Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Please note I have a new phone number...

512-517-2708

Alan Maki

Alan Maki
Doing research at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

A program for real change...

http://peaceandsocialjustice.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-progressive-program-for-real-change.html


What we need is a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would make it a mandatory requirement that the president and Congress attain and maintain full employment.


"Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens"

- Ben Franklin

Let's talk...

Let's talk...

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

An alternative to Obama's Wall Street unconstitutional "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010"

I think this judge made the correct decision in finding Obama's "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010" as being unconstitutional.

I have been a vigorous supporter of single-payer universal health care as a first step towards a National Public Health Care System. In my opinion, the single-payer movement is dead.

It has died because so many people in this country are looking for a health care system that is:

* publicly financed,

* publicly administered, and

* publicly delivered.

People just are not gung-ho over private delivery of health care services. People resent the big money doctors have made off health care just like they resent the insurance and pharmaceutical companies making big profits and feeding at the public trough.

In my opinion what we need to do is start a labor-based people's party as an alternative to the Democratic Party and a National Public Health Care System (VA for all) should be the centerpiece of its program and platform.

Plus, single-payer would create around three-million jobs; a National Public Health Care System would create around ten-million new jobs.

We should push to phase in a National Public Health Care System beginning with Primary Health Care. 30,000 community health care centers providing free pre-natal to grave health care.

Financing would be very simple and could come from numerous sources from funds cut from war and military spending (remember the promises of "peace dividends") to taxing the wealthy and corporate profits or just a pay-roll tax like what finances Social Security--- or a combination of these.

Single-payer advocates complained that single-payer wasn't given a fair hearing; well, neither was a National Public Health Care System provided a fair hearing--- in fact it received no hearing at all.

No-fee/no-premium, comprehensive (pre-natal to death), all-inclusive (prescription drugs to eyes to general health care to mental), universal (everyone in, nobody out); publicly financed, publicly administered, publicly delivered.

There is nothing radical about: publicly financed, publicly administered, publicly delivered... isn't this the same way we our public schools operate?

If we can't trust the private sector to teach our children reading, writing, math and science; why would we trust the private sector with our health care?

Put doctors, nurses, all health care providers and the support network on the public payroll just like teachers and janitors in our public schools at the very same wages.

We already have three very fine public health care programs to build a National Public Health Care System from:

* VA (Veterans Administration)

* Indian Health Service

* National Public Health Service