Archive for June, 2009

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has drafted a petition requesting Congress address Health Care reform and a single payer program.

The petition is available for WE THE PEOPLE to become engaged by signing on and supporting the effort by Senator Sanders. Here is the site:

http://sanders.senate.gov/petitions/index.cfm

Please don’t miss this opportunity to let Congress know where you stand on this issue.

We are in the first inning of the Health Care reform issue. It is becoming increasingly contested every day. We’ve got many of our Washington elected changing positions and scrambling to align with the “popular” position. Whose popular position we ask.

Here’s where we are:

President Obama wants reform.

The majority of the people need and want reform.

Businesses of all sizes are fighting for survival in this economy and consequently being forced to change the promises of health care to existing and former employees. Employees are and will continue to be forced to pay for much, if not all of their health care coverage.

So why can’t something be done? Where is the disconnect? The answers to these questions point to We The People demanding Congress give us the accountability we expect from them. The answers point to who in Congress has a problem with every one of us having the ability to obtain the same health care coverage they get? Who in Congress is being accountable to high paid lobbyists in lieu of the people who sent them to Washington?

Now is the time for us to let our representation in Washington hear that we know where the disconnect lies.

As we write this, the issue of Health Care Reform is being hotly debated throughout the country. Depending upon whom you listen to or read, there are many sides of the table for which you can take a position. The fundamental issue remains - the current model is not sustainable!

Individuals, who can get health coverage, face year-to-year increases of 20% to 30% while their coverage continues to diminish and their deductibles rise. The cost of health care has put an extraordinary economic and financial pressure on businesses and our government (Medicare & Medicaid).  Something has to change.

Regardless of your position and your ideas on this issue, we just have to become involved. Let the Obama Administration know what you want; let your Senators know what you want; let your House Representative know what you want.

The web site: http://my.barackobama.com/Health Care offers you the opportunity. Within this site, there is a link for letting the Administration know your thoughts; there is a link for letting your Senators and House Representative know what you want; there is a link for writing letters to the editors of many national and local newspapers;  and there are links for community involvement.

The choice is yours - do nothing and leave your health in the hands of high paid lobbyists - or do something and encourage our representation be responsible to We The People.

There is a lot being debated these days about the types of, and the resultant cost of health care reform. President Obama has turned up the “heat” on Congress to come up with a program this summer. When we debate the type of health care programs that would reform and curtail the year-to-year increases that are putting immense economic pressures on individuals and businesses of all sizes, one needs to inject the effect on job creation.

We are not talking about job creation in the government or the private sector that would result from health care reform. We are talking about the number of jobs that are not becoming available because of the current state of our health care programs and policies.

Let’s take a  look at how this happens.

A person has a health insurance policy that includes their family. This person is gainfully employed and is beginning to think about retirement in the next couple of years. However, it will be five years before that person becomes 65 years old and can obtain Medicare health coverage. Either the person we’re talking about, or one of their family members have a pre-existing health condition. Upon retirement, this person may not be able to obtain a health care program because of the pre-existing condition. If this person can obtain a health care program, the cost may be double or triple what they are currently paying. So what does this person do?

They do not retire because they can’t get or afford health care. They stay working for five more years (until they qualify for Medicare) and there is no vacancy created in the job market due to a retiring employee. Multiply this by hundreds of thousands of individuals all over the country.  The facts are the facts: 8,000 people a day are turning 60 years old. How many lost jobs opportunities does that represent because of an ineffective health care policy?

It’s in all of our best interests to let our representatives in Congress know how we feel.

JP in Florida forwarded an e-mail regarding the purchase by us Americans of products that are provided by China.

As you may know we have a huge trade imbalance with China that continues to mount our trade deficit. China also owns a large stake of the United States debt.

There is a civic engagement action being circulated that beginning June 4, 2009 through July 4, 2009 We The People simply look at the label of every product we purchase during that time frame. We determine if the product was produced in China or PRC (People’s Republic of China that now includes Hong Kong). We select a comparable product that is provided for us from the United States. If no product is available, choose not to purchase it.

If 200 million of us do this over the next month at $20 per person, we will reduce our purchases from China by $4 Billion. This represent 8% of China’s exports to America. This action will translate directly to the amount of goods that need to be produced here in America which secures or creates new jobs.

Now this can have an immediate impact on our economy!

We all need to let our Representation know that we are doing this - and just maybe they will see We want them to be as engaged as We are.