[PAA-Discuss] FW: On Weiner amendment withdrawal

Sat Nov 7 14:01:00 EST 2009

Why is ANYBODY willing to settle for less than Medicare for ALL??!!! All of
these amendments including the Kucinich and Weiner amendments are
capitulation to the insurance industries who own the U.S. government. STOP
CAPITULATING, PEOPLE!!!! STOP settling for second best. We either get
Medicare for ALL or we get the same shit but DON'T capitulate! STOP rolling
over for the Democratic Party. God! What's wrong with everybody??!!

Kris

  _____  

From: Lee Loe [mailto:leeloe at igc.org] 
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 11:39 AM
To: discuss at paa-tx.org
Subject: [PAA-Discuss] FW: On Weiner amendment withdrawal

  _____  

From: Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care
[mailto:laura at pdamerica.org] 
Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 5:28 PM
To: leeloe at igc.org
Subject: On Weiner amendment withdrawal

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NOTE: As promised in the email earlier today, the following is a more
detailed account of the circumstances surrounding the canceled floor vote on
the Weiner amendment. 

Dear Lee,

On the eve of what could have been the first vote on single-payer
legislation in our nation's history, because of last minute developments,
the vote and debate on Congressman Weiner's single-payer amendment will not
happen. Speaker Pelosi received a statement from Rep. Kucinich and Rep.
Conyers, the co-authors of HR 676, that they do not think that this is the
right time for a vote on national single-payer legislation.   They made this
statement despite the extensive mobilization in support of this vote across
the country. In addition, Speaker Pelosi felt that offering a single-payer
amendment would open the floodgates to amendments proposed to limit abortion
funds, restrict immigrant access to health care and other regressive
legislation.

Let us remember that the potential vote on Congressman Weiner's single-payer
amendment resulted from holding fast to our principles of universal,
comprehensive health care with no financial barriers.  Our efforts have
brought truth and clarity to a national debate on health care reform that
has been polluted by the corporate influence over Congress.  While the
private insurance industry has sent 3,000 lobbyists to Capitol Hill this
year, spending 1.4 million dollars a day to shape reform that protects their
profits, our calls, faxes, and demonstrations have created the momentum to
bring legislation based on HR 676 to the floor of the House and Senate.  

The vote for Congressman Weiner's single-payer amendment would have allowed
advocates to have their representatives on record as single-payer
supporters.

But this legislative battle is not yet over.  Our focus can now turn to two
remaining efforts for single-payer healthcare in this Congress.  Sen. Bernie
Sanders will introduce S 703
<http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=14212486>  in coming
weeks, and we understand that he is considering editing it to be more like
HR 676.   We will have the opportunity again to see the first ever vote on
single-payer healthcare in this Congress.  In addition, Rep. Kucinich's
amendment to allow states to more easily implement a single-payer system may
be reinserted into the bill during the conference committee between the
House and Senate.  

All of these efforts are crucial to building the movement for the only
solution to our health care crisis--single-payer national healthcare.

If this Congress passes inadequate legislation, there will no doubt be
emboldened state movements in the coming years. We welcome them. But let us
not forget the movement to push our federal legislators to meet the demands
of the people, not roll that responsibility onto the states.  The Leadership
Conference for Guaranteed Health Care remains committed to a national,
single-payer solution to the health care crisis.  Comprehensive, quality
health care is a right that should be extended to every U.S. resident. 

At this important time, let us not forget how far we have come.  Either now
or later, a single-payer national health care system must come to the table.
We'll keep building the movement to make that happen. 

For health care justice,

Progressive Democrats of America
http://pdamerica.org <http://www.pdamerica.org/>  

Healthcare-NOW!
www.healthcare-now.org <http://www.healthcare-now.org/>  

California Nurses Association/NNOC
www.calnurses.org 
www.guaranteedhealthcare.org 

Physicians for a National Health Program
www.pnhp.org <http://www.pnhp.org/>  

Public Citizen
www.citizen.org <http://www.citizen.org/>   

Healthcare for All Texas
www.healthcareforalltexas.org <http://www.healthcareforalltexas.org/>  

Western PA Coalition for Single Payer
www.wpasinglepayer.org 

Alliance for Democracy
www.thealliancefordemocracy.org <http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/>  

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