Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer and special guest Gov. Howard Dean, M.D. will be conducting a Town Hall Meeting on the topic of Health Care Reform from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. today, June 5, 2009 at the Moriarty Auditorium on the Portland Community College Cascade Campus. Here is the question I posed to them for the Town Hall:
According to President Obama, single payer health care would be too disruptive to our economy and I quote, “We don’t want a huge disruption as we go into health care reform where suddenly we’re trying to completely re-invent one-sixth of the economy.” According to a recent study of the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, Medicare for All would be a major stimulus for the economy with 2.6 million new jobs, $317 Billion in business revenue and a $100 Billion in wages (http://www.calnurses.org/research/pdfs/ihsp_sp_economic_study_2009.pdf). Someone is really spinning the facts here. Can you give me your take on how adding enormous amounts of jobs and economic stimulus to the economy can be described as “too disruptive”?
If I find the video of the event, I will post it here.
Who do you think is right, President Obama or the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy?
Update 06/09/09: Have not found a video of the event inside the building but did find this video and this link about the protesters outside (and in the hallway of) the event:
Related articles by Zemanta
- Howard Dean Is New Chairman of Progressive Book Club (usnews.com)
- The Re-Emergence of Howard Dean (mydd.com)
- Clark County is Howard Dean Country (aneurinsblog.blogspot.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=4d1c52c3-1555-4993-b490-29d0efd365a8)
We are the only civilized nation that does NOT provide a ‘public option’ type of healthcare insurance to it’s population. Indeed, most of those nations actually use a form of Single Payer with a Public Option plan.
(FYI: Single Payer is the medical bill payments system, Public Option is the healthcare insurance plan system)
We can either provide access to healthcare for our citizens, or we can keep letting private, for-profit insurance companies keep one third of the available dollars as ‘administrative’ costs.
It’s simple math.
We can afford one or the other, but not both. :nerd:
June 6, 2009, 11:39 AM
IN MY OPINION,
Town Hall my Ass!
I attended the fiasco called a Town Hall Meeting with Congressman** blumenauer and Dr. Howard Dean on Friday afternoon. The was the worst run “Town Hall” I have ever attended. At best it was a major screw up on the part of willie smith and the earlman and at worst was a planned shutout of any of the activists who support and are willing to fight for Single Payer. I was ashamed that I had spent 40 years in the democratic party, and was glad I finally left it in disappointment. This meeting was modeled after the bush/cheney idea of a Town Hall; control the tickets, load the place with party officials, and exclude any real people who might ask the hard questions. Willie Smith, you are a LIAR!
Lie: “Anything that gives a false impression.”
We were invited to the Town Hall by e-mail, we were told that Blumenauer’s staff were overwhelmed by the response and had to have a lottery to pick for the tickets, we were told that they would let us know who won the lottery. Two days before the event we were told, “We” lost!
I say we, because the activists who are the leaders in Portland for Single Payer were excluded, any members of Individuals for Justice were excluded, and members of any protest group that are known were excluded. It is not possible to have a random lottery and come out with those results, the fix was in and heads should roll. But we can’t even get the earlman to call for the arrest of mass murderers, why would he apologize for screwing his base one more time. But there is good news.
From the reports coming out of the “Invited guest meeting” things heated up inside when Dr. Howard Dean recognized the noise outside the doors and acknowledged that the democratic party must move towards Single Payer. I was not inside so I am dependant on others for what was said. I know there will be video soon of the rigged event, so we shall see. The protest became sad when a wonderful, peaceful man named Harry was arrested by the campus police.
I call Harry a friend of mine, because he makes me proud when I stand and say enough! He has refused to surrender to police power on any level when his rights are challenged. Talking to him after his release it was obvious to me that once again a cop was asked by what law do you order me under and that caused Harry’s arrest. I hope he writes about his arrest, as this part of the event is his story. I am just proud to be around people who will stand and say—I am an American and you are not going to violate my rights without one hell of a fight, Thanks Harry!
We shall see how all this plays out, more and more people are coming to realize that our politicians are not representing our interests, but their own. They belong to a club that will never invite you or I to the table, they must be replaced, every goddamn one of them: blumenauer, wyden, wu, etc. etc. (give Merkley a few years of grace or not)
There will be more written about this event, this again is how I saw it. I did enjoy chasing willie smith around with my makeshift megaphone yelling, the best I could, Liar, willie you are a liar—you lie!
Some think that people who had tickets are also supporters of Single Payer, I disagree—if they supported our battle then they would be standing with us and not validating the rigged town hall manipulated by willie smith and the earlman! ENOUGH!
**Refuse to capitalize due to disrespect and or disappointment.
Joe Walsh-Lone Vet
VVAW-Veterans Against Torture
Individuals for Justice
American
Joe,
Thanks for your update on the event. I signed up for tickets but could tell it was going to be a zoo and that only the chosen elite would actually be in attendance.
Who is Willie Smith?
Protesting Dean’s support of the public option is kinda weak sauce at this point in time. The political reality is this: large portions of the Democratic caucus will not even support the public option, let alone singe-payer.
Do people really believe that shouting at Dean with a megaphone is going to magically make Max Baucus put single-payer in to the Senate bill? How is this effective advocacy again?
Even most European systems are NOT single-payer, it’s just one option out there, not necessarily the ultimate solution. France, for instance, is NOT single-payer, but consistently ranks highest amongst overall satisfaction and health outcomes.
This group appears to be getting its marching orders from the single payor, Capitol Hill crowd. I do not think any kind of protest is effective anymore. At least the Capitol Hill single payer protesters received some media coverage.
I am confident whatever comes down the pike regarding health care, if anything, will be a very incremental change leaving the vast majority of Americans and/or American companies still overburdened with costs and under burdened with care. After all, the foxes are guarding the hen house here.
Cenk Uygur segment on 4 reasons the public option is the best option: