See Thru Buffalo

Over drinks with some friends last night we started talking about the Ellicott District Council seat that is up for grabs in Buffalo. And the question that came up over and over again was – how does this work? Who actually has the power to decide who gets to fill the seat of what is, arguably, one of the most important Council districts in the City of Buffalo. (Since so much of the development in Buffalo is situated in the Ellicott District).

Yes, Mickey Kearns authored and was able to pass a law in 2006 that says when a Council seat is vacated that seat has to be posted on the website for 5 days and applications and letters of intent then have to be entertained from all members of the same party and same district that wish to apply. Those applicants then will go before the Council to be vetted in a public hearing. Well, that sounds about right. But questions still remain? Who looks over and decides which of these applicants is actually eligible? Do we get to see a list of all those who apply? What about their resumes? How long will the vacancy be posted, it only says a minimum of 5 days – can it be up for longer and who will decide? When will they go before the Council? And most importantly when does this process happen in relationship to the other, even murkier, side of the coin?

Before the 2006 law it has always been tradition, though not legally binding in the Charter, that the Committeemembers of the party from which the vacating member hailed would get together and make a recommendation to the Council and the Council would then rubber stamp that nominee. I guess this is how it has “always” happened. Now, this is Buffalo here folks – the land of “don’t change anything – ever”. Tradition is is not just a word, it is the entire 10 commandments of the City. So we have to assume that once again, in this case the Democratic Committeemembers of the Ellicott District, will make a recommendation and the Council will rubber stamp.

But how do we know anything about the decision leading up to the recommendation? Who are these Committeemembers? How do candidates reach out to them to ask for their vote? We do know that by Erie County Democratic Committee rules that the vote is weighted to the turnout by election district in the most recent Gubenatorial general election – so which Committeemembers have a bigger vote? Who is being considered and what do their resumes look like? Can other candidates be suggested or is it a closed process? Will their be a ballot vote and will the vote totals be released? When will this happen?

Yes, the Democratic Party is a private entity – for members only and in this case only the Committee members of the Ellicott District. But if they are going to give us a nominee that (though not legally binding) will in great likelihood be chosen as the new Ellicott District Council Member doesn’t that give us, the public, a right to know more about the process?

You know, usually no one but political junkies would care. But this seat, this Council, has been tainted. Buffalo politics, especially at the Council level, are often in gridlock. We are in a continuing economic crisis but we have huge possibilities for positive change looming on the horizon. Asking for transparency about the process and a public vetting of the candidates for the seat could help restore confidence in the system again. It could shine a light on how things are done and give the public a front row seat to this person that has the potential to build or burn bridges at City Hall.

I vote for bridges built in the light of day – but I can’t find a place to cast that vote.

The Long and Winding Road to Health Care

Often when we travel down a long road, especially a path on a difficult journey, we neglect to look back to see how far we have come.

In the fight for Health Care Reform now is a good time to evaluate the road ahead by looking backwards and celebrating our tremendous accomplishments.

It’s been almost 80 years since the conversation started about providing quality, affordable health insurance to every American. The debate has crossed party lines, it has been waged over numerous administrations and in the halls of Congress as members have come and gone. But never before have we won a vote on legislation, until 2009.

At this point we have passed comprehensive health insurance reform with some changes that lay the groundwork for health care reform from 5 committees in Congress – 2 in the Senate, 3 in the House. But the biggest victory to date is the passage, by the entire House of Representatives, of a bill!

And despite the narrow margin of victory and some compromises that had to be given up to eek out the vote, it contains a public option, it holds the line on what the private health insurance industry can do and it brings true affordability to each American.

I want to take a moment to highlight some of the best parts of the bill, HR3962:

- Private health insurance companies will no longer be able to deny claims based on pre-existing conditions, nor will they be able to raise rates or kick you off a plan just because you become sick.
- Everyone will have an opportunity to purchase a quality plan. Not a bare bones, hospitalization only plan – but a plan that includes primary, preventative care, a plan where you can go to the doctor of your choosing when you are sick, a plan that includes prescription drugs – in other words a plan that covers your needs
- Most Americans will be eligible, under the House plan, for affordability credits to help them afford the premiums they will pay. Families making up to 400% of Federal Poverty Level (about $88,000 a year for a family of four) will get these credits. So yes, you will have to buy insurance but you will get a choice of plans and insurance companies, and you will be able to afford it.
- The House bill pays for the affordability with a slight surcharge on the wealthiest Americans – those earning, as an individual, over $300,000 a year! This is the right way to pay for it, a small part of the roll back of the Bush tax cuts for his wealthy buddies – and then all Americans can afford their health insurance premiums.
- Small Businesses will get substantial tax credits to help them afford to pay at least part of the premiums for their employees if they choose. I know a number of small business owners who are currently providing health insurance and get no assistance – this will be a big help to their bottom line while they get to retain quality employees who are healthy!
- And yes it contains a public option! The public option brings true competition to the health insurance market – something that currently does not exist. It is the firewall to keep the private market honest and focused on the needs of their clients instead of their shareholders.

Wow! Those are some substantial wins!!

Yes, I will admit right now that this Bill is not as strong as I would like it to be. But we have to put into perspective what has happened here. The voices of millions of Americans who see our economy sinking, our place of leadership in the world being supplanted and so many of their friends and family going without quality health care have risen up to speak louder than the millions of dollars a day that the private industry pumped into Capitol Hill to defeat this legislation.

That’s historic. And it’s just a start.

This is the base that we build off of, but we have to complete the foundation before we can strengthen the institution.

So next steps – thank your Congressperson if they voted for the Bill. This wasn’t an easy vote. Everyone has an opinion and the debate was heated. If they did the right thing and sided with you and not the big money they need to be recognized for their courage. Here in WNY we give a big shout out to Congressman Brian Higgins for his tireless leadership on this issue in the important Ways and Means Committee. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter was another true champion who braved the House floor the last Saturday to lead the way on how the vote would proceed. Call their offices now to say thank you!

Then call the Senate. They need to create 1 bill out of the 2 committees. It needs to contain a public option and true affordability and it needs to be done and voted on this month! Call your friends in other states that have Senators who are on the fence and have them organize in their community to put the pressure on! We are lucky in New York that Senators Schumer and Gillibrand are on our side, but still call them to keep them strong.

Then call the White House. They need to continue to put pressure on Congress to get this done – they need to keep the heat up to pass the legislation out of the Senate but most importantly when the reconciliation of the House and Senate bill is being negotiated they need to make sure the House bill with its affordability provisions and a surcharge on the wealthy to pay for it, leads the way.

So, what’s the timeline? Well that depends on the Senate. Our hope is that they will pass, on the full floor of the Senate, a bill by the end of November – but the clock is ticking and no vote has yet been set. This is where you can help. Put the pressure on – reach out to others across the Country, start calling now. Say you want a vote on this bill by the end of the month! As time rolls on, our chances of true reform melt away, let’s get it done now!

Then the 2 bills (House and Senate) have to come together and become one bill. At that point we need to yell, scream, demonstrate in the streets that the House bill is OUR bill. The Senate bills have never contained true affordability or a surcharge on the wealthy. Demand it!

So let’s say that happens the first week or so of December and both the Senate and House are set to vote on the new bill. Just because they passed the first time doesn’t mean we are out of the woods yet – so make sure you keep the calls coming, go to every event, write letters to the editor – keep the pressure on!

Fingers crossed, the new health care reform bill passes both Houses of Congress before the Holiday Break. And then, we come back to the New Year and CELEBRATE when President Obama signs into law quality, affordable health care for all of us!!!

Then we get back to work making it even stronger…but that’s a story for another day.

Please pick up your phone now!

Do this for the Memory of Senator Kennedy

Last year I was a delegate for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. It was the first night of the 4 night convention and the air was charged with hope.

This was my first time as a delegate and the endless 2 minutes speeches were only part of the atmosphere. There were so many people to watch – a great multitude of humanity dressed to celebrate the nomination of Barack Obama. Actors, news anchors and comediens walked through the crowd alongside delegates of every size, color and character. It was a grand parade.

And then tiny Caroline Kennedy walked on to the stage and all eyes were suddenly on the podium. In her soft almost whisper of a voice she talked about and introduced Edward Kennedy as the patriarchial head of the family who has so long been the uber rich champions of the poor in this country.

When Kennedy walked on the stage I started to feel a wave of emotion I never imagined I would feel. It was the passing of the torch and it felt to me that I was one of the ones handing it from President John F. Kennedy out from the grave to the soon to be President Barack Obama. It was overwhelming when Kennedy spoke the words that declared that Obama was the renewal of the hope that had died in Texas so many years ago.

My emotion was captured on television cameras that soon sold that “pool feed” to CNN, ABC, NBC and FOX as I cried while Kennedy spoke. I have been told by many that my face appeared again and again as they showed his speech. I guess it is even in the new video tribute to Kennedy. I can only think that they use that footage because the emotion I was showing was so completely real, I can still feel it right now. I felt the golden cord of history between these two powerful forces – Kennedy to Obama. I helped pass that torch and then I knew that Obama would win and our work for true progressive reform would begin.

Today, when I turned on my local NPR station to hear that Sen. Kennedy had passed I was overtaken again. My work on healthcare reform is, in large part, due to his life’s work on the issue. His understanding that he, as a member of a very wealthy family had access to the best care and that it was not fair that all should not have that same access no matter how much money they had was his motivation. I cried, am crying now, because he will not be able to cast his vote in the Senate for healthcare reform because of the selfish power grabbing of Senator Bacus and the money behind him from the health insurance lobbyists.

And then I read that Kennedy’s death was, to the day, almost to the hour, of the speech that first sent me into tears in Denver.

I will wear black today and mourn the loss of the liberal lion of the Senate. But at the same time I will try to use this as a way to light a fire under others that we must pass this reform for the memory of a man who, though not perfect, did so much for so many with the progressive legislation. We must now pass health care reform because as he said, this was the cause of his life.

President Obama, I know you are feeling this and I hope you will now become that liberal lion and lead us to true health care reform, never wavering in your conviction that now is the time to do the right thing for all Americans.

Health Care Rationining

The Republicans are pairing up with the health insurance company to scare Americans that if we have true health care reform their health insurance will be rationed.

We have rationing right now under our current system.

Have you ever been denied a claim? Rationing

Have you ever been told you couldn’t see a doctor or go to a hospital because they were out of network? Rationing

Have you ever had to wait for a procedure while your doctor had to get a pre-approval for a test they want you to have? Rationing

That doesn’t even include:
Exclusions for pre-existing conditions
Cut offs for lifetime benefits that come up pretty fast when you have a chronic condition like cancer or diabetes
Dramatic increases in your premiums and co-pays if you get sick

That’s all rationing.

Now consider these FACTS.

Medicare and Medicaid deny about 3-4% of claims

The private health insurance industry denies 30-40% of claims

Who is rationing? Let’s look at the facts here people, not the scare tactics.

Twitter the Truth for Health Care Reform!

Government is Good

Okay, I know I am being redundant here.

But yesterday I went knocking on doors with a Dr. who is committed to health care reform as I am. He reflected what a Republican Assemblyman said to me on Friday.

They both said it very well.

Health care should be like Education because they are both for the welfare of the population.

There should be a great, quality, public option. If you choose to spend more for extra bells and whistles then you can do that privately.

But the public option MUST be very good – it must be affordable – and it must cover a person’s needs.

Senator Schumer is writing the public option portion of the legislation. He isn’t hearing that his voters want a STRONG public option. Please tell him. DC office 202-224-6542 Buffalo Office – 716-846-4111

Tally Sheet of wins and…

When I started this blog I really thought I would write everyday, and I did for a while. But we have been in the trenches on so many different issues lately that when I get home at night I am just to tired and muddled to write…

But finally we are starting to see the fruits of some of the labor, unfortunately it is all tempered with some political reality. Here is a quick tally of what happened in the last week:

1) A Win! NY will be reforming the Rockefeller Drug Laws that demand that judges follow sentancing guidelines for drug offenses. Senate President Malcom Smith said reformation of these laws will allow the releast of 13,000 non-violent drug offenders at a cost savings to the State of half a BILLION dollars. Good move!!! In addition treatment and rehabilitation will be the emphasis instead of incarceration. Yeah!

2) A Win? Well, it’s a yes to the progressive income tax by the 3 men in a room. But it doesn’t go as far or for as long as we would like and it would raise $4 Billion as opposed to the $6 Billion we have been pushing for. But it’s still a WIN! When we started this process it was a definate No by the Gov and not exactly enthusiastic support by Sen. Smith. So, I will take it. Let’s just make sure that it doesn’t expire in 3 years like they are writing it – see you in the halls of the LOB in 2012?

3) Let’s switch to Federal healthcare reform: It’s a Win that Obama is funding a downpayment of healthcare reform in his proposed budget. But a loss that the negotiations on Capitol Hill are talking about whether there should even be an expanded public option on the table. The notion that only the poor should be on the public option and that the government should do no more than subsidize private insurance for everyone else smacks of not only corporate welfare and greed (haven’t we seen this before – AIG bonsus what?) but also of a seemingly familiar system – oh, you mean the one we have now? It’s the private insurance companies that are raising rates faster than you can get out your calculator while denying every claim they can get an adjuster to review. PUBLIC OPTION, PUBLIC OPTION. Come on Dems get some guts and some new campaign contributors!

Two steps forward, one step back…looks like we are going to have to keep on walking and encourage progressives to keep on runnin.

Welfare for the Wealthy

I just want to say this…

For every time that an AIG exec has ridiculed an unemployed steel worker who is taking unemployment;
For every time an AIG exec has said that a young mother who is struggling to raise a child with soaring child care costs on a poverty minumum wage income who turns to welfare is sponging off the government;
For every AIG exec who ridicules Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid recipients as people who are only sucking our economy dry…
I just want to say “welcome”.
How does it feel to be part of a government sponsored entitlement program?

YEAH Sebelius!!!

I have many reasons to be excited about Obama picking Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as the new HHS Secretary:

1) My day job is to work on health care reform for Health Care for America Now at Citizen Action, I think she is going to make my job a little easier.
2) I grew up in Kansas. I know she is tough to be a Democratic governor in this the reddest of states.
3) She is intelligent, practical, knows how to work with others to get things done, look at her record – she has proven this many times over
4) Her family has a summer home in Leland, Michigan where I lived for 11 years. Leland is a place of great beauty and peace, it keeps you grounded in the natural world and I strongly believe that helps keep one focused on what is important.
5) She shares Obama’s practical worldview that combines idealism with realism. This is what we need right now to get the job done and make sure all Americans have quality, affordable health insurance before Obama’s first term ends.

So, while I am sad that Kansas is going to lose this strong, vibrant woman as their leader – I am glad that the nation will gain a fighter for health care and the other practical human needs that are carried out at HHS.

For a couple of good articles: Ken Rudin’s political junkie column on NPR.org
Washington Post article in Sunday, March 1

Something funny on a Sunday…

The Onion – check it out if you need a good laugh.

Nation’s Blacks Creeped Out By All The People Smiling At Them

Ya Gotta Spend Money to Make Money

Slate magazine heralded Obama’s budget as the End of Reganomics!!! Three Cheers!! Now let’s get to work to get this passed and get the Country moving again!