Today, finally, this is a hot topic. It has reached the attention of the mainstream media, enough that they are covering it in depth, interviewing politicians and citizens alike.
It should have been passed over a decade ago, when my heroes, the Clintons, tried to move it forward in a spurt of optimism. Back then I was working for a major pharmaceutical company, on one of the executive floors, a few levels below the CEO. I’ll never forget the meetings, the stress and finally, the cheers and joy of the executives when they defeated Hillary-care. I still clearly remember it even today. I’ll never forget the VP of Corporate Affairs power-walking down the aisle of the department, arms up doing his victory lap.
As much as that cockiness bothered me, I had little idea of the major impact some of these corporations had on our healthcare. I was still a young 20-something starting a career in the corporate world.
Today, having left corporate America, having learned so much, seen so much, I look back and take responsibility for the time I was there, doing my part to support a company that got richer and richer, fatter and fatter, at the expense of the sick. Today I feel is my duty to insure this doesn’t happen again.
Today, after 8 years of horrendous mismanagement of our country, a new administration is trying to clean up, while at the same time setting up new systems to insure the abuses of the last administration won’t be repeated.
Optimistic, Mr. Obama and a few of his political allies, are again, up against a very thick wall of refusal, financed by corporate giants who either don’t want change, or whatever change happens, that it benefits them, again ignoring the welfare of the average citizen and only focusing on their profits.
President Obama at Healthcare Roundtable
Mr. Obama and his administration, however, have a few more odds stacked on their favor this time around. For one, millions of us, who were not paying attention the first time around, sure are paying attention now. What’s more costs have become prohibitive, to the point it’s raised alarm at the national level because it’s even affecting some of these corporate giants.
This is the time to finally enable healthcare access for all. This is NOT socialized medicine, like the fearmongering corporations would like you to believe. Look out for those “citizen” groups behind the disinformation.
Find out who’s funding them. Let’s inform ourselves and not let hype dictate our decisions.
Let’s address those misleading commercials.
First the one of the $600 hammer, theorizing that bureocrats will be making medical decisions (or hinting at misdecisions) when it comes to our medical care. Give me a break! What about the HMOs today??? They’ve been running people’s healthcare for years, mismanaging people’s health and turning them down for necessary treatments. Why aren’t the commercials talking about that? Could we even theorize that some of those same companies are behind those commercials?
The other one, showing one anecdote from a woman in Canada who had a brain tumor. She says she was told to wait 6 months and she came here looking for healthcare. The question I have for her was, were you one of the people who was able to afford it? Can your fellow Canadians afford it too? Or did you just walk into an ER and benefitted from the “free” services the rest of us pay for in taxes anyway? I would also ask her what do the millions of other Canadian citizens have to say about their healthcare. Are we going to use the opinion of just one person?
These misleading commercials shouldn’t deter us from reading up, researching the issues and pushing forward to get this hugely important bill passed. Over a decade ago it was the Harry and Louise commercials. Are we going to let commercials deter us again? Remember those commercials ARE NOT cheap. Someone is funding them, and I bet you it is not your average citizen.
What I urge all of us to do, as citizens, is to contact your congressperson, your senator, call their office, tweet them, write to them, hound them and let them know you want this bill passed.
Next, we need to research who is FUNDING the campaigns of our politicians. Let’s start looking up who is paying who and let’s out them.
As I find this information I’ll start posting here. I encourage you to either tweet me (@MariaNYC) or write to me at: TwitterDenizen@Gmail.com, with the information you find.
Let’s keep tabs on these “decision makers” who are supposed to represent us, the people, and not the lobbysts, who line their pockets so they can remain in power.
Let’s unite as citizens (even if you’re a non-citizen) and pressure our representatives in Washington, to make a decision for the people, and not for the corporations.
P.S. I just found a great website that lists all the funding for all congress members. Check it out:
http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php
