abortion funds, restrict immigrant access to healthcare, and other regressive legislation.
Let us remember that the potential vote on Congressman Weiner's single-payer amendment resulted from holding fast to our principles of universal, comprehensive healthcare with no financial barriers. These efforts have brought truth and clarity to a national debate on healthcare reform that has been polluted by the corporate influence over Congress. While the private insurance industry has sent 3,000 lobbyists to Capitol Hill this year, spending 1.4 million dollars a day to shape reform that protects their profits, our calls, faxes, and demonstrations have created the momentum to bring legislation based on HR 676 to the floor of the House and Senate.
The vote for Congressman Weiner's single-payer amendment would have allowed advocates to have their representatives on record as single-payer supporters.
But this legislative battle is not yet over. Our focus can now turn to two remaining efforts for single-payer in this Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders will introduce S 703 in coming weeks, and we understand that he is considering editing it to be more like HR 676. We will have the opportunity again to see the first ever vote on single-payer in this Congress. In addition, Rep. Kucinich's amendment to allow states to more easily implement a single-payer system may be reinserted into the bill during the conference committee between the House and Senate.
All of these efforts are crucial to building the movement for the only solution to our healthcare crisis - single-payer national healthcare.
If this Congress passes inadequate legislation, there will no doubt be emboldened state movements in the coming years. We welcome them. But let us not forget the movement to push our federal legislators to meet the demands of the people, not roll that responsibility onto the states. Healthcare-NOW! and the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care remains committed to a national, single-payer solution to the healthcare crisis. Comprehensive, quality healthcare is a right that should be extended to every U.S. resident.
At this important time, let us not forget how far we have come. Either now or later, a single-payer national healthcare system must come to the table. We will keep building the movement to make that happen.
For healthcare justice,
Healthcare-NOW!
Physicians for a National Health Program
Progressive Democrats of America
Public Citizen
Healthcare for All Texas
Western PA Coalition for Single Payer
Alliance for Democracy
This morning, eight people from Mobilization For Health Care for All are sitting-in the office of Sen. Joseph Lieberman demanding that he stop taking money from the insurance industry.
In their statement, the group notes that "massive campaign donations and lobbying spending of the insurance industry is blocking real reform that would provide everyone in America with access to health care. When 45,000 people are dying annually due to lack of health care it is a moral imperative that America act now to provide health care to all. We are able to do this for senior citizens, why not for all Americans?"
They ask that people call Senator Lieberman's office and tell him to stop taking insurance money. His numbers are: (202) 224-4041 and (860)549-8463. There is also an online petition asking him to forgo insurance industry donations.
Leiberman is certainly not the only legislator to be heavily funded by for-profit groups with a strong stake in preserving as much of the health care status quo as possible--or ensuring that individual mandates are based on government subsidies for private health insurance plans, not a more economical and equitable single payer system. You can explore OpenSecrets.org to see what's funding your legislators, too.
Finally, bail money donations and help with general funding for the Mobilization are especially welcome. In the last month, thousands of people have signed up to participate or support sit-ins, with more than 920 willing to risk arrest. By the time the House votes on its health care package, the Mobilization will have held 32 sit-ins in 28 different cities with more than 150 arrests and over 220 risking arrest.
Physicians for a National Health Program reports that Rep. Anthony Weiner's Medicare for All amendment may come to a floor vote this Friday or Saturday, with a short debate session allowed--20 minutes or so.
If you called, faxed, or emailed, you helped make this happen. Thank you!
Now it's time to get your Congress member to vote yes. Every support vote is important.
Send a fax to your member of Congress here, through 1payer.net. Or write your own health care message and send it by clicking here.
Then follow the fax up with a phone call. The Congressional switchboard is (202) 224-3121, or you can look up your rep's website by name or by your zip at the top of the House web page here.
If your Representative is a co-sponsor of HR 676, thank him or her and tell them you expect consistent support for single payer through the vote on the Weiner Amendment.
No industry lobbying group, no well-connected corporate board members, no "corporate persons," want to see a health care reform bill that puts people before profits. But our work won't end until we get what works, what's fair, and what's right--an everybody-in, nobody out, single payer health care system. So speak out now!
According to Rep. Dennis Kucinich's office, his amendment to change ERISA regulations to help states set up their own single payer health care systems will not be part of the Managers Amendment, despite approval by congressional subcommittee and many calls on its behalf in the last few days.
However, once the current reform bill passes the House it goes before a conference committee to be reconciled with whatever reform bill comes out of the Senate. It's possible that the conference committee report, which will eventually become law, might include the Kucinich Amendment. Our calls, letters, faxes, visits, etc., will then be extremely important in the fight to keep single payer going on the state level, where legislators are more accessible and accountable to the people who elected them, rather than to the entities that fund their re-election campaigns.
This Sunday, join Boston-area AfD members, local activists, and citizens concerned about corporate rule at the Alliance for Democracy's southern New England member meeting. Not a member? Come anyway!
Seating is limited, since the venue is a member's home in Concord--please email afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org for location and directions and to RSVP, or if you need a ride from the train station!
We'll be meeting from 4-7 p.m on Sunday, November 8 with:
Portland's Alliance for Democracy hosts two events for their regional member convention: Here's the info from coordinator David Delk; or see the chapter website.
One day: Saturday, November 7th
Two events: (1) Alliance for Democracy Regional Conference and (2) screening of the new video TAPPED.
Who is invited: You are. Everyone who has a concern about democracy, economic and social justice, political process, the economic crisis and how we move forward.
Alliance for Democracy teams up with the Economic Justice Action Group of the 1st Unitarian Church to sponsor the AfD Regional Conference on Democracy. They are both joined by the Community for Earth of the 1st Unitarian Church in sponsoring the video TAPPED.
Here are the details:
(1) Alliance for Democracy Regional Conference on Democracy
Democracy demands an informed citizenry
Join the Alliance for Democracy for their Regional Conference as we interact with Portland activists like:
Just another reminder that it's not too late to call Congress for state level single payer and for a House debate and vote on the Weiner Amendment.
The managers' amendment that can put the Kucinich amendment back into the legislation has not been released. Members of Congress have received many phone calls--hopefully your's too! The push for single payer is working. Please keep it up and call. Email friends to tell them to call. Blog, facebook, tweet, chat--however you get the word out, do it now!
Take the two following steps, and tell others to do the same:
1. Keep the Kucinich amendment in HR 3269! The Kucinich amendment makes changes to ERISA law that make it possible for states to pass single payer and not have it challenged on the basis of ERISA.
2. Keep the promise and let the Weiner amendment come to the floor of the house for a debate and vote. This will be the first time that single payer has come to a vote in the House. It is historic and we don't want to lose this opportunity.
Call:
Speaker Pelosi at 202-225-4965
Majority Leader Hoyer at 202-225-4131
Chairman Waxman at 202-225-3976
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Federal police on Tuesday arrested 12 supporters of a single-payer health care system who entered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco offices and refused to leave until they talked to the congresswoman.
Police arrested them for creating a disturbance on federal property nearly three hours after they entered Pelosi's offices. Pelosi was not in the office and did not talk to them by telephone.
The protesters, who are in favor of a system administered by the federal government but delivered by private health care providers, entered the waiting room of Pelosi's offices about 11:45 a.m. and were arrested around 2:30 p.m., according to Pam Allen, an attorney with the California Nurses Association.
The activists were protesting the lack of a vote over a "Medicare for All" amendment proposed in the House bill.
Those arrested were cited, released and ordered to appear before a federal judge.
If they can get arrested, you can make a phone call! Tell Nancy Pelosi to keep her promise and allow a floor vote on the Weiner Amendment. In D.C., the number's (202) 225-4965, in San Francisco (415) 556-4862; DC fax: 202-225-8259.
Some probable developments if the Supreme Court decides the Citizens United case so that volume of cash in the bank equals volume of voice in the halls of government.As Congress moves to prop up insurance industry profits by having millions sign up for private plans, a bioethicist warns us not to expect anything more than a fight for care.North Dakota has its own bank--well-capitalized, with no bad derivitive bets on the boosk, no corporate fat cats on the staff, and not guided by the short-term need to create shareholder profit. Is it a coincidence that North Dakota is the only state not posting job losses, and one of two that can meet its budget?Despite falling commodity prices and punitive measures by the US, Bolivia will lead the Americas in growth this year, and is reinvesting profits from nationalized industries for the public good. Ecuador's leftist leadership has also created wider prosperity, where neoliberal policies once ensured inequality and lack of social services.Is there anything in the House health care bill that would have helped the folks profiled in Michael Moore's 2007 film Sicko?
Watch and see:
As true now as ever!
For ordering info see this page on our website!
