I'd Like to Make a Return...

This post from Daniel Pink's blog is so good I had to repost it verbatim.  Too bad the government's return/exchange policy isn't modeled after Nordstrom.

Every once in awhile, you hear of an idea so blindingly obvious and inarguably wise that you wonder why in God’s name it’s still a notion and not a reality.


That happened to me this morning when I heard about the Taxpayer Receipt, the brainchild of the folks at Third Way.


In a brief and readable policy paper, David Kendall and Jim Kessler propose “providing each taxpayer with a receipt that shows them exactly how their money is spent to the penny.” That’s it.


Here’s what the receipt would look like:

God Bless Anthony Weiner

Mayoral election do-over!  How could we have not elected previous candidate, current Congressman Anthony Weiner?!  At least there's someone with some degree of sincere passion in the House.  Check out his editorial in today's Times.



Seriously.  I am so frustrated with the Republicans who are blocking every piece of legislation just to be difficult, under the paper-thin excuse of a given health care, energy, finance bill not being perfect/sufficient/etc.  I don't see any of them trying to do anything to solve the real problems the vast majority of Americans face, only securing their big-corporation campaign contributions, creating Fox News soundbites, and making sure the rich stay rich.  No, it really is that simple.  We have to start somewhere, and the GOP and their brilliant subsidiary tea party is the epitome of every reason things aren't getting better.  Or as Weiner puts it:

Instead of engaging in a real debate about how to address the challenges we face, Republicans have turned to obstruction, no matter the issue, and then cry foul after the fact. They claim to want an open legislative process with more consultation and debate, but the truth is they simply don’t want to pass anything.  Meanwhile, conservative television and talk radio programs are full of false anger, intended to scare Americans. I think some genuine frustration at this misleading tactic is overdue.

In Which the Mayoress Reveals Her Platform

I woke up at 6:30am today, a Sunday, and found myself mentally summarizing my stance on every issue.  I know, what?

So, in the tradition of Sunday morning punditry, Meet the Pressler:

Suck It Teabaggers

Seriously, anyone who positively associates themselves with this ridiculousness (or Glenn Beck, or Fox News) is severely ignorant and in need of a reality, morality, and compassion check.

A group of lowlifes at a Tea Party rally in Columbus, Ohio, last week taunted and humiliated a man who was sitting on the ground with a sign that said he had Parkinson’s disease. The disgusting behavior was captured on a widely circulated videotape. One of the Tea Party protesters leaned over the man and sneered: “If you’re looking for a handout, you’re in the wrong end of town.”

Another threw money at the man, first one bill and then another, and said contemptuously, “I’ll pay for this guy. Here you go. Start a pot.”

In Washington on Saturday, opponents of the health care legislation spit on a black congressman and shouted racial slurs at two others, including John Lewis, one of the great heroes of the civil rights movement. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, was taunted because he is gay.

At some point, we have to decide as a country that we just can’t have this: We can’t allow ourselves to remain silent as foaming-at-the-mouth protesters scream the vilest of epithets at members of Congress — epithets that The Times will not allow me to repeat here.

It is 2010, which means it is way past time for decent Americans to rise up against this kind of garbage, to fight it aggressively wherever it appears.

Full Article.

Is the World Ending?

Not only has there been another earthquake in Haiti, the lovely people of Massachusetts have voted idiot and Republican Scott Brown to office. I'm sitting here listening to his victory speech and it makes me want to cry because it's full of arrogance and inaccuracies.

For those of you not following the story, the significance is that when legendary Democrat Ted Kennedy died, the Senate dropped down to 59 Dems. In order to push through a bill without any obstacles, 60 is that magic number, and there's some pretty partisan stuff on the table right now, specifically the health care bill. Because of this, President Obama even flew to Mass to campaign for the Democratic candidate, so now people are saying that Brown winning means everyone thinks Obama is doing a bad job and must be stopped.

Yeah, ridiculous.

I'd like to remind the Senate that the "filibuster proof majority" of having 60 Dems is not Constitutional law, it's Senate tradition. In truth, only a simple majority is needed to get things done.

But the Wealthy Want Their Tax Cuts

Although I think we have a moral obligation to get health care for everyone in this country, some people think money is more important than, oh, people's lives.

Those people are invited to check out the editorial in today's Times:

Over the next two decades, the pending bills would actually reduce deficits by a small amount and reforms in how medical care is delivered and paid for — begun now on a small scale — could significantly reduce future deficits.... A trillion dollars is still a lot of money, but it needs to be put in some perspective. Extending Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy would very likely cost $4 trillion over the next decade. And the Medicare prescription drug benefit, passed by a Republican-dominated Congress, is expected to cost at least $700 billion over the next decade.

In Which the Mayoress Criticizes Obama for the First Time

I still just love Obama. The hope that brought us all together last year got under my skin in a profound way, and I'm glad that optimism is still part of my outlook over a year after that historic election.

That said, I understand why people are frustrated. The economy, the war, health care, terrorism, environment, and our perceptions of whether

One thing I do give our high-up leaders credit for is that they know far more about what's really going on that we do in areas like international relations and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's why I don't comment a lot on those topics here. I hate that the wars are still going on, and I'm not crazy about this surge news; but I also don't have any understanding of war strategy or how to effectively end one.

Where I do criticize is on matters where I have first-hand knowledge or experience, or where my day-to-day life is directly affected. (Again, why I'm also active in local politics.) So, health care, economy, taxes, and equal rights are the issues I care about most.

My biggest complaint with the Obama Administration so far is lack of oversight in the financial industry. It's criminal what the banks have gotten away with.

And second, but much less, other economic stimuli. But he's addressing that now, and has done some pretty great immediate things, like helping me pay my COBRA and extending unemployment. And I think it's very long-term visionary of him to work so hard on health care and will ultimately make this a better country in many ways.

But when it comes to most everything else, let us not forget that he's not even been on the job for a year, and he was left with a despicable mess by a disgusting administration.

So I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. I have faith; I still think he's up to a whole lot of good.

Oh, the Irony

Or more accurately, hypocrisy: Dems had to make major concessions on covering abortion in the public health care bill in order for it to get through the House, and yet the RNC health plan covers abortion. Hello, plank-eye.

(Thanks to future DC heavy hitter Ian Rivera for this one!)

Out of Order

Thanks to Bixby for this one.

218 Baby

On Saturday night at around 11pm I jumped off my couch cheering - no I wasn't watching Sportscenter, I was watching CSPAN, and the number of "yes" votes had just hit the 218 mark. In a giant step forward, the House passed Obama's health care bill. Way more exciting, and far more important, than any game on TV.*

This article in the Sunday Times points out some really remarkable things that are in the bill that further help us move toward equality, like gays not being taxed on health care for their partners. Also, calorie postings on chain restaurants from McD's to Ruth's Chris are going nationwide.

Cheers to Anh Cao of Louisiana, the only Republican to vote yes on the bill.

Here are the Democrats who voted no.

Now let's talk about why I support this bill and why I think you should too, and the good and bad reasons to oppose it.

I believe we all deserve to get help when we're sick. As it stands now, you could lose your job today and lose your health care. Maybe you couldn't afford COBRA. Maybe you're employed and your employer won't pay for your health care. You could also be dropped from your health insurance for a preexisting condition -- acne has been cited as one of these conditions in recent history. An accident or serious disease, then, could bankrupt you, even if you're employed and have a savings account.

But enough with the fear marketing. Don't you think it's troubling that we're #1 in so many things, but one of the only (if not the only - fact check?) industrialized nations without universal health care?

The primary argument I hear from people opposing or questioning the bill is money. How will we pay for it? It is projected to cost $1.1 trillion over the next ten years. The thing is, these people, especially our Republican elected officials, have had no trouble authorizing infinite dollars for our two wars or bailing out big business. Health care is not a "want," like a new stadium (which we get without eyes blinking every year*), it's a necessity. Like national security. Like education. Plus, how much does it cost us when people are not insured and the state has to foot the bill? How about the poor that use the emergency room for primary care, clogging up the system and making it more expensive for everyone else?

Also, I want to point out that the only people I personally know that oppose universal health care are white men who are at the upper end of middle class or higher. Also, my mom. Hmm, same as the people I knew who voted for McCain. Theories?

Here's how the debate is waging on my Facebook page.

But, friends, here's a good reason to oppose the bill that just passed through the House. Did you know that if a woman was receiving subsidies to pay for health care, but paid for an abortion out of pocket, her subsidies could be taken away? How's that for a moral judgment of something that's perfectly legal? Why aren't we penalizing people who make health care more expensive, like smokers or people who don't exercise?

My point, however, is that the bill is not going to be perfect or please everyone, but we need to pass it now and continue to fix it later. It's just too important.

*I will continue to use sports as my prime comparison for people's attention to and involvement in what's going on politically. It's the best one I can think of. For example, if the people who fought crowds, took off work, and stood for hours to go to the Yankees parade last Friday had put in just a fraction of that effort and showed up at the polls last Tuesday, we'd be in a much better place, don't you think?

And Pundits... Go!!

Punditry from both Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow post-speech, be still my heart!

Gotta love how immediately following the Republican response Olberman points out that not only was Doctor and Representative Charles Boustany of Louisiana sued three times for medical malpractice, he also tried unsuccessfully to buy the title of "Lord." He's also a birther (hate that term), which pretty much invalidates anything he has to say in my opinion. Um, hello, I would imagine the state of Louisiana has some more pressing issues to deal with?

God, GOP, Boustany is the best you can do? I guess all the money in the country can't buy decent speakers.

Olberman also points out that Boustany's speech makes claims that are the exact opposite of what the President actually said. My god, it's like he came straight from the Jindal School of Speechwriting.

My main problem is that there is a Republican response at all. Obama is the President of the entire country, all parties included, so there's no longer a need for a partisan response.

LiveBlogging the President's Health Care Speech

Tune in now!

Gasp! CNN has been replaced on channel 10 with FX! Actually, I support that decision - on to MSNBC.

Michelle looking FABULOUS in vintage-y salmon-colored retro suit. Que Kennedy!

Crap! I suck - I missed the Mayoral Debate on ABC at 7pm - did anyone catch it? (Don't worry, my appearance isn't until 2028.)

Am I wrong to assume that the procession of lawmakers coming into the room would be FAR less diverse were we still under the Republican regime? So nice to see representation that actually looks like America today.

I still get chills when they announce "The President of the United States" and Barack Obama walks out!

And the speech...

Good opener prioritizing economic concerns, positing that his administration has "pulled this economy back from the brink."

"I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last." HO!!

Nancy Pelosi just looks so happy. Maybe because she and Hil are matching in their adorable red power suits? Yikes, I hope they don't stand next to Michelle, clashorama.

Thank you, Barack, for explaining that those of us who are self-employed often can't afford to purchase health care on our own.

There are over 30 million citizens who cannot get coverage. 14,000+ lose their insurance every day. "It can happen to anyone."

WHAT. A woman couldn't get her double mastectomy because she didn't claim a case of acne when signing up for her insurance! Disgusting.

Prez now spelling out for the town hall idiots that the insured are already paying for the uninsured, and just how much - $1,000 per year for emergency & charitable care.

"These are the facts, and nobody disputes them. We know we must reform the system, the question is how."

Health care represents one-sixth of our economy!

Prez is recommending fixing/reforming what we have now vs building over from scratch.

"The time for games has past. Now is the time for action."

Summary of the features of Obama's proposed plan, paraphrased from speech text:

• If you already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.
• It will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
• it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most.
• They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime.
  
• We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.
• insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies – because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse.
• if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices... This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we've given ourselves.
• If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage.
  
• If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage.
• For those individuals and small businesses who still cannot afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we will provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need... This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right.
• individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance – just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.
  
• Likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers. There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still cannot afford coverage, and 95% of all small businesses, because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these requirements.

Obama just gave props to McCain and McCain is smiling like crazy and everyone gave him a standing ovation - it's a total lovefest in there!

"Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple."

I've never heard such disrespect from the floor during a President's speech. I have my theories. You?

Great analogy likening private insurers + public options to private/public college system.

What is the paper the people in the back row are holding up?

"I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice. And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need."

This one's for my mom: "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits, now or in the future. Period. ...Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan. Much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers."

MAJOR DISS! "Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for – from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy." True that, Obama, let's overturn those crap decisions while we're at this!

Seniors: "Not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will go to pay for this plan."

Creating a panel of experts to identify waste. Love it!

Bipartisan leap! Re-assessing medical malpractice laws, a big Republican push.

"Add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years – less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration."

"I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now." Don't mess with the O!

WHOA - powerhouse closer: letter to Obama from Ted Kennedy, requested to be delivered upon his death, calling health care "that great unfinished business of our society... it concerns more than material things.... What we face is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."

Obama is saying that caring for others is not partisan. I disagree based on evidence, but it's big of him to say so.

"When facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter – that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves."

Yep, Obama's a bigger man than I am. Still working on a bipartisan solution. Still believing that most of us care about others who are sick or in need. This is one of those rare times when I hope I'm wrong.

Complete transcript.

In Which Senator Gillibrand Emails The Mayoress

Remember when I told you guys to email all your reps re health care? Did you do it? Hmm. Well, I did, and here's what one of my senators sent back. It is DEFINITELY hand-typed by the Senator herself and NOT a form email. And I will forgive her for addressing me as "Ms" instead of my proper title.

Dear Ms. Pressler:

Thank you for writing to me about the current state of our healthcare system. I share your concerns and am committed to finding a solution that will give quality, affordable health care to every American.

I believe that by opening up a not-for-profit public health plan like a "Medicare for all," we can ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable healthcare where anyone could buy in at an affordable rate, such as 5% of their income. In the world's wealthiest nation, it's unconscionable that people are turned away from coverage because of a pre-existing condition and that families are just one illness away from bankruptcy.

Offering a public health care plan option to compete with private insurers is the best way to truly lower health costs, improve quality of care and ensure access to care in rural and other underserved areas. Injecting healthy competition into the health care market is the only way to achieve real health care reform. I am committed to addressing this important issue and will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle toward a bipartisan solution.

Again, thank you for contacting me about health care. Please keep in touch with my office regarding any future legislation and concerns you may have. For more information on this and other important issues being discussed in the United States Senate, please visit my website http://gillibrand.senate.gov and sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely yours,

Kirsten Gillibrand
United States Senator

Thoughts from Outside the Bubble

I personally think we need to go to a deal like when I broke my back and I went to the military hospital ... Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Tex. Cost me a flat rate, $1,200 a day, and I spent the first six days in I.C.U.... them guys get paid a flat rate; it’s not like they’re trying to rape me to make more money to pay their Mercedes-Benz bills or whatever they got.

I said: “Look, buddy, your lobby is full of illegals and park bums. They’re bouncing off the wall. I’m dying here. My wife’s been working here 18 years. I got the same insurance you got.” He said, “Well, you got to wait behind the rest of them.” I said: “Let me get this straight — not only am I buying all their health care, and I got to stand behind them too? There’s something wrong with that.”

Much of what I have done in my professional career is looking at health care in Latino children. Clearly they don’t have health care... It doesn’t become an issue, unless it becomes an issue in the white kids.

Props to Anna Deveare Smith's editorial that covers the wide range of American opinions on health care. Ms. Deveare Smith not only proves that there are plenty of stupid and selfish or stupidly selfish people in this country, but also that biracial people like herself are clearly unbelieveably smart and good at writing. Quote that, future political foes!

Today in Under-insurance

Kristof does it again in today's Times (it's still today on the West Coast, leave me alone):

So, for those of you inclined to believe the worst about President Obama, think it through. Suppose he is indeed a secret, foreign-born Muslim agent who is scheming to undermine American family values while killing off as many grandmothers as possible.

If all that were true, why on earth would he be trying so hard to reform our health care system? We already know how to prod families into divorce and take a life unnecessarily every 30 minutes — all we need to do is reject reform and stick with exactly what we have.

In Which The Mayoress Has Doubts

If only the Health Care issue were simple. It's not. Witness the most commented-on ever status on my Facebook page, 20+ comments about my support of the bill. Everyone makes good points.

And yesterday's editorial by Bob Herbert seriously depressed me. Lately I've been more aware than ever how much capitalism decides everything in this country. It honestly makes me nauseous.

And even though I believe the elderly are woefully undervalued in our culture, I do agree with some of the points in this editorial on the ridiculousness of late-life care:

I’m just wondering why the nation continues incurring enormous debt to pay for bypass surgery and titanium-knee replacements for octogenarians and nonagenarians, when for just a small fraction of those costs we could provide children with preventive health care and nutrition. Eight million children have no health insurance, but their parents pay 3 percent of their salaries to Medicare to make sure that seniors get the very best money can buy in prescription drugs for everything from restless leg syndrome to erectile dysfunction, scooters and end-of-life intensive care.

So, while yes, I support *a* health care bill, I support one with a public option, and one that is open to improvement in the months and years ahead. To be continued.

Where Comparisons Are Due

The brilliant Paul Krugman, economist extraordinaire, breaks down just who we're modeling our Health Plan after - don't miss this article.

Investor’s Business Daily would like you to believe that Obamacare would turn America into Britain — or, rather, a dystopian fantasy version of Britain. The screamers on talk radio and Fox News would have you believe that the plan is to turn America into the Soviet Union. But the truth is that the plans on the table would, roughly speaking, turn America into Switzerland — which may be occupied by lederhosen-wearing holey-cheese eaters, but wasn’t a socialist hellhole the last time I looked.

CALL TO ACTION!

It's rare that The Mayoress asks her dear readers to do more than click on a link or comment on a post, but some things are more important than blog readership.

We need to get this health care bill through. Not a watered-down, fear-laden, politicians-getting-paid-by-insurers version, a version that actually gets our country on track to caring for its people.

I appeal to you as someone whose health care will run out at the end of this month. As someone who once paid $3000 out of pocket for a cervical cancer test. As someone who has friends who were bankrupted by catching pneumonia. As someone who realizes that any one of you could lose your job and thus your health care, that $400+/month out of pocket is too much to afford for private care, that many of my friends simply opt out of having insurance at all.

Here's how to take action - each of these items will take you less than 3 minutes. If crazy fear-driven Limbaugh disciples can take half a day to go to a town hall and scare everyone, can't you take 3 minutes to ensure a better future for yourself, for me, for our friends, kids, fellow Americans?

Contact your Representative. Just visit https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and enter your zip code. Tell your Congressperson that you support health care for everyone, and that you hope he/she will stand against the misinformation out there and support those who elected him/her to office. Here's what I wrote:


First, thank you for your service to our community and nation.

I'm writing to encourage you to support Obama's Health Care Bill INCLUDING the public option. I will lose my insurance at the end of this month due to lay-offs, and I can't afford to pay out of pocket for a private plan. Many of my friends are uninsured because our jobs don't provide insurance and/or we can't afford private care.

I do wish the bill included more steps supporting prevention, but I believe the bill is a step in the right direction and we can further improve it once passed.

Again, thank you, and I urge you to support the health of your constituents.


Contact your Senator. http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NY

Contact Obama. Tell him NOT to drop the public option. http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

Post this on your Facebook Wall. Just link to http://meetthepressler.blogspot.com/2009/08/call-to-action.html or put your story in a note and post it to your wall.

Email your friends and family. Tell them your story, or mine, or go watch Michael Moore's Sicko and be in utter disbelief at what insurance companies currently get away with.

I just did all of the above and wrote this post in less than 15 minutes. Highly worth it. I hope you agree.


Learn more about the health care plan here:
Read the bill
Obama's editorial in the New York Times
Comprehensive online guide on Slate
How it affects women
Governor and Doctor Howard Dean explains it all

A Civilized Town Hall Meeting

Watching Howard Dean kill it on CSPAN at the Netroots Nation Conference Town Hall Mtg, a most adult gathering of hundreds, where questions are intelligently submitted via FB and Twitter and the audience is actually listening instead of yelling. I'll try to fing a video or transcript; everything Dean's saying is smart, progressive, based on fact, and absent of fear tactics. Imagine.

The Bar for Health Care Advertising Has Been Raised