I sent this e-mail to Dr. Hart of the Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition (MUHCC).
It looks to me like what we are dealing with here is another one of Nancy Pelosi's "what we are going to do in our first one-hundred days if you give us a House and Senate majority."
As you know, voters provided this majority in both the House and Senate... in return the American people received the dirty end of the stick and got shafted by the Democrats who feared standing up to George Bush so they went along to get along... the problem is, these Democrats were really acquiescing to big-business and their lobbyists... the very same well-heeled interests who have their clutches into Barack Obama... given this situation, the only way working people are going to have a snowball's chance in hell of getting anything out of an Obama administration is if we keep our distance from him while building massive movements capable of forcing Obama and the Democrats to the "negotiating table" on these important issues like health care reform and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Failing to push Obama for socialized health care with single-payer universal health care being the first step is the only way to go.
I would also point out that Brian Melendez, the Chair of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, has repeatedly portrayed Barack Obama as the candidate supporting the position of the MN DFL on health care. Is this Obama surrogate just lying to Minnesotans to get their votes?
Many people are apparently "thrilled" with Obama's campaign of "hope" and "change."
So far the admission price to hear Obama's meaningless, undefined rhetoric has been free for cheers and claps.
If voters decide to follow Obama's lead as he refused to show up for votes in the Senate on controversial issues people may decide with the price of gas the trip to the polls just isn't worth it.
With the high price of gas the high-paid party hacks are finding it hard to get people out to leaflet and talk to voters.
Obama's campaign could follow the lead of the corrupt politicians of the Red Lake Nation and pay to fill-up the tank in return for a vote.
Alan
-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Maki [mailto:amaki000@centurytel.net]
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 12:04 PM
To: 'Jim Hart'
Cc: 'Carolyn Laine'; 'lhilty@frontiernet.net'; 'John T (Jack) Garland'; 'RhodaGilman@mngreens.org'; 'Elizabeth Frost'; 'settg001@umn.edu'; 'Ida Hellander'; 'dave@pnhp.org'; 'shove001@tc.umn.edu'; 'kiprs@usinternet.com'; 'info@pnhp.org'
Subject: Obama on health care
Dr. Hart,
Previously you told me the Marty legislation was single-payer universal health care and it fit in with Obama’s proposals for health care reform.
Check out the article below, and what I have highlighted.
I am very puzzled how this can be since Obama is opposed to what you are for.
Also, I would note that Obama claims to be stressing “prevention;” yet one of the biggest bank-rollers of his campaign is the Indian Gaming and the larger Casino industries. The Indian Gaming Industry employs over two-million workers; the other casino industry employs even more. Just about all employees work in smoke-filled casinos, with second-hand smoke being among the main causes of a multitude of diseases and illnesses; so much for “prevention.”
It would seem to me that MUHCC has a responsibility to meet with Obama’s campaign staff here in Minnesota and make yourselves clear that you feel he is headed in the wrong direction on health care.
To give Obama a free ride into the White House as he advocates health care “reform” that is completely at odds with what we want and the people are clamoring for makes no sense; this is not the way to win important concessions and reforms from Obama who is clearly the candidate of choice of big-capital at this point.
Since Obama indicates health care reform is one of the top two items on his agenda for resolution, I think that MUHCC should kind of become the Floyd B. Olson of the moment just as the Governor became the “thorn in Roosevelt’s side on the health care issue. MUHCC should insist on meeting with Obama the next time he is in Minnesota so you have an open door to the White House on this issue.
Obama is obviously at odds with what Minnesotans want in the way of health care reform; apparently Obama is selling “free enterprise” solutions to the health care mess out west because it is a “me, me, me” and “my right to do whatever I want, to whomever I want, without government interference” that gets the votes out west.
Minnesotans clearly want what the Canadians have.
Alan
Obama: End the war, pass energy policy and health care
reform
by By Mike Dennison of The Standard State Bureau -
The Montana Standard - July 5, 2008
http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2008/07/05/state_top/20080705_state_top.txt
For his first task as president, Barack Obama said
Friday he'll call in the nation's top military
officials and "tell them we have a new mission": End
the war in Iraq.
Next on the list is reforming the nation's health-care
system, so everyone in the nation has basic health care
and costs are reduced for families and businesses.
And, third, craft a new energy policy that "requires a
shift away from the sort of wasteful energy usage of
the past, and to develop alternative fuels like solar,
wind and biodiesel," Obama said in an interview on his
campaign bus near the Montana Tech campus.
Obama, 46, a U.S. senator from Illinois and the
presumptive Democratic nominee for president this year,
spent the day in Butte, taking in a Fourth of July
parade and attending a picnic with hundreds of well-
wishers and supporters.
But he also took time to chat with local reporters,
both on his bus and on the grounds of the World Museum
of Mining, standing before a small grove of aspen trees
that wavered in the breeze preceding an afternoon
thunderstorm.
Obama said he has a good chance of winning in Montana
because people are struggling here and will respond to
his message of change and reform, to stop the war in
Iraq, to reduce the weight of energy prices and ensure
access to public lands.
Obama has been polling strongly in several Western
states where Democrats traditionally lose in
presidential elections, Montana included.
Yet Republicans have signaled they certainly won't be
rolling over in these states, and will go after Obama
on at least one issue dear to the hearts of many
Montanans: Gun ownership.
Earlier this week, the Montana Republican Party called
on Obama to "clarify his muddled record on the 2nd
Amendment," saying Obama has a record of supporting
restrictions on gun ownership.
Obama said Friday he believes in "common-sense gun
laws" allow law-abiding citizens to purchase and own
firearms, including items such as background checks
when buying guns.
"There is not a sportsman or hunter in Montana who is a
legal possessor of firearms that has anything to worry
about from me," he said.
Regarding the war in Iraq, Obama repeated his call for
bringing home U.S. troops in a "careful and deliberate
fashion," consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On health care, he said he wants a system that
regulates insurers more stiffly and helps people who
can't afford health insurance acquire it. But he's not
in favor of a national, single-payer system like Canada
or other countries, that offer the same care for all,
usually financed by taxes.
"The problem is, we've got a legacy of employer-based
health care," he said. "People are accustomed to those
sorts of arrangements and they're fearful about what
they might have to give up in a transition to a
different system." Obama said his plan works within the
system we have now, offering "alternatives" to families
who can't get insurance now and finding ways to lower
premiums for all.
"And we've got to emphasize prevention, which is the
most important thing we've got to do long-term," he
added.
Obama also said his broad base of donors make him the
candidate who can stand up to well-heeled special
interests who have been controlling policy in the
country.
The Obama campaign doesn't accept money from political
action committees or from people who are federal
registered lobbyists. However, it has accepted tens of
millions of dollars from big individual donors
connected with insurance, Wall Street investment
houses, hedge funds, banks and pharmaceutical
companies.
"When we have 1.7 million donors, there is no donor
that we're dependent on, there is no industry that
we're dependent on," he said. "I can say `no' to
anybody because I've got a broad base of support.
"I've been able to show independence not only in the
past, but will be able to show independence as
president."
Alan L. Maki
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell phone: 651-587-5541
E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
Check out my blog:
Thoughts From Podunk
http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/