Citizen Solutions For PA
Help Repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy
http://www.citizensolutionspa.org/petitions/petition-sign.php?pid=2#form
SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE: IF WE BUILD IT, HE WILL SIGN.
Governor Rendell released details of his proposed health care reform package. As Steve Larchuk put it:
the good news is that he can talk the talk regarding the scope of the problem. Where we differ is in his belief that the solution is to make the existing bandaid larger while beating up providers . . . and to expand the role of nurse practitioners etc to provide primary care to take the pressure off of hospital ERs. There are an assortment of other cost containment approaches vaguely described. There is no recognition that the greatest savings can be realized through eliminating the multi-payer system in favor of a single payer trust that covers everyone . . . The private insurers remain and, in fact, are guaranteed even more business because part of the plan is to require all Pennsylvanians to purchase insurance. Their dream come true.
But the better news is that one very persistent citizen advocate got the Governor to pledge his signature if we can get single payer health care through the legislature. Here it is in all its splendor.
Thank Governor Rendell for agreeing to sign a single payer bill that covers everyone. http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html Then help us get a single payer blll passed. More information on that coming soon!
Thanks to Charlie Crystle for making the film available on YouTube, and to the anonymous questioner. Whoever you are, you are an example and an inspiration to us all.
Petition to Defund the War
The Coalition for Peace and Justice has posted a petition to defund the war over at PA Action Network. The petition will be delivered to U.S. Senators and Representatives. Activists in almost 300 peace and justice organizations in the states of Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois are being urged to sign this online petition sponsored by a different organization in each of those five states.
The petition states:
"We the undersigned urge that funds appropriated or otherwise made available under any provision of law, may not be obligated or expended to deploy or continue to deploy the Armed Forces to the Republic of Iraq. This is with the exception that funds be provided for the safe and orderly withdrawal of the Armed Forces from Iraq."
You can sign the petition at:
http://www.paactionnetwork.org/petitions/
It won't take a minute and it will make a difference.
Nadine's Story
Nadine Bean's family was fully employed and fully insured, and nearly ended up bankrupt after her daughter was injured in a car accident. Nadine explains what happened and why everyone, including those of us who are fully insured, needs a solution to the health care crisis.
Health Care for all Pennsylvanians
I learned some amazing lessons during the course of my campaign for United States Senate, among them that the vast majority of Pennsylvanians are not ideologically 'conservative' or 'moderate' as the party bosses, career politicians, consultants, pollsters, lobbyists, and corporate media – the Political-Industrial complex – would have us believe. In reality, Main Street Pennsylvanians, urban, suburban, and rural alike, are not ideological at all. They simply want positive, measurable, balanced, and fair policies that will improve their lives -- everyone's lives.
So, how do we achieve positive, helpful results in the face of a Political-Industrial Complex set up to defeat the popular will? How do we make our government represent us and our interests? My answer is: set a goal that benefits 98 percent of us; focus all our energy on that goal; and let legislators know that there is a large constituency prepared to hold them accountable if their votes are not consistent with that goal.
The goal I am working for is health care for all Pennsylvanians by the end of 2007. How achievable is this? Very. The legislation is drafted and ready to be introduced in the State House (HB 2722) and State Senate (SB 1085). There is broad statewide support for these bills. The State House is now in control of friendlier (Democratic) forces for the first time in 12 years, which means real hearings and real votes. There is, at present, no competing legislation; and the bills address all foreseeable obstacles to passage by addressing financing, lost insurance industry jobs, and malpractice insurance, in positive ways. Most important, health care security is a concern shared by the 98% of Pennsylvanians not wealthy enough to withstand unrestricted increases in health care costs and cuts in service.
We have established a coalition of allies that includes doctors, lawyers, business people, labor unions, and consumer advocates to help in this effort. Now we need citizens of every stripe to make their voices heard in Harrisburg. That's where you come in. Educate yourself on the topic (at www.pahcsc.org), register at Citizen Solutions for PA, check the site for updates, write letters to the editor, and organize in groups to meet with your State House and Senate representatives face-to-face as soon as possible. And if you can make it, attend our organizing meeting on December 15th in West Chester. Details are here: http://www.pahcsc.org/index.html.
Yours in solidarity,
Chuck