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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (118587)	8/18/2009 10:26:04 AM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 541957

Rumblings. ------------------------- Armed Protestor: "We Will Forcefully Resist" 08.18.09 -- 9:59AM By Josh Marshall According to local police, approximately a dozen people carrying firearms outside the Obama event yesterday. And now the one carrying an AR-15 Assault Rifle or perhaps the group he's affiliated with has produced a Youtube video which leaves little question where they stand -- "We will forcefully resist people imposing their will on us through the strength of the majority with a vote." Watch the Video. talkingpointsmemo.com

To: JohnM who wrote (118587)	8/18/2009 10:26:16 AM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541957

"It’s never a contest when the interests of big business are pitted against the public interest. So if we manage to get health care “reform” this time around it will be the kind of reform that benefits the very people who have given us a failed system, and thus made reform so necessary." This is what I've been saying. Exactly.

To: JohnM who wrote (118587)	8/18/2009 11:06:16 AM
From: Steve Lokness	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541957

John; t’s never a contest when the interests of big business are pitted against the public interest. So if we manage to get health care “reform” this time around it will be the kind of reform that benefits the very people who have given us a failed system, and thus made reform so necessary. Yup, where is a Teddy Rooseevlt when you need him? Maybe Obama can pull a rabbit out of his hat - but it is increasingly looking like the hat may be empty? steve

To: JohnM who wrote (118587)	8/18/2009 4:58:06 PM
From: Sam	Respond to of 541957

Insurance companies are delighted with the way “reform” is unfolding. Think of it: The government is planning to require most uninsured Americans to buy health coverage. Millions of young and healthy individuals will be herded into the industry’s welcoming arms. This is the population the insurers drool over. This additional business — a gold mine — will more than offset the cost of important new regulations that, among other things, will prevent insurers from denying coverage to applicants with pre-existing conditions or imposing lifetime limits on benefits. Poor people will either be funneled into Medicaid, which will have its eligibility ceiling raised, or will receive a government subsidy to help with the purchase of private insurance. If the oldest and sickest are on Medicare, and the poorest are on Medicaid, and the young and the healthy are required to purchase private insurance without the option of a competing government-run plan — well, that’s reform the insurance companies can believe in. Herbert is defintely spot on there. The insurance companies and the drug companies (see below for their sweetheart deal) are taking Obama for a ride, if the above and below actually comes to pass. They will be the most disappointed people in the world if nothing happens. On the drug company deal: And then there are the drug companies. A couple of months ago the Obama administration made a secret and extremely troubling deal with the drug industry’s lobbying arm, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The lobby agreed to contribute $80 billion in savings over 10 years and to sponsor a multimillion-dollar ad campaign in support of health care reform. The White House, for its part, agreed not to seek additional savings from the drug companies over those 10 years. This resulted in big grins and high fives at the drug lobby. The White House was rolled. The deal meant that the government’s ability to use its enormous purchasing power to negotiate lower drug prices was off the table. The $80 billion in savings (in the form of discounts) would apply only to a certain category of Medicare recipients — those who fall into a gap in their drug coverage known as the doughnut hole — and only to brand-name drugs. (Drug industry lobbyists probably chuckled, knowing that some patients would switch from generic drugs to the more expensive brand names in order to get the industry-sponsored discounts.) I know I'm mostly just repeating what Herbert said--but it bears repeating. And thinking about.