Friday, July 10, 2009

Health Care Reform - The Most Important Public Policy Battle of 2009

Now that soon-to-be-ex Gov. Sarah Palin is out of the way, it is time to spend a lot more space and electrons here on more important battles.

Other main issues Progressive Alaska and southcentral Alaska blogs have devoted space to since late May, have been:

1. The ongoing civil rights battle in Anchorage

2. The battle to save the Yukon-Kuskokwim ecosystems' and their attendant multi-thousand year cultures from extinction from human predators.

3. Relief efforts to help victims of the 2009 ice jam flooding along parts of the Yukon.

Our national legislators, Rep. Don Young, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Sen. Mark Begich and their activities have been somewhat neglected. Probable 2010 candidates for many offices, and their positions on important issues aren't being covered as much as they might be.

President Obama's goal of getting a health care reform bill out of Congress before their August recess is one of the few things he's now doing I fully support. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes bickering in the White House itself, as Obama seemingly has to fight his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, for control of the President's own narrative.

We need to put pressure on all three of our legislators in DC over the next two weeks, to get them to explain more fully their stances on the legislation as it gels. Rep. Young, who has been more valuable to Alaskans in the minority than he was when in power (we can thank Diane Benson and Ethan Berkowitz and the people who voted for them for waking Don up), will probably go with the GOP to slow the process down. The Senate sort of takes up what the House hands them, so we need to write to Young first.

Then we need to swamp Murkowski and Begich with the kind of constituent feedback that makes them forget what the last lobbyist told them.

Here's a YouTube of an exchange on MSNBC today on health care reform:

7 comments:

Lynn D said...

Phil I could not agree with you more. I have already written letters to my Congressmen and women and our state Senators. Now is the time and it is long overdue. There has to be a Public Option. If not we are all stuck in the same boat with one oar circling the drain. IMHO

Anonymous said...

Health care is one of the most misunderstood subjects in American politics and economics today. Many Alaskans, who pay millions of dollars into health care each year, do not realize that insurance companies place the client's hard earned dollars into a pool that funds the operation of other financial vehicles. Many if not most of the insurance companies (for profit) operate under the management of an umbrella company that manages investment brokerages, investment banking, mortgage insurance and other high risk institutions. When the high risk companies lose money, those costs get shifted back to the insurance company, and ultimately to the client.

I have so much more to share on this subject. If you would like to read more, please visit my blog, Day to Day Democracy, at blogspot.com.

Anonymous said...

Dear Fruit-fly,

it was time to give up on your obsession many moons ago! All you have done is show your need to be admitted to Shady Acres Funny Farm for a long, long rest from society.
Face it, fruit-fly, you didn't go off the deep end completely until she was picked as McCain's running mate. Otherwise before that she was considered by you to be a wonderful and possibly good Gov.

You are nuts...get help!

Valkyrie

AKPetMom said...

Hey Valkyrie, many of us dyed in the wool libs thought we might give her a chance to show us her stuff; give her the benefit of the doubt, even though we in the Valley knew her track record as Mayor of Wasilla and had strong doubts regarding her capabilities as a leader.

What were we to do? Majority of Alaskans had stepped up to the polls and voted her in.

My heart of hearts always told me that this was a baaaadddd idea, but hey, she got the position, let's see if she can step up her game.

Suffice it to say, she didn't, she merely behaved in the same manner that she had as Mayor, and as the Oil and Gas Commissioner.

She brought nothing new to the table (except for delicious tabloid delights!) and now we are done with her.

Let's all attend the Gov picnic at Iditapark on 7/24 (5:30-8:30pm) and give her the send off she deserves.

Although we all know she will "not go gently into that good night" but will continue to attempt to burden us with her stupidity.

So sad, but hey, at least there are politicians that would rather slit their own throat than have her campaign for them. That gives me hope that the Right is not at all as clueless as I have previously thought they were.

Nuff said, Valkyrie, don't be a hater.

Anonymous said...

Akpetvomit,

you can blah blah blah all you want like Charlie Brown's teacher and it all comes out the same, the moment you get a chance to attack a conservative you all jump on the bandwagon like a pack of mutant jackels. So save your BS for your coffee shop talk because most of us aren't buying it...

Valkyrie

Aussie Blue Sky said...

Americans need to fight and kick and scream for first world health insurance.

Or else keep dying from lack of it.

w/v: peril

Anonymous said...

Health Care Reform - The Most Important Public Policy Battle of 2009


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Julie
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