Stop the Governator's Horrifying Budget Cuts

EMAIL FROM CREDO ACTION:

When Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the budget on Tuesday, he used his line-item veto power to slash millions of dollars of funding for children's health care services, HIV/AIDS testing and prevention, domestic violence shelters, and many other core programs.

If these cuts are allowed to take effect, the consequences will be brutal and long-lasting.

The only sure-fire way to stop these cuts is for the Legislature to override the governor's vetoes.

But rather than deal with this issue, the Legislature went on vacation.

It's no time for our legislators to take a vacation. Tell Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President pro tempore Darrell Steinberg to call a veto override vote immediately.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/ca_override/?r_by=5248-1606812-YTOgMrx&rc=paste

Thanks!

For-Profit Health Insurance: Nothing Short of Murder

When I turned 25 this year, I was kicked off my father’s health insurance policy (they are still charging him the monthly premium even though I am not covered). I live paycheck to paycheck and can no more afford a monthly insurance premium of several hundred dollars than I can a one-time payment of the same amount for medical care.

http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/

With all of Obama’s pretty promises, I had high hopes that we would finally establish a Universal healthcare system in the United States – the last industrialized nation in the world to remain in the clutches of a for-profit system.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/29-6

What happened to the America that always strove to be at the forefront of innovation? Sure, the examples we have of so-called “socialized medicine” have their shortcomings, but are we as Americans so frightened of confronting those issues that we would prefer to keep dealing with the same problems over and over?

We should be excited! Here we have an opportunity to turn ourselves around and become the Greatest Nation on Earth once more! Instead of pointing to the problems that other countries experience as reasons not to even try a new direction, we can figure out the solutions to those problems so that America’s new healthcare system will be the best in the world! Then, people from other countries will come to America for treatment – unlike today, where we see hundreds of thousands of people going abroad for surgery and other treatments annually.

http://www.miamiherald.com/539/story/256204.html

***

Recently, I was discussing the healthcare issue with a staunch Libertarian – Libertarians being, in essence, Republicans who want to legalize drugs. Key to Libertarianism is the unwavering worship of the free market. Citing isolated examples of free market successes and blithely ignoring all evidence to the contrary, Libertarians maintain that less regulation (preferably NO regulation) unfailingly leads to better service and more innovation.

http://www.lp.org/

http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html

This particular individual is a highly educated professor at UC Santa Barbara, a man who does ample research and gives much thought to his opinions. He actually had me going for a while, arguing that the reason healthcare is so expensive is because Congress passed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover cancer treatment. Somehow, in his mind, this does not count as evidence that we should implement Universal healthcare. Yet the cost of cancer treatment would not be so much of an issue were it not for the 30% profit margin that allows insurance giants to pay their CEO’s insanely high numbers in annual salary and bonuses. Consider Ron Williams of Aetna, who took home a total compensation package of over $24 million in 2008.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/26/735411/-Health-insurance-industry-CEO-salary-survey,-stay-calm-for-this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5690433

http://blogs.webmd.com/mad-about-medicine/2007/08/ceo-compensation-who-said-healthcare-is.html

Eliminating the profit motive would also eliminate the motivation to pay six-figure bonuses to employees who search the health records of people requesting treatments for any reason to deny care. As heart-wrenchingly illustrated in Michael Moore’s documentary, “Sicko”, people have died because of these practices. That alone should be reason enough to put an end to it.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/index.html

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6145

http://www.theledger.com/article/20090714/NEWS/907145003/1037/EDIT02?Title=Too-Many-Patients-Die-Because-Health-Care-Coverage-Is-Denied

The professor’s next argument was that without a profit motive, there would be an end to innovation. At first, the argument makes sense. Why invest in research and development when there is not even a chance of recouping the money through profitable operations?
What the professor, and others who share this view, fail to consider is that INSURANCE COMPANIES DO NOT MANUFACTURE MEDICINE NOR EQUIPMENT. Furthermore, the issue of financial compensation is easily addressed by offering government grants for research expenses. Besides that, there is absolutely no reason that a private company would not be competitive in offering for sale advanced medical technology from a for-profit position. A single-payer system merely protects the recipients of care from being grossly overcharged for the sake of profit, while ensuring that every person has access to care when needed. Private companies can still remain profitable, they just won’t be able to compensate their CEO’s such egregiously large amounts. As for the argument that those sums are necessary to retain the skills of those CEO’s – and this goes for ALL grossly overpaid CEO’s – I refuse to believe that the world is so starved for intelligent businessmen that $1 to 5 million a year would not attract a perfectly brilliant, innovative and COMPASSIONATE leader.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2009/02/24/health-buzz-obamas-push-for-healthcare-reform-and-other-health-news/comments/#3708665

Legislation forcing people to purchase overpriced healthcare from for-profit companies is not a solution, and I find it insulting that the concept is even on the table. Eliminating regulations is not a solution. History has proven over and over again that when left to their own devices, for-profit companies rarely choose a path of innovation, honesty and consideration for the value of life. In the sad majority of cases, we see profit-motivated corruption overtake even the best of intentions, replacing innovation with cheap shortcuts, honesty with secrecy, and consideration for life with exploitation.

The healthcare industry is no exception. PROFIT demands the denial of expensive treatments to those who require the treatment to live. GREED motivates CEO’s to create a structure that funnels money out of the pockets of the populous and into the wallets of the wealthy – namely, themselves.

COMPASSION asks that we recognize the worth of each individual life as a piece of God, and treat each other accordingly. Jesus said that as we treat the lowliest among us, we treat Him. I am not a Christian but I do recognize the value of Jesus’ teachings. And what Jesus is saying is that the spark of life IS God, therefore every living person should have our respect as if they WERE God.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_did_Jesus_teach_people_about_how_you_should_treat_your_fellow_humans

Living from that perspective can free us from ALL of our suffering. We don’t HAVE to wait until we die to experience peace and bliss; we just have to accept the responsibility each of us has to truly live a life of love. That’s what Jesus recommended for us. These are my ideals. It’s nuanced, and I certainly don’t live up to it all the time. But I hold in my mind a picture of how it should be, and figure out how to create it as I go.

All great change starts with a mere idea. Our (once) great nation was founded on a grand ideal. Who invented the telephone? An American. Who invented the automobile? An American. Who invented the airplane? The rocket ship? The atom bomb? AMERICANS. Americans can reinvent the world. Young Americans, this is OUR time to shine. This is our time to stand up and create a new reality – create a future where we can ALL THRIVE.

This is OUR WORLD – let’s make it a world that supports EVERYONE.

Who Needs Food Safety When We Have Cloned Corn?

In response to the email alert I posted a little while ago, I've called Representative Henry Waxman, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Senator Barbara Boxer to share my thoughts about HR 2749. If this is the same bill I heard about a few months ago, and I believe it is, the law would require farms to purchase expensive microchip tracking systems for its animals. The theory behind it is that tracking the animals will reveal sources of contamination and help prevent food poisoning. The problem? Giant factory farms, already the proven sources of most if not all of our food safety issues, are EXEMPT. They can use one chip for an entire herd -- which OBVIOUSLY defeats the entire purpose of the plan. Besides that, what good is microchipping animals if we don't require the farms to operate under strict safety standards?

History has proven that when former executives of corporations are responsible for enforcing regulations in their industry, the laws are NOT enforced and the problems stay the same or get worse. The latest so-called food safety bill, HR 2749, is no different. With a former Vice President of Monsanto (the corporation responsible for the genetically modified foods that most of us are eating unknowingly and therefore unwillingly) heading up the FDA Food Safety task force, we can be certain that factory farms will be allowed to continue producing unsafe food in filthy conditions, while small farms that supply wholesome food will be driven out of business by unrealistic regulations that do nothing to actually improve food safety.

HR 2749 is a boon to giant corporations and leaves concern for the lives of consumers in the hands of a person who is obviously committed to the interests of corporations like Monsanto. We cannot allow this corruption to continue any longer. Politicians pay lip service to the issues and take no action to make any real changes; meanwhile, people are dying from completely preventable causes.

Under Obama, Corruption Still Flourishes

An email alert I received today:

Announcing The Most Powerful People's Advocacy Tool EVER!!

The word we are getting is that our "good for nothing but photo-ops
and grandstanding" Congress may try to sneak through HR 2749 real
fast, the latest phony food safety bill on a suspension of rules any
day. Yes, we do need to take action to protect our food safety. But,
no, this bill does absolutely nothing to identify or address the real
problems. And by NOT addressing the real problems it can only do more
harm than good.

But we now launching an incredibly powerful new advocacy tool,
especially for the fight against HR 2749, and to stop all such future
lunacy in its tracks, the People's Phone Lobby interface. It's so
simple to use, just go to the page below and call your members of
Congress and there is even a link to give you all their direct
congressional and local district office phone numbers.

HR 2749 People's Phone Lobby:
http://www.peaceteam.net/lobby.php?bill=HR2749

Then when you speak to the staffers in your congressional offices,
you don't JUST tell them your position, first you ASK them for their
position. Are they supporting HR 2749 or not? And THEN you give them
your position and MAKE them defend theirs if they do not agree with
us, that HR 2749 is just more very bad news, another deceptively
titled bill that in fact does the opposite of what it purports to be
about, assuming it is anything besides totally worthless.

Why is this such a powerful new approach?? Because when you go to the
link above and record your notes of your phone calls with your
members of Congress, it becomes a permanent public record of just how
many of us are calling, and just how many of them are trying to
completely ignore the voice of the people, that any of their
constituents can go out and read for themselves.

To protect your privacy, the record you make of your conversations
with them will only display your initials and your city and state on
this new blogging site. But then ANYONE can see for themselves the
real numbers as to how many of us are demanding real change, and
which members of Congress think our calls can just go in one ear and
out the other. Go to the page below and put it to work for you and
your family now.

HR 2749 People's Phone Lobby:
http://www.peaceteam.net/lobby.php?bill=HR2749

In fact, this is basically just what the corporate lobbyists do
behind our backs day in and day out and all night too. They jam
members of Congress about their positions on bills. And if they
aren't falling in line they apply pressure. But now with this
revolutionary logging tool, we can jam them right back. Why, we can
see them huddled in small groups in their cloakrooms even now,
talking about, "OMG, the people are on to us!!"

The fact is that a REAL food safety bill would be easy to write.
Provision one, force the filthy factory farms, which are breeding all
the antibiotic resistant bacteria and mutating viruses now, to clean
up their act. And JUST the big factory farms, not the small, healthy
organic farms that are the backbone of our real food safety.

Provision two, ban all ban GMOs until AFFIRMATIVELY proven safe and
require full disclosure labeling of all such products, cows shot up
with bovine growth hormone, etc. Of course, GMOs can never be proven
safe because they AREN'T. Rats fed GMO soybeans get sick and die!
That's right, they wouldn't feed this stuff to rats, but they want to
give it to our children.

So Congress having gotten the directive from the corporate special
interests that put profit ahead of our real food safety, a directive
to IGNORE the real problems and look somewhere else, along comes HR
2749, which lacks even a preamble to identify why the bill even
needed to be written in the first place, or what exactly it is
intended to correct.

Instead, ALL HR 2749 does is grant the FDA expansive and
unprecedented new POLICE powers to the FDA with no guidance of
congresional intent as to how that power should be exercised. And who
will be the administrators wielding this awesome new and truly
frightening power, you ask? Why, President Obama just appointed a
former Monsanto VP to oversee the FDA food safety group. There's a
example for you. What a coinky-dink!!

Remember when Obama told us not to worry (because HE was the
"decider") about all the drop dead creeps he was appointing to
government administrative positions, the worst of the worst, the SAME
people who were under all the rocks in the Bush administration? So
what happens when THOSE same people are making all the real policy
decisions because Congress has totally abdicated it's policy making
function? Well ... we get wolves in sheep's clothing legislation put
forward like HR 2749. It MUST be stopped.

And by getting on the phones now and making a public record of all
our calls at the page below, we can generate so much bad PR for
members of Congress who won't listen to the people, that even the
most tone deaf of them will have to start dancing eventually. So
let's get it started, and show the whole country how many tens and
hundreds of thousands of us are on to them.

HR 2749 People's Phone Lobby:
http://www.peaceteam.net/lobby.php?bill=HR2749

The problem with food safety is NOT that the FDA doesn't have enough
Gestapo like police power to harass small farming operations. The
problem is that the FDA is perversely determined not to look at the
real source of all the filth in our food supply, and Congress is
doing nothing by way oversight to make them do it. And HR 2749 just
gives more powerful weapons to people who can't be trusted to use
responsibly the ones they already have.

And yes, you can also respond to this action through the new Twitter
gateway. Just send the following Twitter reply, and add any personal
comment you like.

@cxs #p996

And if you want a step by step explanation of how to set up the
Twitter thing here is the link for that.

Twitter Activism Step-By-Step: http://tcxs.net/step_by_step.php

Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.

If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
http://www.peaceteam.net/in.htm

Military Lets Down Its Members, Again

Obviously, it's a much bigger deal that we don't provide the members of our military with proper protection in combat zones; soldiers whose tours of duty are cut short after injury in the field are asked to return their signing bonuses; and the way we treat veterans is deplorable. However, I wanted to share a little story which is indicative of the utter disregard afforded the brave men and women of our armed forces on all levels.

I work for a moving company, and today I spoke with a very nice lady living in Northern California who needed to move to San Diego. She and her husband are both in the military and have been separated for the last 4 years due to orders which kept her in NorCali and her husband in San Diego. Now her orders are to move down to San Diego with her husband; however, the army or whichever branch she belongs to only budgeted for a local move.

Their logic apparently is that since her husband already lives in San Diego, and she is moving into San Diego, that it is a local move. Nevermind that it's like 700 miles away.

So, even though the military has ordered her to move, she will probably have to take out a loan to make up the difference between what the army will pay and the actual cost of the move. I asked her if she could contact someone to explain the situation and get them to modify the allotted amount, but she said "orders are orders." WTF. Good thing I never joined the Air Force -- I would have gotten kicked out for sure! Anyway, the point is that the military establishment routinely gives individual soldiers the short end of the stick, whether it is a mundane issue like moving costs or a life-or-death issue like proper body armor. This is NOT okay.

Fox News Correspondents Provide Aid and Comfort to the Enemy

We all know Fox News is just a thinly veiled avenue for corporate propoganda and warmongering. Okay, some of us think Fox News is actual news (I believe this segment of society is normally referred to as ignorami, not to be confused with the Illuminati). But recently, high-profile representatives at Fox News took it to another level.

Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl went missing from his post on July 2nd. Later, the Taliban released a video of captive Bergdahl in which the obviously shaken soldier made scripted comments encouraging the U.S. to vacate the region.

Fox News military correspondent Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters responded to the situation by calling Bergdahl a deserter and suggesting that the Taliban should go ahead and murder their hostage. The Pentagon has publicly condemned the Lt. Colonel's comments as "providing aid and comfort to the enemy". Peters then went on The O'Reilly Factor and restated his wildly offensive opinion. Peters actually asserted that Private Bergdahl is a liar and that he was drunk and abandoned his post and suggested that perhaps Bergdahl had willingly joined the ranks of the Taliban.

Another despicable right-wing lunatic to add to the Treason pile.


Links:

http://chattahbox.com/us/2009/07/24/will-fox-news-fire-bill-o%E2%80%99reilly-and-peters-for-giving-%E2%80%9Caid-and-comfort%E2%80%9D-to-the-enemy/

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/20/ralph-peters-kill-soldier/

Key Vote on Healthcare Reform Friday -- Call Your Representatives!

At last night's press conference on healthcare, President Obama shocked the media with a very inconvenient truth:

"I want to cover everybody. Now, the truth is that, unless you have a single-payer system, in which everybody is automatically covered, then you're probably not going to reach every single individual."

So why won't our elected Democrats in Washington fight for a single-payer system that will cover everyone? Especially when it's the only system that will actually save money by eliminating 30% in utterly wasted overhead from greedy insurance giants?

A dedicated group of 86 Democrats are fighting for single-payer ( H.R. 676 ), and they need our help today.

The battle over single-payer is in the House Energy & Commerce Committee (E&C). The committee was supposed to vote on Rep. Anthony Weiner's single-payer amendment on Monday, but chairman Henry Waxman keeps postponing the vote because it might pass - just like the Kucinich Amendment for a single-payer state option passed on July 17 by a shocking 25-19 bi-partisan majority.

Lean Yes Diana DeGette CO01 202-225-4431 Jane Harman CA36 202-225-8220 Christopher Murphy CT05 202-225-4476 Frank Pallone NJ06 202-225-4671 @FrankPallone Bobby Rush IL01 202-225-4372 Peter Welch VT00 202-225-4115

Today we're told the vote could be tomorrow ( Friday ). This week we asked our 600,000 supporters to call all 35 Democrats. Based on your calls, we identified 7 solid yes and 6 more lean yes:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-committee-whip

Can you call the 6 lean yes and convince them to become solid yes on Rep. Anthony Weiner's single-payer amendment in the Energy & Commerce Committee?

Won't Say / "Not Enought Votes" Rick Boucher VA09 202-225-3861 Bruce Braley IA01 202-225-2911 G.K. Butterfield NC01 202-225-3101 Lois Capps CA23 202-225-3601 Kathy Castor FL11 202-225-3376 John Dingell MI15 202-225-4071 Charles Gonzalez TX20 202-225-3236 Gene Green TX29 202-225-1688 Jay Inslee WA01 202-225-6311 @RepInsleeNews Doris Matsui CA05 202-225-7163 Jerry McNerney CA11 202-225-1947 John Sarbanes MD03 202-225-4016 Bart Stupak MI01 202-225-4735 Betty Sutton OH13 202-225-3401 Henry Waxman (Chair) CA30 202-225-3976

Hill staffers privately tell us your calls are "very helpful." Please post a comment about your calls so we can update our whip list here:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-committee-whip

In addition, these 15 Democrats won't say whether they support single-payer, or claim there aren't enough votes for it to pass. But if they all vote for it, it will pass! See if you can convince them.

Also, be sure to send our Single Payer petition to your Representatives, and forward it to everyone you know who needs and deserves better healthcare:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-petition?cid=ZGVtczMzNzY1N2RlbXM=

And finally if you can be in DC on Thursday July 30, join us to celebrate the 44th birthday of Medicare and rally/lobby for single-payer:
http://www.democrats.com/node/19877

Thanks for all you do!

Bob Fertik

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Thank Supporters of True Healthcare Reform

Email from Russ Feingold:

Christel -

I've got great news. Recently, the Senate HELP Committee passed the Affordable Health Choice Act which includes giving everyone in America the choice of a strong public option.

The pressure is working! We would be nowhere on this important legislation without your continued hard work and dedication putting the pressure on your elected officials through phone calls, petition deliveries, and local actions.

Now, I've teamed up with Democracy for America to thank Senator Kennedy and his colleagues on the HELP Committee for their commitment to real reform. Help me send a clear message to my colleagues that when Senate Democrats stand up and lead, Americans won't forget. Will you join me today?

THANK SENATE DEMOCRATS ON THE H.E.L.P. COMMITTEE
FOR THEIR HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP

Twelve colleagues put this bill together under the leadership of Senator Kennedy with help from Senator Dodd. Here's the whole list so we all know who they are:

Edward Kennedy (MA) - Christopher Dodd (CT)
Tom Harkin (IA) - Barbara A. Mikulski (MD)
Jeff Bingaman (NM) - Patty Murray (WA)
Jack Reed (RI) - Bernard Sanders (VT)
Sherrod Brown (OH) - Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA)
Kay Hagan (NC) - Jeff Merkley (OR)

I'm not interested in passing a bill in name only, and neither are my Democratic colleagues on the HELP Committee. Every American deserves the right to quality healthcare and allowing Americans to choose a strong public healthcare option will help ensure that for all of us.

This fight for real reform is far from over. Please add your name to our thank you and remind Senate Democrats that when we stand with the American people, the American people will stand up for us.

JOIN ME -- ADD YOUR NAME NOW

Insurance industry executives and special interests shouldn't rule the debate, and they shouldn't rule decisions about the kind of health care your family needs. The Affordable Health Choice Act is the first step towards giving families a choice, and making sure that all Americans are covered.

So keep the pressure up. We need to hear from you. All of us in Congress need to hear from all of you. There is too much at stake to sit at home hoping for change. It's up to each of us to work together to make change happen.

Thank you, Christel, for all of your hard work.

Sincerely,

-Russ

Russ Feingold
United States Senator

Racial Discrimination or Rowdy Kids?

Last week, I got an email alert from one of the progressive news subscriptions that clog my inbox daily, claiming a group of African American kids were turned away from a community pool in a predominantly white area, because they were black. At first I thought, this must be a misunderstanding. Surely the kids were kicked out for being too rowdy or something.

Here is what I found:

An article by Karen Araiza at nbcphiladelphia.com seemed to confirm the claims of racial discrimination. The kids at Creative Steps Day Camp had (collectively) paid $1,900 for a membership at Valley Swim Club in Philadelphia. When the African American kids from the camp got in the water on their very first day, all of the white kids immediately left the pool. Caucasian club members were overheard making racial comments. According to one of the parents, pool attendants then told the kids that minorities were not allowed at the club and they had to leave. The next day, their membership was suspended.

A later article carried and official statement and rebuttals from members of the swim club. Members insisted that their issue was with overcrowding of the pool; one said she paid for a private swim club and she basically felt that giving memberships to summer camps made it not such a private experience. Maybe it has "nothing to do with race," or maybe she is justifying; maybe she doesn't even realize that she is subtly racist. Whatever the case, it is difficult to justify a statement like the one given by Valley Swim Club President John Duesler: "There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club." Sounds like racism to me.

Sign the petition: http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/

Links:

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pool-Boots-Kids-Who-Might-Change-the-Complexion.html

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Swim-Club-Members-Nothing-to-Do-With-Race.html

http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/07/60-black-kids-booted-from-philly-pool-for-being-black-speak-out/

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/9/751578/-Valley-Swim-Club:-Day-Two-%5BACTION-Alert%5D

"Section 1981 Summary," Employment Law Information Network
http://www.elinfonet.com/1981sum.php

Tool of the Day: Senator Max Baucus

No time to comment at the moment (but just wait until I can afford to have internet access at home so I don't have to blog surreptitiously at work!)....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072003363.html

Break Obama, Break the Nation

Today I received an email alert from one of the many progressive groups to which I subscribe:

Christel -- Last week, Republican Senator Jim DeMint made it pretty clear why the opponents of health care reform are fighting so hard. As he told a special interest attack group, "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him." Here's how the President responded: Think about that. This isn't about me. This isn't about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses and breaking America's economy. And we can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time, not now. There are too many lives and livelihoods at stake. With Congress only days away from finalizing their plans for reform, it's time to stand up with the President and fight back against this disastrous brand of old-style politics. So we need as many people as possible to publicly support the President's principles for health care reform and call on Congress to act. Before the first full votes in Congress, we'll publish the signatures in newspaper ads across the nation, to make sure your voice is heard. Watch President Obama's full response, then add your name in support of reform. Or if you've already signed, please forward this message to every one of your friends and neighbors so they can join you. The President is more dedicated than ever to passing health care reform that satisfies the three requirements he's been talking about for months: Health care reform must reduce costs, guarantee choice -- including the choice of a strong public insurance option -- and ensure all Americans have quality, affordable health care. If we do not reform our broken health care system this year, we will only shackle future generations with spiraling costs and deteriorating care. The cost of inaction is simply more than this country can afford. But the special interests who profit from the status quo won't go down without a fight. The ads, the smears, and the attacks -- targeting both President Obama and members of Congress who support reform -- will only get worse. So it's crucial that we show huge backing before Congress finalizes their plans this month. Stand with President Obama on health care reform: http://my.barackobama.com/hcdeclare Thanks for standing up for change. Thanks, Mitch Mitch Stewart Director Organizing for America

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Regarding Gay Marriage

I really don't care whether they call it civil union or marriage. As long as all of the rights are the same under the law, let the religious people have their word. What's the point of fighting over it? I know it's like the whole "separate-but-equal" thing, but then again it isn't because again if all the rights are the same then who cares?

I think that the people on both sides who are clutching the word "marriage" to their chests are wasting so much energy on something that does not need to be such a big deal. As if the word you use defines the experience you have.... If I ever fall in love with a woman so much that I would want to sign a legal contract with her, I don't think I would care what we call it. Then again, maybe I wouldn't know without being in that position......

At any rate, those who think that the word "marriage" should only apply to spiritual and legal commitments between a man and a woman, are just being petty. The problem is, they don't realize it.