Dennis Kucinich on the Ed Show and Greta's show.

"... what will happen? First, health costs will continue to skyrocket, even faster than they are now, as taxpayer dollars are pumped into the private sector. The response of payers — government and employers — will be to shrink benefits and increase deductibles and co-payments. Yes, more people will have insurance, but it will cover less and less, and be more expensive to use."

HR676 firmly establishes health care as a Civil Right, consistent with the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States and Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution which defines a purpose of government "to promote the General Welfare," now therefore, I HEREBY EXPRESS MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR HR676, SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR WHICH IT STANDS:

Short video and transcript. “The inequities in our economy are piling up: trillions for war, trillions for Wall Street and tens of billions for the insurance companies. Banks and other corporations are sitting on piles of cash of taxpayer’s money while firing workers, cutting pay and denying small businesses money to survive."

“Many years ago, people in states across America planted the seeds of single payer health care. Those seeds have sprouted and borne fruit where powerful state citizens’ movements exist to create not-for-profit health care. This led to passage of an amendment to the Health Care bill which protected the rights of states to pursue single payer. Unfortunately that amendment was taken out of the bill, and we must try to get it into the conference report."

Today we journey from Operation Cast Lead to Operation Cast Doubt. Almost as serious as committing war crimes is covering up war crimes, pretending that war crimes were never committed and did not exist. ...Because behind every such deception is the nullification of humanity, the destruction of human dignity, the annihilation of the human spirit, the triumph of Orwellian thinking, the eternal prison of the dark heart of the totalitarian. ...The resolution before us today, which would reject all attempts of the Goldstone Report to fix responsibility of all parties to war crimes, including both Hamas and Israel, may as well be called the "Down is Up, Night is Day, Wrong is Right" resolution.

Congressman Kucninich, as we've come to expect, hits the nail on the head about the current health care reform debacle.

Plus video. "Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement about the House health care plan on the floor of the House of Representatives: “Even though insurance companies make money not providing health care, the so-called reform bill gives so much power and money to the insurance companies that we are giving far too much for the few benefits which the bill may confer. “The insurance companies get at least another 26 million customers."

This is a letter that will be sent to the Democratic Party leadership and the Managers of the House health insurance bill: "...Please re-instate the Kucinich Amendment in HR 3692 so the federal government does not block states from enacting what they believe is best for their residents."

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) was none too happy when House leaders stripped his single-payer provision from their $894 billion health reform proposal. Today, he’s urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to reinstate it. “Like many other important reforms included in the underlying bill, the Kucinich amendment is the object of attack by the insurance industry,” Kucinich wrote in a letter. “Unlike other reform measures, Leadership has chosen to strip the Kucinich amendment of the protection it deserves.” Kucinich’s provision, which would allow states to set up single-payer health care systems modeled after Medicare, passed the House Education and Labor Committee in July, but was stripped out by Democratic leaders as they pieced together their final bill from the various committee proposals. Kucinich concedes that the provision represents “incremental reform.” “But,” he adds, “it allows the country to move incrementally in the direction that is needed.” If Education and Labor Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) is right about there being no floor amendments, this plea could be Kucinich’s last shot. Update (4:46 p.m.): Democratic Reps John Conyers (Mich.), Eric Massa (N.Y.), Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii), Janice Schakowsky (Ill.), Lynn Woolsey (Calif.) and Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) have also signed the letter.

Kucinich on New Health Care Bill: ‘Is This the Best We Can Do?’ “Is this the best we can do? Forcing people to buy private health insurance, guaranteeing at least $50 billion in new business for the insurance companies? “Is this the best we can do? Government negotiates rates which will drive up insurance costs, but the government won’t negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies which will drive up pharmaceutical costs.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich explains on The Ed Show how a state-level single-payer admendment (which PASSED in the House Committee on Education and Labor) was STRIPPED from the current health care bill. (with Video)

The political system is failing the American people. Money for Wall Street, not for Main Street. Money for War, not for Peace. Money to move jobs out of America, not to create new jobs here. Money for insurance companies, but what about the people? While 47 million uninsured wait for an answer, and another 50 million underinsured stand by, Americans are losing their jobs, their homes, their health care, their retirement security. How long can people wait for help? I am asking you to continue to join me in the push to have a state single payer amendment in the health care bill. Whatever passes the Congress will be insufficient to meet the broad based health care needs of the American people, which is why it is important to give the states the option to move toward single payer. Call your representative now and demand that the Kucinich state single payer amendment remain in the bill.

Because he actually acts like one. Voted YES on keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore. Voted YES on investigating Bush impeachment for lying about Iraq. Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. Voted NO on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date. Voted NO on authorizing military force in Iraq. Voted NO on passage of the Bush Administration national energy policy. Voted YES on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels. Voted YES on prohibiting oil drilling & development in ANWR. Voted YES on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol. Voted YES on assisting workers who lose jobs due to globalization. Voted YES on requiring lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations. Voted YES on protecting whistleblowers from employer recrimination. Voted YES on giving mental health full equity with physical health. Voted NO on denying non-emergency treatment for lack of Medicare co-pay. Voted NO on limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 damages. ---- article continues...

A lesson in politics. The Kucinich Prediction: Here's what's going to happen ...

Was 30 million new mandated insurance customers the change that was voted for?

Dear Friends, There is only one true health care public option: Single payer. It covers everyone, all basic health care needs, with doctor of choice. No more premiums, co-pays or deductibles. All health care assets in America would become not-for-profit. The bill already exists. It is HR 676. Congressman John Conyers and I wrote the bill. Our bill has the support of 85 co-sponsors in the House. And it is backed by a growing national movement of labor, doctors, and nurses. The movement needs you. Please join me for tomorrow’s national conference call at 10:00pm EDT. Please call toll-free 1-800-230-1096.

How long can the bosses keep the plants and offices open if workers don't show up? How long would this country's economy function if workers were to walk out? You know the answer. Perhaps it's time that we remind the bosses, bankster frauds and politicos what the answer is.

“…today’s Medicare is the only solid rock in a sea of deteriorating health insurance coverage,” write John Geyman and Deborah Burger in the Star-Ledger. The universal Single Payer Plan, expanded Medicare for all, seems the most efficient, sanest and fairest choice for health care reform. I fear a compromised “public option” would prove to be a Trojan Horse for further opportunistic profiteering by health care and drug corporations, engineered by their vast number of political well-rewarded cronies. I know that given Obama’s and most of Congress’ “off the table” stance on the Single Payer Plan, it seems to have the proverbial snowball’s chance for implementation in its true and vital form.

Dennis goes on the Ed Show and explains why we should be supporting HR 676. I liked that Ed did a 5 second cooling off for the 'left of the left' bs the administration spouted.