First Impressions from Saturday’s Forum on Health Care
Saturday’s health care forum, sponsored by PDA and other local progressive organizations (including, yours, truly-RT) drew a capacity crowd… about 500… eager to learn what can be done to enact universal single-payer health care this year. 50 cities across the country participated in,”Single-payer” day events and John Conyers chose to attend ours. RT was there and so begins our report (video footage will be forth coming later this week)
The Speakers & their general message:
Congressman John Conyers: This is the year to take action. Call your congressman. Politely insist on speaking to him. “Hey, we’re nice guys.” Conyers mentioned Max Baucus, head of the Senate Finance Committee and how he had stated there was no room at the table for Single-payer; “He may need a new table.”
(THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE)
Congressman Eric Massa: 35 life or death situations have come to him in his 1st 5 months in office, begging for help with insurance companies who refuse to provide care. He has intervened and been successful at times, but thinks it is ridiculous for politicians to be involved in health care decisions. Everybody should write a letter to the editor of every newspaper in their district in support of HR676 and then get 2 other people to do the same. The smear and fear campaigns can no longer be allowed to run this show. “Those who lie must be exposed!”
(THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE)
Activist/Actress Mimi Kennedy: 60 similar meetings are being held today around the country.We have been sold a damaged bill of goods in regards to health care in this nation. We have been told to smoke cigarettes and eat at McDonalds. It will be good for us. There will be no consequences for these actions. Now is the time for ordinary people to speak up and demand a solution to the health care mess. Stenny Hoyer promised to hold hearings on HR 676 (Single Payer Bill in Congress) but so far has not. Call him to encourage him to keep his promise. Phone # 202-225-3130 (be nice, but, be insistent.)
(THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE)
Historian/U of R Professor Theodore Brown: Use of scare tactics against progressive causes is not new. He showed examples of campaigns for universal health care dating back to 1912(this all started with Teddy Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party). A national health care plan was in the works when FDR died and Harry Truman grabbed the baton and ran with it, but just as we see smear campaigns trying to destroy the single-payer initiative today, the private insurer’s propaganda did it’s job well. We can’t allow this to happen again.
(THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE)
When the panelists completed their (5 minute) talks, questions from the audience were entertained. (This will be covered, in more detail, when our video becomes available.) This was an incredible evening and the energy in the auditorium was palpable. But this is only the beginning. This is a campaign which will have to be waged by the citizenry, aggressively and diligently until our objective has been met and no person is left uncovered. Get your pens out (that’s right, ink and paper) and start writing. Tell your representative that you support single-payer. Encourage them to sign onto HR676. Inform them that, not only is it politically feasible, it is a political imperative.
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter’s contact info:
Rochester Office
3120 Federal Building
100 State Street
Rochester, NY 14614
Congressman Chris Lee’s contact info:
Greece Office
1577 West Ridge Road
Greece, NY 14615
Congressman Dan Maffei’s contact info:
Irondequoit Office
1280 Titus Avenue
Rochester, NY 14617
In the end, the THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE will be for you.
Related posts:
If you support single payer health care please consider joining our voting bloc at:
http://www.votingbloc.org/Health_Bloc.php
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