Friday, September 11, 2009

Dennis Kucinich - Health Care for All


Congressman Dennis Kucinich tonight held a conference call, the first of what will likely be more, to talk to us about working toward a single payer health care system in a real grassroots way. Only 400 people could be on the call, so I recorded it, and hope you'll listen. It's rare to hear so much common sense from an elected official these days.

Listen here.

8 comments:

Marcia said...

Dear Mr. Kucinich,

I was both inspired and frightened by your call last night. I was inspired by your true sense of dignity and respect for other human beings. You are a true CIVIL servant, and I wish to work with you on this next chapter of our civil rights.
I was frightened because I gathered a sense of loss from you regarding our precious HR676, and the dire circumstances of what will happen when the bill is called on to be voted on. You asked us to give you some suggestions of what we can do.

1) ADVERTISE
An inexpensive advertisement is the good ol' lawn sign, window sign, door sign. I have created a little message that I send around called "WINDOW TREATMENT" where I ask everyone who wants single-payer to pass to put HR676 Single Payer on a large piece of construction paper and hang it up. I have gone door to door to ask my neighbors to do the same thing. I am now ASKING YOU to please talk to healthcare-now.org, PNHP.org, Madashelldoctors.com, NAACP, pda.org and any of their supporters, to ask them to send out a letter to their email lists asking us to do just that. They ask us to make calls and write letters but never to put up a sign. Please, maybe they will listen to you.
2)Please write a blog although you do have a youtube, but a blog can be copy pasted, which explains the difference between what the president is promoting called public option and single payer. Put special attention to why PO should not be supported. okay that's a tough one. You might get ostracized by the other Dems. Do the best you can with that one. It's important because out here in internet land the war is on over PO or SP. Many think that the PO will lead to SP. They don't know the danger our LEADERS are walking us in to.
3) I am going to try and start a group of us mailing to a congress person together, then another and then another, also a media outlet, one at a time. I think 3,000 letters on one day may say something.
4) On your end if the sponsors that signed on to HR676 could wear the white ribbon found on the Madashelldoctors.com website ( I tried to call you all the day of the speech, did you get the message that I wanted you all to make and wear the ribbon?) It was kind of late notice, but...

Can you keep us aware of the deadline for when this bill may be voted on I need to know how many days I have left. We may not be able to get to washington but we may be able to do something else that attracts media attention.
Well that's all I have for now but I will be back. Thank You for being a man of character/ conscience. Oh and if the Dems don't want you, we'll take you at the Green Party

RadioOrNot said...

Marcia,
Thanks for posting this, but please also send it to Dennis at the email address he gave last night..
healthcareforall@kucinich.us

Nicole

LinearBob said...

Nicole,

Thank you for recording Mr. Kucinich's conference call. I wanted to listen to Mr. Kucinich live, but circumstances got in the way. I really appreciate being able to hear Mr. Kucinich talk at length about both single payer and the so called public option.

elkojohn said...

Thank heavens for the progressive/liberal mavericks in Congress like Dennis Kucinich and Bernie Sanders.

Marcia said...

Dear Mr. Kucinich:

Mary Winograd is using a single payer button to raise money for her election.
http://winograd4congress.com/petitions/contributions.php

The Peace Team offers a choice of items after a donation, one of which is a single payer hat.
http://www.peaceteam.net/all_gifts.php

Mad-As-Hell-Doctors has a white ribbon that they are trying to get commercialized.

I think you and John Conyers ought to take a picture and put it on a t-shirt and whatever. If anyone deserves to make a profit or contributions to there reelection campaigns, it's you two.

Marcia said...

http://healthcare.kucinich.us/petition/

Marcia said...

Committee:HELP Principal Author:Citizen Marcia Everett
Bill No: HR676a Delegation:Progressive Voters


Title of Bill:
National Health Insurance Coverage (filing status option)

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PRINCETON MODEL CONGRESS

Whereas 47 million working Americans do not have healthcare. Whereas Many millions of Americans do not wish to be taxed to provide healthcare. It is hereby proposed that a filing status be created to allow ONLY the taxpayers that wish to have funds removed from their paycheck, collected to provide healthcare for working adults, be allowed to do so.

SECTION 1: Let a filing status be created called National Health Insurance Coverage known from here on as NHICO.

SECTION2: Let the filing status be expressed as such:
NHICO-1 would be for filing single.
NHICO-2 would be for filing Head of Household with children,
NHICO-3 would be for filing Married.
NHICO-4 would be for filing married with children.


Anyone who does not sign up by this date and then wishes to change their mind in the future, will be required to pay the amount they would have paid from the effective date to make them current.

SECTION 3: Let Families/persons continue to be covered when unemployed for as long as their unemployment benefits are issued.

Sub SECTION A: Families/persons which fall below poverty would be eligible for existing services under existing regulations.
Sub SECTION A: Families/persons which become disabled, would become the purview of the disability agency and receive services under existing regulations.

SECTION 4: Let the amount of taxes collected be in the range of what is now collected for medicare.

SECTION 5: Let services provided be at least equal to those provided for those who meet the poverty requirement, but not limited as such.

SECTION 6: This bill would be enacted effective January 1, 2010. Taxpayers would have up until April 15, 2010 to inform the government that they wish to adjust their filing status. SECTION 7: Let Cards be issued to these families, and adjustment forms provided for employers. Once the employer makes adjustments the family/person takes forms to social services to activate card. Any change in status will be forwarded by employer to social services office

Marcia said...

It's all really simple.
People who are impoverished receive healthcare, paid for by those of us who work.

People who are over 65 and are impoverished receive healthcare paid for by those of us who work.

People who are disabled, receive healthcare paid for by those of us who work.

All we need to do now is to provide healthc...are for 18 to 65 year olds who work. paid for by those of us who work.

If the republicans don't want to help chip in, don't make them. If they don't want to use doctors that will accept this "NHICO" card that's fine leave them out of it. But tell me, are we going to WAIT until 2016 or 2019 for healthcare? Are we REALLY?

http://thepetitionsite.com/1/NHICO