Reform // Current

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12 days ago

UN calls for increased AID and WORLD financial reform

The United Nations adopted on Friday an outcome document at a high-level meeting on world financial and economic crisis, calling... more

Bigdog_mike
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Media ignore NYT poll that shows overwhelming public support for health care reform

The cable and network news outlets were especially guilty of turning away from the A1 Times story on Sunday. The survey indicated... more

WakeUpPeople
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China's Health Care System

I decided to look up China's health care system after reading an article in Scientific American about the long term effects... more

csmonut
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Repubs Attack Health Care Plan

this article may be elsewhere on Current, but I could not find it. Besides, this made me laugh. "Senate Majority Leader... more

csmonut
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Voters To Congress: What's Wrong With Single-Payer Health Care?

Give voters a voice in the debate over health care reform and they ask about the one thing most lawmakers decided from the start would not be considered: "Why not a single-payer program?"

That was by far the most popular question posed to members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Thursday night, when they took questions on the House floor that had been submitted and voted for online -- something of a first for Congress.

The question-and-answer hour was expected to focus on public health care options as part of a health care landscape that would still be dominated by private insurance companies. But online voters, who cast almost 30,000 votes at progressivecaucus.org between Tuesday night and Thursday, hijacked the session, demanding to know why a single-payer program is not being considered.

Though only five of more than 750 questions were chosen to be asked at the event, some proved far more popular than others. The top questions included how much influence the insurance companies have had on the reform debate and why the public can't have a level of health care comparable to that of the assembled congressmen.

"What is it going to take for you to WAKE UP and smell the catastrophe that for-profit healthcare is?" read the fifth most popular question, the last on the list asked of the caucus members.

The novelty of the forum created a sense of actual dialogue between the legislators and their constituents, said Darcy Burner, the executive director of the nonprofit Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation, which advises the caucus and organized the discussion.

"Part of what we're trying to do is help build relationships between members of Congress and the grassroots such that there is more mutual trust than exists right now, so it didn't surprise me at all that the questions were somewhat adversarial," she said.

The legislators overwhelmingly support a single-payer program, Burner said, but don't consider it feasible. At this point, they're pulling for "a robust public plan that will provide real competition," she said.

The Progressive Caucus includes some 71 House Democrats, but only four made it to Thursday night's session: Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who moderated the forum.

"For decades, Americans' calls for health care reform have fallen on deaf ears in Congress," Ellison said during the meeting. As for Ellison's missing colleagues, Burner blamed delays that kept them from starting before 9 p.m., but she lauded the participation of the four who attended. Both the foundation and the caucus will continue to press for greater interaction with the public, she said.

"It's the people's House. It'd be nice if the people had more input," Burner said. "The more people who are participating, I think, the more valuable the dialogue's going to be."Give voters a voice in the debate over health care reform and they ask about the one thing most lawmakers decided from the start... more

asherp
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18 responses

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1 month ago

Watch Obama Live: Obama Announces Health Care Reform

President Obama speaks on reforming the health care system.

south14
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1 response

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1 month ago

Private sector signs on for health care reform

President Obama will announce Monday that he has secured the commitment of several industry groups to do their part to rein in the... more

Ice_cream_Man
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13 responses

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2 months ago

Quotes by Mary Harris (Mother) Jones (1830-1930) American labor agitator

I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a... more

cyman01
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1 response

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3 months ago

Immigration reform: Will the climate ever be right?

Word that President Obama might pile comprehensive immigration reform onto his already-full plate reignited calls from some for an... more

ssnigg
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4 responses

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3 months ago

Obama offers hope to America's 12m illegal immigrants

Barack Obama is drawing up plans for comprehensive reform of immigration rules, offering hope to millions of illegal immigrants... more

bansheewail
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22 responses

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3 months ago

Obama to Push Immigration Reform Bill

President reportedly plans to address the thorny issue of immigration reform this year, including searching for a way for illegal... more

ClipsFC
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4 responses

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3 months ago

Mother seeking Daughter and Justice

Mother Seeking Daughter and Justice Mother Seeking Daughter & Daughter Seeking Mother Both Seeking JusticeIt is my... more

regjoeschmo
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1 response

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3 months ago

TSA Detains Ron Paul Campaigner at Lambert; Asks Him: "Are You

Remember that controversial memo Missouri officials circulated to law enforcement this February? You know, the one that lumped... more

regjoeschmo
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11 responses

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3 months ago

Child kidnapping/trafficking is alive and well in US court systems

Ted Gunderson Speech to Congressional Hearing on Child Protection 3/13/04 In this speech you will read of the similarities of... more

regjoeschmo
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4 responses

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3 months ago

Parental Rights: "A no-brainer"

Many, Many videos of Representative Hoekstra's speeches and reasonings behind why we NEED this amendment.

regjoeschmo
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1 response

added
3 months ago

False domestic violence accusations aren't only a boyfriend/girlfriend [or husband/wife] thing

My then-17 year old daughter was out of control. Sneaking out her bedroom window not once, but twice in the same night, with two different guys, more than once. Our neighbor finally told us what was going on; her bedroom is upstairs so I had no idea she could do this undetected.

She had no sense of responsibility whatsoever, did no chores, and her language was as vulgar as it gets.

When I tried to discipline her, she would threaten to call the police and “make an injury” on herself to blame on me. And one day, she made good on that promise.

I came home from shopping one Sunday to find three police cruisers in my driveway and my daughter standing amongst them with a big red welt-like mark on her neck. She’d told them I’d tried to strangle her. I later found out she’d taken her purse strap to make the “injury.” Incidentally, the reason she did this was because I removed a large bottle of rum from her bedroom and poured it out. I remember her saying, “Your ass is going to jail, just watch.”

I was in such shock that I could say little except, “This can’t be happening” and trying in vain to explain the situation to the cops. Then one said, “turn around” and I did and was promptly handcuffed and taken to jail.

I have NEVER laid a finger on any of our children, nor has my husband. He wasn’t at home at the time, and I cannot tell you how it felt to be in the back of a squad car going downtown for doing absolutely nothing wrong (save for raising a spoiled child.)

It was her word against mine, and for some reason, I lost. I received a simple assault charge and was given a year’s probation. When I returned home that night, she had this awful “told you so” smirk that made me wish I was back in the jail, for that’s what my home had become since she began her rule.

I haven’t the words to describe how this made me feel. All the way to the station, the cops driving me wondered aloud how I “could’ve done that to that sweet girl.” It was the stuff of nightmares.My then-17 year old daughter was out of control. Sneaking out her bedroom window not once, but twice in the same night, with two... more