Archive for August, 2009

On August 24, 2009 we requested information from Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont Senator) regarding the Health Care Reform petition he had initiated in June of this year. Below, you can see the response from Senator Sanders’ Press Secretary, Will Wiquist. The message is consistent – we must contact our Senate & House  Representatives to let them know what We The People want.

Bob,

Thank you very much for your interest in the senator’s work on health care and for your own efforts to mobilize public support for health care reform.  It is very important that the grassroots make clear that there is very strong public support for serious reform to our health care “system.”  Regarding the specific petition in question, I’m sorry that it is no longer active.  Our polls and petitions are, generally, sort-term action items rather than permanent fixtures on our site.  That said, I am glad to read that your readers are still interested in signing this petition.  That is a good sign of the strength of grassroots support for reform.  In lieu of the petition, I suggest that readers write their members of Congress to express their support for progressive reform, express themselves – in an orderly fashion – in town meetings, write letters to the editor of their local paper, call in to local radio shows, and generally make sure that the strong grassroots support for health care reform is vocal and vibrant.

 Best Regards,

Will Wiquist

————————————

William S. Wiquist, III

Press Secretary

Office of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

332 Dirksen Building

Washington, D.C.  20510

With Congress coming back from vacation, it is now more important than ever for us to let the folks in Washington hear our voices, to become involved on a local, regional and federal basis.

As you can see, they really do listen if we speak up. The above response was sent in a very timely fashion considering we are not Vermont constituents of Senator Sanders. Thanks to Senator Bernie Sanders, his staff, and Will Wiquist for their efforts on our behalf. They have added our site e-mail to their press release list so we will be reporting on a regular basis what Senator Sanders and his staff are working on in Washington.

Senator Bernie Sanders’ office (Vermont Senator) has acknowledged receipt of our e-mail and request for information on the single payer health care reform petition and respective link.

Once we get any new information we will post it on our site. Thanks to all who are staying involved.

We continue to have visitors ask us where they can sign Senator Bernie Sanders’ (Vermont Senator) petition for single payer health care reform. On July 17, we sent a request to Senator Sanders’ office requesting information about the link and the petition as it appeared to be down. As of today, we have not received a response from Senator Sanders’ office regarding this request.

Below, please find our second request to Senator Sanders asking about the petition and the link:

Dear Senator Sanders:

In mid June you had a link for support of a single payer health care reform petition.

We posted that link on our site and many of our visitors signed the petition.

I mid July that link appeared to be having technical difficulties. We sent an e-mail to your office on July 17 requesting the status. We have yet to receive a response from your office regarding this link and the petition.

We continue to have our site visitors ask us where they go to can sign your petition.

Please advise us the status of the petition (and the link) so we can let our site visitors know.

Thanks you for your response to this request.

Best Regards,
Bob
TransparencyandAccountability.org

Well here we are again -  our representation in Washington is at a standstill - every ideological group in both the Senate & House are heading in different directions with a different agenda for health care.

All factions in Congress seem to agree that our current health care system is broken and not sustainable. However, too many have their own special interests (lobbyists) and plans representing those interests – few, if any appear to be in the best interest of the people who elected them.

Our concern is that President Obama and the Administration is going to abandon their campaign promise of Health Care Reform that will offer every citizen the choice of a public option that gives affordable, quality care.

Will we get another “watered down” version of health care reform similar to the credit card “reform” that is supposed to stop “loan shark” interest rates & fees being charged consumers; or the mortgage relief program that has barely helped people stay in their homes because the banks we taxpayers bailed out are still not making loans?

It sure sounds to us like “politics as usual” where everyone is being appeased and the people are getting the same old treatment – have they forgot who sent them to Washington?

If our government is going to be involved in our lives to the degree they are – let’s be damn sure it’s doing something that makes a significant impact for the people.

The House of Representatives took off for vacation in the middle of one of the most critical issues facing America – Health Care. The Senate is beating each other up with every faction or committee coming up with their own health care reform proposal while decrying others. In our opinion, President Obama and his administration need to take control of this issue and exhibit the leadership and change to the “politics as usual” that Barack Obama touted during his campaign for President.  And now this:

“There’s been a lot of media coverage about organized mobs intimidating lawmakers, disrupting town halls, and silencing real discussion about the need for real health insurance reform.

The truth is, it’s a sham. These “grassroots protests” are being organized and largely paid for by Washington special interests and insurance companies who are desperate to block reform. They’re trying to use lies and fear to break the President and his agenda for change.

Health insurance reform is about our lives, our jobs, and our families — we can’t let distortions and intimidation get in the way. We need to expose these outrageous tactics, and we’re counting on you to help. Can you read these “5 facts about the anti-reform mobs,” then pass them along to your friends and family?

5 facts about the anti-reform mobs

1. These disruptions are being funded and organized by out-of-district special-interest groups and insurance companieswho fear that health insurance reform could help Americans, but hurt their bottom line. A group run by the same folks who made the “Swiftboat” ads against John Kerry is compiling a list of congressional events in August to disrupt. An insurance company coalition has stationed employees in 30 states to track where local lawmakers hold town-hall meetings.

2. People are scared because they are being fed frightening lies. These crowds are being riled up by anti-reform lies being spread by industry front groups that invent smears to tarnish the President’s plan and scare voters. But as the President has repeatedly said, health insurance reform will create more health care choices for the American people, not reduce them. If you like your insurance or your doctor, you can keep them, and there is no “government takeover” in any part of any plan supported by the President or Congress.

3. Their actions are getting more extreme.Texas protesters brought signs displaying a tombstone for Rep. Lloyd Doggett and using the “SS” symbol to compare President Obama’s policies to Nazism. Maryland Rep. Frank Kratovil was hanged in effigy outside his district office. Rep. Tim Bishop of New York had to be escorted to his car by police after an angry few disrupted his town hall meeting — and more examples like this come in every day. And they have gone beyond just trying to derail the President’s health insurance reform plans, they are trying to “break” the President himself and ruin his Presidency.

4. Their goal is to disrupt and shut down legitimate conversation. Protesters have routinely shouted down representatives trying to engage in constructive dialogue with voters, and done everything they can to intimidate and silence regular people who just want more information. One attack group has even published a manual instructing protesters to “stand up and shout” and try to “rattle” lawmakers to prevent them from talking peacefully with their constituents.

5. Republican leadership is irresponsibly cheering on the thuggish crowds.Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner issued a statement applauding and promoting a video of the disruptions and looking forward to “a long, hot August for Democrats in Congress.”

It’s time to expose this charade, before it gets more dangerous. Please send these facts to everyone you know.You can also post them on your website, blog, or Facebook page.

Now, more than ever, we need to stand strong together and defend the truth.

Thanks,

Jen

Jen O’Malley Dillon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee”

Is this truly about special interests & lobbyists or another aspect of “politics as usual” out of Washington?

It is time for We The People to loudly voice our opinion that all of this nonsense is not in the best interest of the people who sent these folks to Washington. They must begin to listen to us and put in substantial health care reform for every single American that will control costs while providing reliable, affordable care before this gets further out of control.

President Obama, now is the time to take ownership of this issue.