On Wednesday the AARP's Divided We Fail program launched a series of meetings open to the public in Spokane Washington with more meetings scheduled throughout the state focusing on health care. The AARP, Business Roundtable, Service Employees Union (SEIU), and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) are the entities behind this movement to get lawmakers to move beyond partisan bickering and make real progress towards health and financial security.
I attended the meeting to support my wife Jeannie who is featured in a video premiered by Divided We Fail Wednesday titled "One Illness Away." As some of you are aware, Jeannie survived breast cancer, a near fatal gall bladder attack, and uterine cancer all within 8 months. She had posted her story on Divided We Fail's web site and was subsequently contacted about being showcased in their video. Click here to view the video One Illness Away
Although I believe the motivation behind this movement is quite noble and genuine, I am not so sure the idea of the two major parties reaching across the isle to tackle these issues is realistic. First of all we have to take a hard look at these issues. The Right may pay lip service to health care and financial security around election time, but history has shown us that when in power they do nothing and when in the minority fight any effort by the Left to address them. So by historic precedent these are Democratic issues. The problem is that AARP has a strict non-partisan policy. So even though they promote many of the same issues as the Democratic Party, they will not stand with them on these issues.
It is this correspondent's opinion that although the ideal of Republicans and Democrats cooperating to solve these most urgent and potentially self destructive issues is wonderful and fuzzy, I really don't see it as realistic. One of DWF's main arguments is that Americans are sick of the gridlock in Washington. I'm sorry but I didn't see any gridlock until 2006. What I saw was Republicans doing what ever they wanted until a newly elected Democratic majority took over. DWF has a commercial on TV you may have seen where an elephant and a donkey get into a raucous fight only to emerge as Champ the donkeyphant or whatever it is. I think a more realistic depiction would be the elephant barging it's way around doing as it pleases with a small, impotent donkey hopping up and down desperately trying to stop him.
The bottom line is that the two parties are worlds apart on how they see these issues. Most folks on the Right believe government involvement in these issues is tantamount to treason. Even when they acknowledge these issues need attention, they will not entertain the idea of direct government involvement. Their faith is in the private market and private charity, and despite decades of failure, that faith has not been shaken.
The other side however understands that with out at least some form of direct government involvement, these issues will remain unsolved and will continue to undermine our standard of living and our sense of security.
I believe the only way the issues of health care and financial security will ever be addressed will be when the Democrats grow some guts and do what the Republicans do. Quit trying to insist on bipartisan cooperation and move ahead with our agenda regardless of their opposition. The reason Republicans have done so well politically in this country is because despite their issues consistently being on the losing end of polls, they follow through with what they say and then some.
With this election shaping up to be the year of the Democrats, let us not waste another opportunity to set this nation in the right direction... Finally.
*************
Devin Barber, Politics Correspondent
Devin's column, "Left Of The Right" published weekly or more to Gather Essentials: Politics is a Blue Collar Democrats take on current political news.
Devin was raised by proud Roosevelt Democrats. Being the son of parents counted among the throng of Americans displaced by the Great Depression has given Devin a deep rooted passion for causes dealing with the poor and the working class.
You can find all of Devin's columns at http://gather.com/leftoftheright
You can keep up with Devin's postings and his Gather activity by joining his Gather network. Just click here: http://kiwina58.gather.com and then select the orange "Connect" button on the left-hand side of the page.
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Comments: 26
I gave it a 10!
Seen that commercial with a voice over by Morgan Freeman?
"Right, left, democrat, republican, no matter what label we go by, we all want the same things"
Ha ha. Sure we do. Border security and lower taxes!
Wow.. and I thought I my faith in the political process had gotten jaded.
Damn, Devin. Where's your audacity to at least HOPE that Americans COULD work together to solve our common dilemmas??
I'm a fan of the DWF attitude. It will reach some Republicans despite your impression that none of them actually care about health care issues and little people's struggles.
Divided We Fail...
United, We Are Incredibly Powerful.
Gave ya a 10.
Like Caesar acknowledged in his waning days : "the Mob must be served". Get it out of your system Left Wing nutjobs, your days are numbered.
Realistically, the parties have a necessity to maintain at least an allusion of opposites, otherwise why would we need parties? Even moderates run as either Republican or Democrat (with Independents being so rare as to exist only in Vermont and when your views on one issue overwhelm your views on everything else [aka Lieberman]). All one has to do is look at the vote counts on most important bills in Congress, which are almost always split along party lines. So it's probably unrealistic to expect them all to hold hands and work together.
As for gridlock, it has existed long before 2006. Traditionally the minority party uses whatever power it has to keep the majority party from ramming through it's brand of ideology. This is an important issue when you consider that it's possible we may have a Democratic President and both houses of Congress also controlled by Democrats. Remember when the Republicans controlled all three? Where are the checks and balances.
But, and it's a big but, pushing through ideology is not usually doing what is best for the American people in toto. The idea of the parties is to have blocks that can fight for their constituents interests. It doesn't mean their constituents interests should win out at the expense of totally ignoring the valid interests of the other party's constituents. Someone must keep the interests of all Americans in mind. That someone should be the combined leadership of the Congress (to the extent possible), but also to the President. Thus, the President must be able to inspire Congress and the public itself to put the major issues on the table for discussion so that these issues can be resolved. And generally the resolution isn't going to give partisan victories to either party. Eventually the public will realize that having elected representatives who work for the public interest and not the parties interest is better than the other way around.
Will it happen? Probably not, but it's something to strive for. It takes leadership.
Having majorities and using it to being able to effectively pass legislation isn't easy. The problem that happens is that you have to "buy off" a lot of people with earmarks and other non-related pork to get anything passed. Then you get bad legislation.
I like not having both the House, Senate, and Executive not being in the same hands. Then nothing gets done. We need less government in our lives.
is it "100 days" yet??? it's not the RIGHT ONLY that fights realistic health care it is the RIGHT that gets BLAMED for it..
what is being considered would be horrendously expensive and those in power KNOW that..
it comes down to the cultural myth.. "If we can put a man on the moon"... we folks... if we *HAD TO* TODAY we COULD NOT put a man on the moon in much less time than it took to do originally AND not much less MONEY because of the way the government is constructed.
as a former lifelong democrat I keep coming back to the opposition soundbite from an election or two ago..
"being a liberal means never having to say 'AND THEN WHAT!!!!'... ".
your Lady is a amazing woman.
I do believe there are folks on the Right who genuinely want to improve these issues. But at the same time I know there are those on the Right who will resort to any tactic to stop it.
AARP supported Bush's failed fiscal policies at the cost of the over-50 crowd they are supposed to be representing.
AARP and it's huge member base supported the failed prescription benefits - the so-called "Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003" - that now put hundreds of thousands of our elders who are dependent on their prescriptions into an impossible donut hole of non-support. This policy has 60+ different drug programs that are close to impossible to figure out. Not all drugs one takes are available on all the programs with the result being that the poor schleps who depend on certain meds can't figure out which program offers the best prices for each persons needs. Insanity on a really personal and pocketbook level.
AARP does not have the interests of its members at heart.
AARP is only looking out for their own bottom line to increase their profits from this failed policy.
Before any of you support an individual or any organized entity do your homework! AARP does not have your best interests at heart, they have their own profits at heart. In a gazillion years I would never even consider joining AARP, much less blindly support them!
People! Please do your homework before you blindly support an entity like AARP. They do not walk their talk. AARP is not who you want representing you. They do not have your own best interests at heart.
Please read a few articles about AARP before doing anything to support them:
- AARP is drug plan advocate, marketer [exerpt] "While its cachet comes from advocacy, AARP is also an entrepreneurial juggernaut that profits from the Medicare drug benefit it helped pass."
- The Medicare Drug War - Public Citizen report on how drug companies and HMOs led an army of nearly 1,000 lobbyists to promote misguided legislation and increase profits (June 22, 2004)
- AARP Benefits Financially From Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit It Helped Pass
- Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Not in the Best Interest of the Seniors - 'after learning the facts, I've lost both my trust and my faith in AARP'
- AARP's nonsense scripted response to my e-mail complaint - "I love this. AARP responded to my e-mail complaining about the Medicare Prescription Drug NIGHTMARE, which AARP helped pass. As you can see, this response does not address any of the issues I raised in my e-mail..."
and I just have to end with this link from the Institute for Public Accuracy:
- Bogus Benefits? * Medicare's Death Spiral? * AARP Betrayal? - Gail Shearer is senior health policy analyst for Consumers Union and author of the just-released report "Medicare Prescription Drugs: Conference Committee Agreement Asks Beneficiaries to Pay Too High a Price for Modest Benefit." Among the report's findings:
* "The funds set aside for this 'benefit' -- $400 billion over 10 years -- cover just 22 percent of the anticipated drug costs, leaving consumers to foot the rest of the bill."
* "Medicare is being moved down the road to privatization by requiring competition between private health plans and Medicare...."
* "Private Pharmacy Benefit Managers get to pick what drugs are covered under the plan, with no transparency, methodology or public accountability. This means patients who are sensitive to the choice of drug will be out of luck if their needed drug is not on the plan...."
* The deal "actually prohibits the government from negotiating deep prescription drug discounts for consumers, meaning the average Medicare beneficiary will pay more out-of-pocket for drugs in 2007 when the benefit begins, than what they currently pay now without the 'benefit."
Please take a few minutes to read a few of the article I linked you too before you begin, or continue, to support AARP. If they are behind a program like this then we can bet that they will be profiting from it... and it won't be to our best advantage.
Devin, I believe it too! Very well said
I don't belong to AARP in either the literal or figurative sense, nor does Devin. The fact that they're in support of DWF made me think long and hard about talking to them. But the fact remains that the "Right Wing nutjobs" want everyone to think most Americans are satisfied with the status quo.
If you are NOT satisfied with the status quo, logon to their site and speak up: http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefail/
And Independents.
For example, this statement was made on May 7: "Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said first-quarter profit declined 64 percent as falling rates reduced returns from insurance operations."
Insurance investments target 12% as a rate of return.
Medical insurance is no different, and there is a risk in pulling that investment capital out of the market by nationalizing health care. The trade off is Lives or Money. Conservatives value money before life. Liberals value life before money. Moderates know that life and money are insuperable.
The attitude you describe is also responsible for the cavelier way they spend our citizens lives for their neocon foriegn policy objectives. What's really scary though is that they see those of us who hold human life above such concerns as soft or weak. I wish they could understand that it takes far more courage NOT to fight.
I for one feel the Canadian system does a much better job distributing healthcare to all its citizens. Yes, they have to wait for procedures etc. Guess what so do Americans. I waited 8 months for the review before a simple colonoscopy and another 5 weeks for the procedure .... and that was with health insurance. Routine normal screening.
Hell, many medical issues one gets shuffled everywhere but to the right resource.
Disgruntled in Northern California
It's known that the Viet Cong broke MCcain mentally, and as a result, he seems suffering from serious mental deficit knowns as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
aside from PTS, one has to wonder what effect the torture had on his mind.
It's not that his temper gets the best of him, he's mentally disturbed and time after time, has made
statements that suggest he's either confused, unaware of the reality of the situation, or true lier.
If McCain's experience could not help him vote against the Iraq war, how will it help him make America safer and better by conytinuing failed Bush policy?
These are serious troubling issues for a president
No MCBush = No more War
McClueless, MCold, MC stupid, gotta love McFlipFlopper, This guy is true lier and clueless about Iraq war.
American people are not stupid, to give MCBush failed policy & US occupation of Iraq another four years to let him
figure out that Iran and Iraq did not have anything to do with 9/11, Alquida in Iraq is outcome of US occupation.
MCstupid has to listen to Irqi lawmakers that are saying US occupation is fueling insurgency and they can take care of their country.
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSN04304912