Is It Reform, Or Highway Robbery?

I'm truly sickened that a miserable, vindictive little man like Joe Lieberman could hold this country hostage. And the more I think about his vendetta against the left, the angrier I get.

US Senators are elected to represent their constituents. I guess for Joe Lie-berman, that means the insurance industry, because he sure doesn't seem to give a damn about the people.

The White House is so desperate to pass something called health care reform that they gave this shill for big insurance the right to decide what will and won't be included in the legislation. It doesn't really matter if the so called health care reform bill actually contains any reform, as long as they can pass it.

OK, maybe I'm being overly critical. According to Senators Tom Harkin and Ron Wyden, this bill does include some very real reform: it outlaws the practices of cherry picking, rescission and denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions. It will get the exchange up and running, and lay a foundation for future reform to be built upon.

I get it. And I get that some lives will be saved. And that's the main point of health care reform.

But this "reform" is also a giant wet kiss for the for-profit insurance industry. It will require us -- all of us-- to purchase insurance from a for-profit health insurance company. If we can't afford it, the government will give us subsidies to help pay for it.

Yes, our taxpayer dollars will go to line the coffers of these leeches. For years now I've maintained that the for-profit health insurers are government sanctioned extortionists. Now they'll be able to get their payoff money right from the treasury.

If there's a mandate for citizens to buy insurance, and our tax dollars are going to be used to subsidize the purchases, shouldn't there be a way to do it without paying the extra dollars that go toward the insurance company profits? It seems to me a no-brainer.

It's enough of an issue that Gov. Howard Dean today stepped out and said that this legislation should be killed, and advised Democratic senators to vote against it.

There's still a long way to go before we get to the finish line. But any legislation that calls itself health care reform but puts corporate profits ahead of the American people is a really sick joke.