Working Life

   So, it’s probably a bad sign about my own priorities that I flip on C-SPAN at night and, having stumbled on the debate in the Senate Nevada race, I stuck with it–without running for a large glass of wine. Or maybe something stronger.    Oh my god.    It was a muddle. I can’t […]

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   In February 1960, Dr. Martin Luther King sent this to 11 jailed protestors: I HAVE JUST LEARNED OF YOUR COURAGEOUS WILLINGNESS TO GO TO JAIL INSTEAD OF PAYING FINES FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS PROTEST AGAINST SEGREGATED EATING FACILITIES. THROUGH THIS DECISION YOU HAVE AGAIN PROVEN THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE MAJESTIC AND SUBLIME THAN THE […]

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   Here is a contrast: the Congress passed a $15 billion jobs bill that could charitably be called pathetic–it *might* create a couple of hundred thousands new jobs, when we need almost 11 million jobs just to get back to pre-crisis levels. On the other hand, any health care reform bill that seems like it […]

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   In one day, you can read how the powerful economic interests have defeated the public interest. Start with the  theatrics of the health care "summit"–an event that only underscores how the insurance industry has defeated the people. Already anticipating failure, the president wants to roll back health reform even further: President Barack Obama will […]

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   The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that the president will push for the public option in his speech tonight before Congress–though there seems to be massive wiggle room in this comment: "White House officials say the president will detail what he wants in the health-care overhaul, as well as say he is open […]

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   There are two examples today that make it crystal clear how our society is damaged by corporate power. The first comes in the increasingly depressing arena of health care reform: Behind the scenes, however, Mr. Obama and his advisers have been quite active, sometimes negotiating deals with a degree of cold-eyed political realism potentially […]

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   Yesterday, I asked the question about whether members of the House progressive caucus might vote "no" on a health care bill that emerges from the insurance industry-driven rollback on the promise of a public option. That is becoming more real today after concessions to the "Blue Dogs" in the House further weakened the public […]

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  Even though single-payer, "Medicare for All" is the most effective economic solution to the health care crisis (I’m putting aside the moral question for the sake of this discussion), our political leaders (with the exception of HR676 advocates) and traditional media chattering ideologues do their best to ignore the basic facts. Which is why […]

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I just finished reading the Congressional Budget Office’s report to Sen. Ted Kennedy which looked at the Affordable Health Choices Act. And the report makes clear why single-payer is the only logical economic choice for health care.   Respectfully, none of the best Democratic bills are going to solve the coverage crisis nor the economic […]

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   Today, The White House is hosting a gathering of people who want to take part in shaping the future health care system. A lot of the participants simply want to keep the same basic system going: for-profit leeching from the pockets of the American people. Here’s a story they should listen to:   This […]

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